Mauro, A Question (or two or three)

[DebsC]

What practices do you put into place to protect your huge collection of orchids from insects?

In your post showing your lovely greenhouse/shadehouse, you mentioned the sides are down several months during the year. This made me wonder about insects.

Here in the southern US we have not only scale and mealies and a few others to worry about but also grasshoppers that can eat an orchid leaf or flower over night!

What are your views and practices on viruses?

I hope you don't mind me asking these questions of you.

Anybody and everybody is also invited to jump in here.

[Virgil]

debsc, It looks like Mauro has shade cloth on the side of his green house during his summer, hard to get used to the seasons being reversed, I know what you mean by the grasshoppers, the the big black ones can destroy a plant over night. we are never for sure, but I try to keep mine as insect free as possible,

[Rosim_in_BR]

Of course I don’t mind, Debs. We’re here not only to see photos of beautiful orchids, but also to learn as much as we can. So, do not hesitate. If you have any questions, just shoot them!
Like Virgil said, my shade house is permanently protected by shade cloth, sides included. During the winter months the protection is double with also a transparent plastic film covering the sides.
So, I don’t have any trouble with larger insects because they cannot get in. As for grasshoppers, a real problem, I have never seen anyone, not even in my kitchen garden where I grow my vegetables in open sky.
My major problems are whitish scales and grey, small slugs, which appear mostly during the spring and summer. These small slugs are terrible because they attack almost exclusively the forming buds as soon as they arise from the sheath.
My preferable way to try to eliminate scales is wash and brush the attacked plant(s) using toothbrush and coconut soap. I try to avoid using chemicals as much as I can, but scales hide on the roots deep in the substrate and so, the only way to eliminate them is using systemic insecticides. But, I only use them sporadically, when I notice I am loosing control with several plants being attacked at the same time.
As for the slugs, when the plant starts developing buds I use on the substrate a commercial iron compound in granules with low toxicity for humans (I don’t remember now the correct active ingredient name, I can tell you latter). It has been enough to kill them and protect the buds development.
Viruses are a major concern for me because most of the ancient, good L. purpurata varieties have been contaminated decades ago in a time people were not aware of the risks. Most of times these infected plants grow and flower normally and do not infect other healthy plants around. I am positive in saying that I have never noticed such a thing. The visible trace of the virus are black stains on the bulbs and sometimes on the leaf surface. So, the major risk with these plants is using cutting tools with them and then using the same tools to cut another plant without the proper sterilization. I sterilize my tools in the fire before using them, no matter what plant I am working on.
Hope that answers your question. If I can do anything else, let me know.

[kinknstein]

Great info Mauro!!

[DebsC]

Mauro, thank you for sharing this information with all of us. You're right, we are here to help each other!
But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it!!!