a few questions about my orchids
 

Hello All,
I have a couple questions that I haven't seen addressed in the postings. It may be somewhere, but haven't found it as yet.
1) I have some mini flying insects around all my orchids. They appear to resemble fruit flies only smaller. I saw them in an orchid greenhouse once also. What are these and are they harmful? How do I get rid of them?:fight
2) Do most people who order orchids or buy them at local stores spray them for insects with such things as "physan20" at arrival? Or do you isolate the orchid and use the "wait and see" approach? If yes to spraying, doesn't using chemicals damage or weaken the young plant? :hmm
3) I have a Mtssa. Royal Robe 'Jerry's Pick' that I purchased a year ago at a Home Depot. It has never bloomed and when I get nice new growth, it crinkles up like an accordian. I water whenever it feels dry down in the pot (it's in a mix of coconut husk, perlite, charcoal, and pellets....not sure of the name, but it's for orchids).
I mist faithfully 2 times a day! I fertilize once a week with commercial orchid food. The roots and leaves look healthy, but crinkles up. No sign of pests or rot. :scratchhead:
4) I have a RFdra Jerry Pacific Empire I bought a year ago in bloom. I can't find much info about the care of it. It looks beautiful, but I don't see any signs of new spikes. I mist that daily, water weekly (there-abouts), and fertilize after watering (I also keep it in a drywell set-up). Anyone know about care for this particular orchid and why it might not be blooming?
Thanks so much for any help. kiki-do

A few thoughts on your questions
 

-I believe that your insects are probably fungus gnats; they are usually found in media that is beginning to break down or media which remains too moist (their life cycle aside from the current stage that they are in--flight--is spent in the media) take a look at this link and compare the gnat photos to what you are seeing Fungus Gnats | DoItYourself.com

-To spray/treat or not to spray/treat is a hot topic at the moment; in my experience, plants which come from a retailer (Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc) are much more likely to come with insect "friends" in tow. When buying plants from a nursery or dealer I often receive cleaner plants, I believe that those who sell plants for a living take far better care of them than stores that sell them as an afterthought. But just my 2 cents on this.

-Your Mtssa. sounds like it is either not getting sufficient water or the relative humidity is too low. Either can be a culprit for pleated leaf formation. With this plant I would not wait until the media is dry to the touch for watering; I would treat it as a Miltonia...excellent draining media, small pot size in relation to the foliage size and plenty of water. I'm not sure at what temp. you are growing, but assuming that you are growing in the average house this time of year, at about 50% humidity, I would probably suggest watering every 3~4 days for this one, and to stand it in a tray of moist pebbles/gravel for some added localized humidity. Hopefully someone who grows Miltonia x can weigh in here some; while I like their scent, I am not crazy about them...

-As for your other plant, it is an Oncidium intergeneric. The "whole" name is as follows:
Rehfieldara Jerry 'Pacific Evening Star'
Its cross is as follows:
Rfda -- Ada x Odontoglossum x Oncidium
As to culture, I am guessing that you can grow as for the genus Oncidium...again, I don't grow these, hopefully someone else can weigh in here...

Hope that this is of some help, keep us posted & good growing,
Adam

Great post Adam! Thanks! The article was very interesting. It mentions newer compost being the problem. I assume the article was directed mostly at houseplants potted in soil rather than orchids. Conventional wisdome for orchids has always been to repot when you see the little buggers. If it's not a good time to repot then it sounds like a good drenching with Neem will do the trick. Do you know how often that would need to be done, and can you mix Neem with fert? I've seen a few around some of my phals in older mix. I don't want to repot until spring. Thanks again! :biggrin:

Neem questions...
 

Hey quiltergal... afraid I can not be of assistance on the Neem topic... I've never used the stuff before. Hopefully someone else can weigh in on this...:scratchhead:
Good growing,
Adam

Terri, according to the label, Neem Oil can be used to water the plants. The label suggests using once every 2-4 weeks. I use it as foliar spray. Reminder: it does NOT keep once made up. Discard any diluted solution after making it up. I would not suggest mixing with fertilizer. Not really a good practice to mix different types of products unless you are certain of the interaction of one upon the other (kinda like mixing drug prescriptions.) Just remember it's primary use is not to kill bugs, but to make plant surfaces unattractive to bugs. So it is more effective as a preventative. It also makes a pretty good leaf polish :biggrin:

I wonder if it would make more sense to water with Physan 20 and kill the fungus they're feeding on?

Nope. Physan really doesn't kill fungus. It's pretty good at what it does (molds, etc.) but it merely "sets back fungus" I've had great success with hanging sticky yellow strips around the orchids (traps adults) and waiting till they're filled then putting up new ones. Once all the adults are gone, the cycle is broken. If you are impatient, try Schultz "Garden Safe" Houseplant and Garden Insect spray directly on the potting material. Of course most folks here would say get rid of the culprits by changing the material (thus getting rid of the fungus) :evil:

Neem combind with dish soap is one of the best things I've used for insects. It's fantastic for mites!
I've notcied my phal bellina was sensitive to neem, leaving a discoloration on the leafs, blotchy dark and light area's.

I've used neem inside my pots - it does work but it does smell also. So now, if I need to rid some lil beasts from my plants I just use dish soap. If the insects are that bad, then full media change is proabably the best way to go, In my view.

Thank you Adam, that was so helpful. The flies do seem to be that of the Fungus Gnats. They aren't too problematic yet, but I want to get rid of them before they are, and I wanted to make sure they didn't do damage to the plants. I think I will tackle this head on now that I know what it is that I have. You really helped me on all my questions. It's so appreciated. I've enjoyed reading everyone's post on this. I learn so much. Thanks! kiki-do