One Year After Mealybug Infestation

[monivik]

Hi so about a year ago I got two small orchids, Phalaenopsis Schilleriana baby plant, and a Phalaenopsis Hieroglyphica which unfortunately were infested with mealybugs from the seller. I only realized it too late.

This was a post from last year:

Update Phalaenopsis with Mealybug Infestation

I honestly didn't think there were going to make it. I treated them heavily, yet they were quite damaged. But here we are one year later and they're still alive.

The Schilleriana is still very small and has only got 4 really short roots, but I see a new leaf coming.

The Hieroglyphica on the other hand... it's really only got like one root left I think, that I can see anyway, and the crown is well yeah completely blackened, since the newest leaf was completely eaten by the bugs.

I was quite happy to see then a little growth on the stem, and I was hoping this one would make a keiki, as I think it will be the only way this poor orchid can survive. It's really not looking good. But now as I'm looking closer it doesn't look like a keiki but rather a new flower stem. Hmmm, I'm like: NO! How can be making flowers when it's almost dying?

Please let me know what you think? It looks like a stem to me.

[Shadeflower]

hey monivik, I literally just posted about me tackling my mealybug problem yesterday so I've seen the damage they can cause. Whether they will make it is hard to say, they remind me of some I am trying to save and I am in the same boat wondering if they will make it.
I think the left one looks good, the two on the right I wouldn't expect to recover but if they do that would be a bonus.

[SouthPark]

My 'go to' item for handling mealybugs (and scale) is imidacloprid. Deadly to bees - so that's a consideration - but fortunately my growing area doesn't get visited by bees.

[estación seca]

How are you caring for these? Temperatures day/night? Relative humidity? Amount of light? How are you watering? Are you fertilizing?

The green-leafed plant looks nutrient deficient.

[monivik]

Originally Posted by estación seca

How are you caring for these? Temperatures day/night? Relative humidity? Amount of light? How are you watering? Are you fertilizing?

The green-leafed plant looks nutrient deficient.

Hi thanks. Actually, I've kept both of the plants on a heating pad the entire winter. I don't know though if that made any difference. I also kept them under a growing light. I do admit that during winter I don't really fertilize them that much at all, any of my plants for that matter. But come spring I've been doing it a bit more often, and now we're in summer. But the "green one" the Hieroglyphica really only has one root left, so that's another thing. I haven't been watering super often during winter, it's taken longer for the bark to dry, as there's only one root, I suppose.

I'm not using the grow light or the heating pad at the moment as we are in summer so enough daylight and the temperature in my living room is around 25C or 77F.

What I've done is as you can see on the picture I've put extra spaghnum moss around on the top to keep the humidity up.

[Mr.Fakename]

Having both these species, I noticed a huge difference in growth quality and quantity when:

• I put them in the brightest (indirect) light possible.
  They grew more roots, and they're much thicker than they used to
• I switched them to semi hydro.
  I used to let them dry slightly before watering, but now that they're in inert media I water everyday, and the constant supply of water makes them happier

Seeing the limited amount of roots your plants have, I would repot them in inert media and not let them dry ever.


ES might also be onto something; both these species can get huge and grow very fast. Regular nutrition sure will help.


Finally, hieroglyphica doesn't make keikis, but easily grows basal shoots. If you are hoping for a new growth, the spike can be cut.