Bringing orchids in from outside-prevention

[lotusbird]

Hello everyone!
I was wondering if anyone could share any tips of what they do, if anything, when bringing orchids back in the house after summering outdoors. It is almost time here in the Northeast, this was my 1st time bringing them outdoors, they did very well.I have over a hundred now (yes, a true orcaholic) My neighbor with the greenhouse sprays his with a bacteriocide, is that recomended or just a good water bath in the sink? Many are in spike/bud, don't want to mess anything up.
Thanks so much.


Barbara

[MrHappyRotter]

I keep most of my tropicals indoors all year round, specifically because of the number of pests in my area. However, I do put some of them outside each year, so I add "bug" eviction to the indoor migration process.

As for disease, I worry about that a little less than perhaps I should, but it's also not really been a big issue for me. Spraying with Neem might help, but then if your plants are in bloom there is a chance of some damage to the flowers. There are also products like Physan/Consan, and some people even use a weak bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution. I would be wary of using any of these products on the spikes/buds/flowers. There are also several microbial innoculants / probiotics (like the product that Ray sells and things like Serenade) that may be useful for disease prevention and which are likely to be very safe (don't take my word for it) for flowers.

For the critters, though, I start a month in advance. Once a week, for at least 3 weeks, I'll spray the plants with insecticide. I prefer to use synthetic pyrethroids because they are generally quite safe for people and pets when used properly. Make sure to soak it into the potting mix as well. This helps to eliminate my biggest concerns (ants, roaches, and arboreal crickets) while also taking out the more traditional pests like mites, scale, and mealy bugs.

In addition, the week before I bring things in, weather permitting, I dunk and soak the pots in water to flush out as many of the snails and slugs as possible. Most of them will come to the surface for air, and then I can pick them off manually (this is also effective for any bugs that survived the insecticide treatment). Slugs and snails tend to be a bigger issue with plants that have been sitting on the ground. You might consider using a slug bait, but if you have kids, pets, or lots of wildlife, avoid products that contain metaldehyde.

[Ray]

Yep, three treatments at one-week intervals of a good insecticide, wetting every surface of the plant and soaking the medium thoroughly.

Last fall, I did so with Azamax, and didn't see a critter all winter.

[MattWoelfsen]

Originally Posted by Ray

Yep, three treatments at one-week intervals of a good insecticide, wetting every surface of the plant and soaking the medium thoroughly.

Last fall, I did so with Azamax, and didn't see a critter all winter.

I haven’t tried Azamax. Thank you for this tip, Ray.

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by Ray

Yep, three treatments at one-week intervals of a good insecticide, wetting every surface of the plant and soaking the medium thoroughly.

Last fall, I did so with Azamax, and didn't see a critter all winter.

I might need to try this! Thanks!

[fishmom]

I do the treatment with insecticide, but as I have ants in my garden, I take care to renew the ant baits I always have out about a month before I think the temperatures will drop. Thanks for reminding me, I should make a run to the hardware store soon!

[Leafmite]

I never really look forward to the job of bringing the plants back inside. The one bonus, though, is that the wonderful fragrance of jasmine and the Cestrum nocturnum will be filling the home each evening.

I always begin preparing and watching the weather in August.

Here is what I have been doing:

Five weeks ago, I moved all my plant shelves in front of the sliding glass door for more side light. I replaced all my fluorescent lights, plugged the lights into the power strip (to make certain they easily reach), made certain the timer is working and set to the times I want, cleaned the shelves, and lined them with fresh plastic.

Three weeks ago: I examined all my plants. The result? Pill bugs and bush snails. I ordered Sluggo-Plus and began to use coffee grounds on the plants (coffee grounds are said to kill bush snails).

Two weeks ago, I began to use the Sluggo Plus.

Last week, examined the plants again. The leaves look clean. I did not see any Bush Snails but that doesn't mean there are not plenty....

Next week, I will begin to bring in the plants, a few at a time. I will shake each one off well to make certain that there are no spiders or other creepy crawlies, wash each one in the sink and soak the pot in a tub, let them dry, spray each one with cold-pressed Neem oil mixed with water and soap (following the instructions from Logees) and pour some of the Neem mixture through the soil. Each will get another dose of Sluggo-Plus. Then they will be put on the shelves.

I have a relatively large plant collection for the home so it will be a challenge, especially those passiflora vines. I would love to just chop them at about a foot but they have still have some unripe fruit around ten to fifteen feet along the vine.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

...passiflora vines. I would love to just chop them at about a foot but they have still have some unripe fruit around ten to fifteen feet along the vine.

Some Midwestern friends grow their passionfruit outdoors in the ground. They take cuttings in midsummer and root them in jars of water. They let the vines outside freeze, and carry the cuttings over the winter in the kitchen window. They get them established in pots towards the end of winter, and set them out into the ground after frost is over. They grow so much faster in the ground my friends always get fruit.

[Leafmite]

Does Azamax also come from the Neem tree and is it similar to cold-pressed Neem Oil? Just curious. I already have a good supply of Neem oil....

[/QUOTE=estación seca;884199]Some Midwestern friends grow their passionfruit outdoors in the ground. They take cuttings in midsummer and root them in jars of water. They let the vines outside freeze, and carry the cuttings over the winter in the kitchen window. They get them established in pots towards the end of winter, and set them out into the ground after frost is over. They grow so much faster in the ground my friends always get fruit.[/QUOTE]

I just saw this and I had to ask...what type of passionfruit vines are your friends growing? I am so jealous as my fruit always takes forever from flower to harvest. I get the first flowers in May and harvest the first fruits in mid-September. I have edulis 'McCain,' edulis 'Purple Possum' and an incarnata. Family in DC has told me that they plant their edulis and incarnata vines in the ground in May and the fruit never ripens before their first frost. I just convinced them to grow theirs potted, too. The harvest is usually finished in January for me (They are still blooming....).

I have been bringing plants inside and have the first indoor shelf full and two more to go.... A few of the plants will go dormant for the winter so they will not be put under the lights (plumeria/bulbs). It is always a good feeling when the last plant is brought inside (except after frost when I discover I forgot something....) Every plant that is brought inside is treated with Neem Oil (scale and mealy bugs), Sluggo-plus (pill bugs), and coffee grounds (bush snails). I also treated the orchids that remained indoors just to be certain. I have until the end of the week, according to the weather app. to get them all inside.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

...what type of passionfruit vines are your friends growing?... I get the first flowers in May and harvest the first fruits in mid-September. I have edulis 'McCain,' edulis 'Purple Possum' and an incarnata. Family in DC has told me that they plant their edulis and incarnata vines in the ground in May and the fruit never ripens before their first frost. I just convinced them to grow theirs potted, too. The harvest is usually finished in January for me (They are still blooming....).

I saw native Passiflora incarnata (Maypop) in Wisconsin as a kid, so it should be fully hardy for you. It grew along fences where birds had dropped the seeds after eating the fruit. The fruits ripened right around frost. Maybe there are different strains with different frost hardiness? If so perhaps try to get seed from someplace north of you. Since it ripens so late, I would look up whether seed needs cold stratification to sprout.

I didn't pay attention to which varieties my friends were growing, but they were probably edulis. Flowering and fruit ripening are related to temperature. Flowering is definitely related to the tips of the vine bending over and hanging down. If you keep training your vines up they won't flower.

Passiflora edulis grows fine in full Arizona sun and heat, so perhaps you should put it in the hottest and sunniest part of your garden. Maybe try to pot up cuttings well before last frost, get them growing well, then put them outside early with a Wall O Water or something like that. Get them growing early, fertilize heavily, and let the tops of the vines flop over when they're 4-6 feet / 1.2-1.8m tall to promote flowering.

Also consider growing Passiflora mollissima, the banana passion fruit. The fruit is delicious. I think it's better eating than edulis. It looks like a small yellow zucchini, hence the name. It likes less heat than edulis. I can't grow it here in Phoenix once nights heat up. It is an invasive weed in many cooler tropical areas, but it won't survive any frost, so you have nothing to worry about. The flowers are different from edulis: They hang down with long tubes, and the petals open flat. The flowers are brilliant flamingo pink. This one also flowers when branch tips flop over or grow horizontally. If anybody has driven up the mountain in Kauai and looked in patchy forest areas along the road, you will have seen this vine everywhere, with its pink flowers and yellow fruits.

And remember a lot of passionfruits produce better with hand pollination.

When I lived in St Louis I tried growing P. quadrangularis in a 5-gallon pot. It wasn't really warm enough, even against a south facing brick wall. The plant grew slowly and flowered the day before the first frost. Here in Phoenix I have grown it and it's like a weed. So try hard to give your edulis the warmest position you can find.

Mail-order passion vine seeds can be hit or miss. Most, but not all, sprout readily when very fresh. The longer they are stored, the more dormant they become, and it can take a very long time for them to sprout. So don't give up if trying to sprout them. And use a heating mat for the lowland tropical ones.