Fluffy growth near stem

[DTB]

Can anyone help me.

I have no idea what orchid this is. It was given to me and they did not know.

I have had this plant for over a year moving it from area to area, pot to bark trying to get it to grow. It has not changed the whole time (at least it wasnt' going backwards and dying)

It has finally sent out some new growth so I seem to be on the right track but there is white accumulations on certain area. I am sure this is a pest but do not know what it is or how to treat it.

Any ideas? I would also prefer a more organic, natural pesticide if there is one that would work as affectively.
I wipe the plant down and remove as much as possible but it keeps returning.

Many thanks

[IMG]IMG_6456 by David Burgess, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]IMG_6455 by David Burgess, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]IMG_6454 by David Burgess, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]IMG_6458 by David Burgess, on Flickr[/IMG]

Could the yellowing be related to the other problem?

[IMG]IMG_6459 by David Burgess, on Flickr[/IMG]

first signs of growth in over a year, yay!!

[rbarata]

Not sure but I would suspect a mealy bug infestation.
Apply something based on imidacloprid or thiacloprid.
I don't know hwat's available in New Zealand but Bayer has some good products for home usage (Bayer 3 in 1, I think, Calypso). Those are systemic which is the best option.
Isolate the plant to a place with lower humidity, remove the bugs you can see, repot with fresh medium, apply the product mentioned above once a week for 3~4 weeks.
Take a good look on the plants in the vicinity of this one (if any) because the probability of being also infested is really high.

[DTB]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Not sure but I would suspect a mealy bug infestation.
Apply something based on imidacloprid or thiacloprid.
I don't know hwat's available in New Zealand but Bayer has some good products for home usage (Bayer 3 in 1, I think, Calypso). Those are systemic which is the best option.
Isolate the plant to a place with lower humidity, remove the bugs you can see, repot with fresh medium, apply the product mentioned above once a week for 3~4 weeks.
Take a good look on the plants in the vicinity of this one (if any) because the probability of being also infested is really high.

Thanks for the quick response, Ill head out and get some goods tomorrow.

[WaterWitchin]

I use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to remove the pests after unpotting, then rinse. Helps get rid of the ones who may be lurking. Plus what rbarata says.

[estación seca]

Looks like the juvenile form of scale on a Dendrobium with Den. kingianum ancestry. I would submerge the whole plant in a bucket of soapy water, 2-5ml of liquid dish soap per liter. Let it soak a few hours. Remove and scrub. For a heavy infestation like this you might need to repeat. Watch for scale on your other plants, too.

I think it would be hard to water a Den. kingianum enough on a mount. This is why it isn't growing. It needs daily watering during warm weather if mounted. I would put it into a pot.

[bethmarie]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Looks like the juvenile form of scale .

I can't say what it is, but what it doesn't look like to me is mealy bugs. I actually have a bunch of this white yuck on my outdoor growing daisy plants and was just today trying to figure out if it was a fungus, or what.

[DTB]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Looks like the juvenile form of scale on a Dendrobium with Den. kingianum ancestry. I would submerge the whole plant in a bucket of soapy water, 2-5ml of liquid dish soap per liter. Let it soak a few hours. Remove and scrub. For a heavy infestation like this you might need to repeat. Watch for scale on your other plants, too.

I think it would be hard to water a Den. kingianum enough on a mount. This is why it isn't growing. It needs daily watering during warm weather if mounted. I would put it into a pot.

Thanks for the advise. It has actually been mounted in a pot with daily watering for the past year, that is when it didnt grow, strangely, as soon as ive mounted it on the bark and put it in the bathroom, it has started to grow. (i do mist it every second day and it receives more humidity now so maybe that has helped) Even more interesting, it was planted with 2 other orchid for the whole time and neither has any sign of the same infestation but I will keep a close eye on them all.
Much appreciated

[Selmo]

Your other photos show what looks like sun burn ( leaf w/ spot on it) and the green thing comeing up though the moss looks like a new root. The mealy bugs can be washed out with above advice. If one of your plants has mealy bugs then probably the other plants near by probably have then too. Keep a close eye on them too.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If your plant is the species Dendrobium kingianum, it is actually a lithophyte. You'd probably have better luck with it growing in 1/2" to 3/4" granite, medium to large grade diatomite, or some lava rocks as potting media.

Dendrobium kingianum growing in the wild:

Flickr

If it is a hybrid, it is difficult to say what the heritage would be, and therefore it would also be hard to say whether it should be grown as an epipthye or lithophyte.

However, if it happens to be a cross with Dendrobium speciosum, this species also happens to be a lithophyte as well.

Dendrobium speciosum growing in the wild:

Rock lilies or Sydney rock orchids: Dendrobium speciosum (or is it Thelychiton speciosus?) | morselsandscraps

I don't know what part of Australia you're from, but depending on where you are, you could be able to find a way to see them growing in the wild.

[DTB]

Hi Selmo,
Yes , the new root is super exciting, its the first sign of growth it has shown since I received it. Funnily, the 'sun burn' patch has developed while the plant was in a shaded area, that why I thought it may be part of the infection. There is new growth coming out from the top of one of the spikes now as well.
Rubbing the areas with alcohol and rinsing has really worked and there is no new sign of the infection. Fingers crossed!

King_of_orchid_growing,

The plant is now growing since I moved it to the Cork bark and placed it into my bathroom so you may be onto something with the Rock Lilly. It'll be interesting to see what this little survivor grows into.