pests on my phalaenopsis

[sharon lynn]

hi..im a newbe so be patient please..my phal has a lot of white cottony stuff on the undersides of the leaves, its on top in the seams as well..goes right down into stem..how do i save my plant? i have no-one here to ask..im in a small town ,golden b.c. canada..no plant store or nursery here..at one time i had a lot of orchids,they were all doing well until i transplanted them.they didnt like it & died on me..i used moss.bark & orchid dirt..the bag had a pic of orchids on it so thats what i used..i am now down to 2 plants..i think it also has some kind of tiny black fly on it..can it be saved or should i just get new ones? the only place i can get them here is the grocery store..if they can be saved, what & how do i do it?...i do have one that is ok..but cant get it to flower..not to sure what kind it is..i think mabe its a type of cattleya..has very long skinny leaves..when it did bollm the flowers kind of looked like ladyslippers..ive had that one for about 4 yrs..bloomed 2 times..but not since..how do i get it to bloom again...also when do i fertilize ?what do i use?.i tried some stuff last summer...didnt work..dont remember what it was..came in a small plastic bottle that went right into plant pot...all replies will be great..thx

[Ross]

OK, don't panic!

Do you have access to a "big box" store something like Home Depot or Lowes or whatever they call them in Canada? If so, look for a spray bottle called Schultz Garden Safe Houseplant & Garden Insect Spray. The bottle is a teal color. Assuming you can find this locally, spray down (like soak) the whole plant (it's pretty safe so just wash your hands afterwords, don't worry about getting the stuff on you). Do this three times. Once immediately. Then do it again 3-4 days later. Then do it a third time 3-4 days after that. That should get rid of the nasties.

If you don't have access to this stuff then spray with rubbing alchohol then drizzle on some food oil like vegetable oil. These are home remedies, but might work. You can also try dish soap mixed with vegetable oil. Don't do all these , just pick one. Try the dish soap and veggie oil first. Put like a couple tablespoon oil in a liter of water (I know it doesn't mix!) then add a couple teaspoons dish soap and shake it up. Pour this all over the plant and really soak the white cottony masses.

[Royal]

Welcome!

OK, first red flag -- orchid dirt? If there is any dirt in this mix, you should probably take it out of the pot, today. Fir bark type mixes have been good for my phals.

Second, white cottony stuff -- woolly aphids. You might be able to remove a large number with a paper towel and alcohol. This will certainly not be enough. You'll need to buy or make something to spray on them.

Third, fertilizer -- check out some existing threads. Lots of info here.

My overall opinion -- you found this forum just in time. You'll probably need to order some supplies online, might as well expand your collection!

[Des]

Oh boy you are in a bad state ! Lets see how we can help you . Those bugs sound like wooly aphid to me , if you only have one plant with the problem then brush or wash them off , but remember those that you see are sometimes the tip of the iceberg , so check the root system as well . Wooly aphid can be kept at bay by increasing the air movement around your plants. Spray your plants with Biokill once a month, it is a long lasting eco friendly insecticide . Prevention is always better than cure
You should only be transplanting or breaking up a Cattleya when it has a new growth , I wait until the growths roots are about 6 to 10 mm long before repotting. If the plant is dormant you stand a good chance of loosing the plant . If you divide the plant it very important to seal the cuts . I dab sulphur on the . cuts . The little black fly is most probably a fungus gnat , The Biokill will sort them out.

[sharon lynn]

ok ross i've doused the plant with soap etc...now do i dry the plant off or leave it on? i tried to get shultz stuff but have to wait till monday,do i do the soap until i can get the shultz?if so how often? wont the soap hurt the plant?i sprayed the leaves & stem really good,then took off the white stuff that i could get to with a paper towel i hope that is the right thing to do

[Dorothy]

Could the bugs also be mealies or boisduval scale?
Here is a site on pest problems - Diagnosing culture problems - Pests
and this archive thread may also help - http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-laughing.html
If you don't have sulphur to dab on any open cuts or wounds, you can use cinnamon

[Ross]

Originally Posted by sharon lynn

ok ross i've doused the plant with soap etc...now do i dry the plant off or leave it on? i tried to get shultz stuff but have to wait till monday,do i do the soap until i can get the shultz?if so how often? wont the soap hurt the plant?i sprayed the leaves & stem really good,then took off the white stuff that i could get to with a paper towel i hope that is the right thing to do

Sharon, I think you are fine at this point. If you can get the Schultz stuff fine, but the process you went through no doubt clobbered them Don't rinse! Wait for a couple weeks and do it again just to be sure.

[sharon lynn]

hi...i checked my plants..i think the soap thing worked...the plants are looking good!.i'm going to calgary,alberta next week & want to get some orchids that have nice fragrences...any suggestions on what kind??calgary's only 2 hrs away so its not a long trip for them..thanks....sharon

[Royal]

Sharon, Just a thought -- also pay attention to bloom times. Lots of fragrant orchids out there, but having blooms all year around is pretty awesome!

I'll let someone with more experience take a shot at the fragrance question ( genus Brassavola is really fragrant at night and it's easy to grow).

[sharon lynn]

i didnt even know there were blooe times..that would be great to have flowers all year long...also..how do i get my plants that i have to bloom again..?