What chemicals for the orchids??
 

OK, so far I've done nothing but feed the orchids with 'chid food. I have a few Oncids out on my porch and when it comes time to bring them in, I'm guessing I should spray them with something?? What do I need and where's the cheapest place to get it? :scratchhead:

Should I be spraying them with anything else for any reason?

You mean pesticides???

I don't understand why you need to spray with chemicals, unless your orchids are being attacked by pests...

There are many alternatives to these harmful and dangerous chemicals, just let us know what you need, and we'll let you know some easy solutions...

-Pat

Marty has a great article on using dry ice to literally snuff the life out of pests. :evil:

I'd much rather not use all these chemicals and haven't so far. But I've just read so much about people spraying monthly and spraying when they bring their plants in for the cold weather... I just thought basically EVERYONE sprayed for something or other and that I was missing out?? lol
I was reading on another board that ants are a sign that there are other problems.... I KNOW I have aphids on some of my other plants outside. Are they very bad? I just want to be careful and not introduce something to all of my beautiful indoor orchids....

I find that isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) straight out the the bottle works fine for almost everything (catasetinae excepted). I just screw a spray nozzle right on the bottle.

Between the alcohol and an insecticidal soap, you should be able to get everything. I do use more aggressive pesticides in the greenhouse, but that is because i can't touch every plant. If your collection is small, no need for fancy chemicals.

I have assembled an array of do-it-yourself, homemade remedies, so be sure to check it out here.

My guess is that a soap/alcohol/water mixture is probably sufficient for your needs.

Thank you all. I'm SO pleased to know there is a cheap and healthier way to treat anything! Glad I asked!!

Hello everyone! I'm new here, so I may have missed this discussion, but is Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Killer safe to use on orchids? :-/

I've met some people that are obsessive pesticide users who still use those chemicals that are banned from sale. I think they are spraying too much...

I would only spray if there are signs that they exist.
Also you may spray with neem oil so that pests aren't attracted to them while they are outside.

Here in Canada all I think I could possibly bring in are aphids and they aren't hard to control anyways