Orchid Culture - Questions & Answers from This Month
by Sue Bottom, from the St. Augustine Orchid Society Newsletter. Email us with any orchid question. If we can't answer it, we'll find someone who can! Send photographs too!
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Remove Leafless Bulbs?
Q. My Encyclia is finally getting a spike now but it has a ton of old bulbs. Should I get rid of some of them?A. Encyclias grow pretty tight in the pot, so they can last for 3 to 5 years without repotting as long as the mix stays fresh. After it's done blooming, you can see whether the potting mix is starting to sour and the plant is becoming wobbly in the pot. That'll tell you whether it's time to repot and you can do surgery at that time. The leafless bulbs are still storing carbs and water for your plant, it's only when they start to turn brown and dessicated that they may become a liability rather than an asset. (Oct-24)
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Chlorotic Spotting on Dendrobium Leaf
Q. This is the front and back leaf on my Dendrobium ceraula. These are the oldest leaves and the worst affected. But it is apparent on a newer growth and just starting on the newest growth. As far as I can see, it isn't affecting other plants at this point. If I am going to treat the problem, I want to know what it is?A. If the chlorotic mottling began on the newest, tenderest leaves I would suspect thrips, but with the damage on the older leaves it may be more likely to be cyclamen / broad mites in the Tarsonemidae family causing the problem. I would spray with a good broad spectrum miticide such as Avid, that controls the different types of mites and will also suppress thrips. (Oct-24)
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White Powdery Spots on Phal
Q. I’ve got small white powdery dots all over my phals. What should I do?A. Those are mealybugs. The first step is to get some isopropyl alcohol in the handy spray bottle they sell at Walgreens and spray all the leaf surfaces, top and bottom and particularly in the crevices. Then, you have to get one of the systemic insecticide drenches or granulars and apply to the potting media to kill any that may be living on the roots. It will be absorbed into the plant and kill the remaining hidden ones from the inside out. Either get one of the Bayer products containing imidacloprid and use as a drench or get the granular imidacloprid product sold as generic imidacloprid or Grub B Gon, sprinkle it over the media and then water it into the pot. (Oct-24)