fungus & bugs - help

[Island Girl]

Originally Posted by Nexogen

A, yes is from paphiopedilum.

Uhh, huh? did I miss something? Lol

EDIT: oh, and a good way to provide bottom heat, is to get a "seedling" heat mat, they should be available thru Amazon (I'm assuming that is true in Canada, like 85% sure ) or, you can get reptile heat mats, they sell in pet stores, that go underneath an aquarium/terrarium... I think they have two kinds, one for "rainforest" for moist/damp conditions, it's prob the better choice of the two. (the other is a "desert" conditions type) I've only seen them, never used them... But, when I get back to 'civilization', I am planning on getting one.

[mexorchid]

Originally Posted by Nexogen

A, yes is from paphiopedilum.

2 of these orchids are paphs, the other is an oncidium. Ok, so will also repot these 3 and try to wash off any insect I can find. Hope that cures these 3.
I have just recently moved to Canada. It was so much easier in Mexico. Any orchids I rescued from a new building project in the jungle I just brought it home, tied it to a tree with old leaves from the floor and voila... next spring or autumn - flowers. I hope I'll get the hang of how to do this properly here!
Thanks for all the good advice and patience with me!

---------- Post added at 09:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 PM ----------

and I'll dip the roots in H2O2. Can that kill eggs of the insects?

[Island Girl]

Lol, I added something to my post, about an easy way of heating from the bottom (just in case you missed that, b/c after I added, I noticed your last post)

[mexorchid]

I was thinking already about heat mats but even the moist space types can't be submerged. The furniture I'm building for my plants has kind of a basin on top with a level so I can easily drain the water from the lowest point. I was thinking about filling the whole platform with LECA and water but then I can't use a heat mat... hmmmmm ... I need to think of something else to heat them. Maybe through the lights...

[Nexogen]

not from lights get reptile heat mats

[Island Girl]

Yes, I see your problem... The heat mats won't work thru that... They can kinda, I use heat mats under deflasked seedlings, which r in a tray, with hydroton, and moss on top (to keep humidity up) inside a dome, that keeps them warm... And the seedling heat mat dry. But, I'm not sure how well it would work with any airspace btwn...??

If you use lights to keep them warm, go with anything other than LEDs or fluorescents, they stay too cool. (think HID or metal halide MID (?)... I think I have those initials correct They stay warm.. And can be far away... Actually, they have to be far away. Otherwise you'll have some sunburn going on!) Just look into lighting really well, before making any decision... There's lots of options out there.

Edit: or, you could use a space heater?

[mexorchid]

Canadians seem to have the most amazing stuff for winter - my boyfriend said: why don't you use a roof de-icing cable with a dimmer! seems perfect to me, can be submerged. Space heater though wouldn't be bad neither as myself I keep feeling cold all the time here.
Thanks again for all the advice guys

[james mickelso]

Springtails don't hurt anything for the most part. I tried to get rid of them but they just come right back. Had them for years and no problems. They are a sign of wet conditions. They eat dead organic material. Get rid of the moss topping your media. You can get Bayer 3-1. That is as good as it gets if used as directed. H2O2 is an oxidizer not a disinfectant. The LECCA is fine if you can keep the humidity down. Most of your plants are over potted. That is why they stay too damp. Media should be airy. That way you water and give the roots moisture/food, and then the media dries out. Once dry you water again. These are epiphytes. Not terrestrial plants. They are adapted to wet/dry cycle. When you have molds/fungus/bacterial issues it means the environment is too wet. The fans will help but repot these into smaller pots just able to hold the roots. Ever wonder why phals and other orchids grow roots out of the pot and not down into the media? They grow "along" their support not "into" it. Orchids need just enough media/room to stabilize them. Nothing more.

[mexorchid]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Springtails don't hurt anything for the most part. I tried to get rid of them but they just come right back. Had them for years and no problems. They are a sign of wet conditions. They eat dead organic material. Get rid of the moss topping your media. You can get Bayer 3-1. That is as good as it gets if used as directed. H2O2 is an oxidizer not a disinfectant. The LECCA is fine if you can keep the humidity down. Most of your plants are over potted. That is why they stay too damp. Media should be airy. That way you water and give the roots moisture/food, and then the media dries out. Once dry you water again. These are epiphytes. Not terrestrial plants. They are adapted to wet/dry cycle. When you have molds/fungus/bacterial issues it means the environment is too wet. The fans will help but repot these into smaller pots just able to hold the roots. Ever wonder why phals and other orchids grow roots out of the pot and not down into the media? They grow "along" their support not "into" it. Orchids need just enough media/room to stabilize them. Nothing more.

Thanks James for reading this thread and giving your advice
So I took off the moss on top. Fan is running 10mins every 2 hours from 8h to midnight.
I understand what you say: the more media around them that they don't need, the more issues with not drying well enough -> disease. But I put only the ones in bigger pots who's roots I couldn't fit easy in a smaller one. (I know the leaves look small but some had quite big root system) On the bottom of the pots are bigger bark pieces to drain better. I was afraid to break some roots. You think they are not too fragile if I squeeze them some? And repotting them again after just 1 week has enough advantage over giving them a rest?

---------- Post added at 01:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

The 3 orchids with insects (paphs and oncidium) I had repotted already before reading your post. I could find only very few insects and the roots looked fine. I repotted the paphs in the same but disinfected pots and the oncidium in a small clay pot, all with fresh media.
Good to hear you can have insects without harm, I won't panic if they come back.

[Nexogen]

Originally Posted by mexorchid

Thanks James for reading this thread and giving your advice
So I took off the moss on top. Fan is running 10mins every 2 hours from 8h to midnight.
I understand what you say: the more media around them that they don't need, the more issues with not drying well enough -> disease. But I put only the ones in bigger pots who's roots I couldn't fit easy in a smaller one. (I know the leaves look small but some had quite big root system) On the bottom of the pots are bigger bark pieces to drain better. I was afraid to break some roots. You think they are not too fragile if I squeeze them some? And repotting them again after just 1 week has enough advantage over giving them a rest?

---------- Post added at 01:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

The 3 orchids with insects (paphs and oncidium) I had repotted already before reading your post. I could find only very few insects and the roots looked fine. I repotted the paphs in the same but disinfected pots and the oncidium in a small clay pot, all with fresh media.
Good to hear you can have insects without harm, I won't panic if they come back.

Don’t worry you can use for the future this advice, don’t disturb the plants now and you can use H2O2 like disinfectant.

Fans must running 24/7

---------- Post added at 02:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:58 PM ----------

Most of your plants are over potted is true, in springs you have to repot in smaller pots. You can learn from your mistakes.

---------- Post added at 03:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 PM ----------

Don’t use too much water; mist the plants with a spray bottle.