Bugs in nursery potting media - are all bugs bad?

[Papillon24601]

I've seen some itty bitty bugs in my new orchids that came from nurseries. They might be silver fish? But I never saw silver fish so small. At least one minuscule spider. There aren't any on the plants. The ones that have new growth, I potted; the ones that had blooms and no new growth are still in original media. When I saw the bugs, I dunked the whole pot (roots and all) in hydrogen peroxide and the rinsed then in lysterine. Should I be worried? Did I do the right thing? Do orchids ever arrive with beneficial bugs?

[Orchid Whisperer]

Yes, you should be worried - mostly about the damaging effects of peroxide followed by Listerine on the roots of your orchid.

The bugs could be springtails. I suggest repotting into new bark, rinsing off the roots while you are at it.

[estación seca]

The only way to grow plants with no tiny insects and microorganisms is to treat them with extremely toxic poisons on a near-weekly basis. That doesn't sound good to me.

The grower needs to learn the different kinds of bugs so as to know the few which are a problem, and the large number which are not.

[Ray]

Psocids look a bit like silverfish, but I'm not aware of them doing any harm to plants.

However, it seems to me that any bug living in the medium suggests decomposition, and time to repot.

I don't agree that one needs to constantly poison things to maintain them bug-free. Good culture, especially with fresh, clean potting media, goes along way to discourage insects in the pots, and close inspection and fast action can keep leaf eaters and borers at bay, although you may have to use the "big guns" to knock them back, if you are starting with an issue.

About 6 months ago, I began experimenting with BotaniGard, which is a fungus that attacks insect eggs and larvae (most insecticides only affect adults), and I must sat that it seems quite effective, both as a preventive and curative treatment.

[estación seca]

Happy Birthday Ray.

[Papillon24601]

Should I repot even though there's no evidence of new growth? I've been converting everything to semi hydro, are there any bad bugs that like the clay pellets? My orchids are outside.