how to get rid of the outside nasties?
 

i had to bring my whole collection inside last night. it got cold, fast. i wasnt prepared at all.

so, i need to know what i should do to get rid of all the nasties that probably came inside with them. i think i heard somewhere that you should bath them in soapy water? is that correct?

well I do Bayer 3-in-1 but I usualy do it a week or so before and agian the day before coming in too....

this year I hit them with it in the room after I brought them in ...bad idea It seems I am somewhat sensitive to it myself and fo rthe last two days have been coughing like mad after every time I go into the room for a while ...I opened the door to outside and ventalated it and it bettr but wont use it in a enclosed spoace again....

But it is good for a couple of months so shouldnt need to ...and outside it does not bother me so from now on its spray them outside for me before coming in ....unless its a emergency thing then I guess Ill cough. I think I had the spray a little to fine since I did not want the tables dripping

should i just use the bayer 3-in-1 even though i didnt use it a week prior?

Most of the nasties are going to be down in the medium hiding. You can fill a bucket with water and submerge the pots for 30 minutes or so. That is usually long enough to drive any creepy crawlies out looking for air. I would do this outside or in a garage though.

i would do it outside. what should i do to keep the medium from floating all over the place? would it still be a good idea to treat with bayer 3-in-1?

thanks for all your help!

Help, I just got back from the store where I was looking for Bayer 3 in 1. They were out and the clerk said that he hadn't been able to order any more because at this time of year the company slows down production. I've been spraying off and on for the past month (last year I brought a bunch of spider mites inside--so I'm paranoid, lol) so I looked for an alternative. In place of the Bayer, I got Garden Safe Fungicide--which I have used before. It is a 3 in 1 product and the active ingredient is neem oil. It is made by Schultz and I like their products...I need to spray a big maxillaria and a couple of phals, yet...

John, I have trouble breathing after I spray inside. And my husband has about seven aquariums so I only do it in an emergency and then I place the plant in a garbage bag and spray inside the bag to keep the irritant contained. Keep the bag shut for 6-8 hours (like overnight). So far this has worked well for me:D

i can get the garden safe fungicide, i think i saw it at the garden center. ill do both, just to be safe

I've been wondering. Is just spraying with the Bayer systemic as effective as soaking the plant? I have some plants that will be coming inside as well, but I'm planning on repotting beforehand to get rid of the nasties in the medium.

Izzie, I used the Bayer's last year as a soil drench and had good results. I did not see any creepy-crawlies around the orchids this year, but just to be safe I gave the medium as well as the foliage a good dose .With sixty or seventy plants outside, I am not repotting all of them, but I think I should be bug-free. At least I feel pretty good about bringing them back inside. I guess if I thought there might be a hitch hiker in the medium I would soak,too.:roll:

I did this with mine, but used coffee, because I had read that got rid of slugs.

Got slugs and earwigs come crawling out looking for air and lifted them all off and put them outside.

Haven't seen any sign of critters since they came in a couple of weeks ago.