So last night I was getting ready to hit the hay around midnight when I noticed some discoloration in the leaves of my little Phal Brother Sara Gold. I hadn't noticed before because the leaves always had white residue from whatever chemicals the grower used on it, so the new discoloration wasn't noticeable. The little guy only just started putting out new leaves in the past month or two since I bought it in May. When I turned it over I could see the damage was pretty bad, and on every single leaf. I got out my little 14x jeweler's loupe (you never know when one of these will come in handy!), and saw hundreds of spider mites on the underside of each leaf.
So here's what I did, not that I think it will survive. But you guys with mite experience let me know if there is anything else I can do. I wiped down every leaf top and bottom and every cranny I could get into with 1/2 strength diluted rubbing alcohol with distilled water and a splash of peroxide, using a q tip. Then I unpotted it and sprayed the whole thing down with the dilution. I would have added a drop or 2 of dish soap to the spray bottle, but I only had fancy dish soap with questionable additives. Then I bagged it in a zip loc, partially to try and grow some roots because the darn thing has barely grown any roots either since May, and partially to quarantine it from the other plants. I examined every other orchid in the kitchen, and only found a handful of mites on the little Phal next to the infested one, so I wiped it down as well. Then I cleaned and disinfected the windowsill with the alcohol mix.
Any thoughts guys and gals?
SOOOOOO SAD!!!! :(
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