The best thing we can do is try to prevent pests and diseases! Here are some prevention tips:

–       Always water with room temperature water in the morning. This way the plant has enough time to dry before the temperature starts dropping in the afternoon.

–       Whenever you need to do surgery to your plants always use sterilized scissors or cutters; cauterize the wound immediately with cinnamon or our multi-purpose spray (see Home Remedies) to avoid fungal or bacterial infections.

–       When you repot an orchid because it has been sick, be sure to wash and disinfect the pot if you’re going to reuse it and though away the old media, use new one. If you’re using inorganic media disinfect it by soaking it in a bleach solution (Home Remedies) before reusing it again.

–       Observe your plant frequently, even the underside of the leaves: at the first sight of something odd, be quick to find out what it is and treat it before the sickness / pest infestation expands to all your plant, or worse, all your collection.

–       QUARANTINE: any new plant that comes into your home has to have a quarantine period apart from the rest of your plants and under observation; this way, if it is sick or has any pests they won’t spread to your healthy plants. You can welcome your new addition by giving it a very good mist of our multi-purpose spray, just to be safe.

Here are the most common plagues:

scale

symptoms: these are sucking insects that attach themselves and feed from the underside of the leaves, their joints, pseudobulbs and rhizomes.  They often hide beneath the old leaves or in the sheaths of the pseudobulbs.  Severe infestations cause discoloring of the leaves and the plant, presented as yellow spots that will darken and provoque premature leaf loss. There are different types: the male adults of the white scale Boisduval species form cotton looking masses, while the female adults lay their eggs under white circular shields.  When the eggs hatch, the young insects will crawl from under these shields and search for their new home.  The hard shell scale form a brown conic structure to protect themselves.  The soft brown scale, that ranges between yellow to dark brown, with oval or circular shells can appear on the leaves, flowers, stems and pseudobulbs, and sometimes also on the roots and pseudobulbs.  These last type produces molasses while the hard shell scale doesn\’t.

prevention: remove carefully old leaves and withered flowers to eliminate possible hiding places and to be able to inspect your plant easier.  Always use disinfected tools and cauterize.

treatment: if you see a few bugs, wet a Qtip with rubbing alcohol and poke them, or soak a toothbrush in pesticide and gently brush the bugs away.  For severe infestations, apply a pesticide thoroughly covering all parts of the plant; repeat after 2 weeks to get make sure there are no new babies that might have survived.

home remedy: Oil and soap spray

mealybugs

symptoms: they are also sucking insects and can attack any part of the plant, but they tend to hide in the joints between the leaves and the stem,  Severe infestations cause discolored areas in the leaves, that can darken in time, turning the leaves yellow and making them fall prematurely.

prevention: remove carefully old leaves and withered flowers to eliminate possible hiding places and to be able to inspect your plant easier.  Always use disinfected tools and cauterize.

prevención: remueve con cuidado las hojas viejas y las flores marchitas para eliminar los posibles escondites y para que puedas inspeccionar mejor la planta.  Siempre usa tijeras o cutter desinfectado y cauteriza.

treatment: if you see a few bugs, wet a Qtip with rubbing alcohol and poke them, or soak a toothbrush in pesticide and gently brush the bugs away.  For severe infestations, apply a pesticide thoroughly covering all parts of the plant; repeat after 2 weeks to get make sure there are no new babies that might have survived.

home remedy: Pepper and garlic spray

thrips

symptoms: sucking insects that feed from the flowers mostly and sometimes from the leaves as well.  It’s a very contagious pests that can infest all your plants.  The infected buttons won’t open, and if they do, flower will present deformities with spots that look as watermarks.  The leaves will wrinkle, wither, discolor and turn soft.  They can also be found near the roots feeding from soft new root growths.  These are the most difficult orchid pest to control because their are very small and hard to spot without a magnifying glass.  They reproduce quickly in hot greenhouses.  Most of the adults are female and they lay their eggs on the flowers and leaves.

prevention: Good sanitation will help prevent infestation as will keeping plant hosts (flowers, citrus, gardenias, eucalyptus, etc.) separate from your orchids. Remove weeds, old plant debris, and growing medium from within and around the growing area. Eliminate old stock plants as these are a source of thrips and viruses. Removing old flowers may reduce the number of adults and eggs. Place flowers into a sealed bag or container. The thrips lay eggs that hatch in grassy areas so keep the grass mowed and weeds controlled. 

treatment: plants and flowers need to be sprayed with strong pesticides (like Orthene or Malathion) several times because these insects leave in the harder to reach areas of the plant and hide very well. For severe infestations, apply chemicals twice a week for three weeks.

home remedy: Oil and soap spray (for mild infestations)

mites

symptoms:  mites are not insects, they are members of the arachnid family.  Mites typically feed from the underside of the leaves and can look like tiny red or brown spots.  A magnifying glass might be needed to see them.  The underside can present small webs and brown spots produced by the excrement of the mites.  An infected leave will have a silvery glow on the surface that in time will turn brownish.  The leaves will wrinkle and present discoloration because of the lack of chlorophyl that the mites have sucked.   Orchid with thin or soft leaves are more susceptible to mite damage, but no specie is inmune.  There are three types of mites, one of them will also attack on the surface of the leaf leaving round and sink marks.  These type doesn’t produce webs.  The initial symptom is the discoloration spots in the leaves.

prevention: mites appear during dry heat season; increasing the humidity and lowering the temperature help prevent their invasion.

treatment: apply insecticides every 4 days, because a new generation matures every 6 days.

home remedy: Oil, soap, lime and alcohol spray

aphids

symptoms: aphids are sucking insects that attack new growths and flowers and they transmit deseases from plant to plant.  New growths and new flowers will stop goring or fail to open and the leaves will present sticky deposits.  These molasses in the form of tiny honey looking drops, is alluring to ants and is the perfect habitat for fumagina, a type of fungus that has a blackish rotten look.  When it is spotted, you should inspect the plant for aphids or any other pest that might be present.

treatment: 

tratamiento: Wash aphids away from the plant with a jet of water. Plants can be sprayed with a pesticide like Malathion, Orthene or Safer Soap using the product in accordance with label instructions.

home remedy: Pepper and garlic spray

whiteflies

symptoms: they are small insects, like moth, that attack new growths and flowers.  Their presence is evident when a cloud of white flying insects emerges from the plant when you water or move the pot.  They lay their eggs in geometric forms, almost always in circular spirals easy to identify.

treatment: spray insecticide to the plant every 4 days until they are gone.

home remedy: Multi-porpose insect spray

slugs and snails

symptoms: these mollusks leave holes and marks on the leaves, buds, flowers and roots, eating new growths as well.  These night creatures will leave a straight thread of slime that proves their nocturnal visit.

treatment: place baits near the plants.

home remedy: we have a lot of them!!   From traps to collect and relocate them (our recommendation), or even to kill them.  Check out our home remedy section.

caterpillars

symptoms: they are the immature form of moths and butterflies.  They are not that common, but they are voracious predators that can eat up all the leaves and flowers in a short time.

home remedy: with protective gloves (some of them burn) remove them; look under the leaves and between the pseudobulbs and sheaths