Stop Orchid Pests Cold with A Good Cleaning

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December 30th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

As with all plants, orchids have natural enemies. In this case they take the form of insects and other small creatures. Red spiders are a big threat, and so are cockroaches. Thrips, beetles, and some kinds of snails and slugs can also be pests.

To grow orchids successfully, you must take measures to defeat these pests before they can damage your plants. There is something you can do specifically to eliminate each kind of pest. Cleanliness is your most important defense against pests of all kinds.

All efforts of agriculture controls notwithstanding, some imported plants will bring pests with them.However, even nursery-grown orchids can have pests lurking in their potting soil or within their root structures.

Don’t bring any plant into your home until you have inspected it thoroughly. Immediately kill all the pests that you are able to find through visual inspection. If you do not, in time they will destroy the foliage, ruining the plant’s appearance if not killing it. The flowers too will be destroyed by these marauders, which is frustrating after you’ve lavished care and expense on a plant.

It makes sense to treat every new orchid arrival with suspicion, particularly if you have other orchids already in your home. Place it on “probation” in an area separate from other plants for several days. It should go without saying that if you find insects on it, you must do all in your power to thoroughly rid it of them.

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Washing every part of a plant–leaves, roots, bulbs–will ensure that no pests escape destruction. The best method is a simple one: thoroughly clean the plant’s bulbs and leaves. Shake the plant out of the pot, cut away all decayed roots, wash the sound roots in clean water and then re-pot in clean containers using new material.

If carried out efficiently, this will be an excellent means for eradicating pests, including those that are too small for most people to spot. Some pests might be seen in the shape of eggs. Others appear as insects but are so tiny they cannot be seen without a magnifying glass. Cleaning your plants per the above suggestion will clear away all traces of pests, including the ones you can’t see with your eye.

A good guide to orchid growing will have many more tips and suggestions for making sure that a pest doesn’t put an end to your prized plants. The most thorough guide to modern orchid cultivation, beyond question, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded from the web. Mr. Howard’s ebook is a full education in itself, great for novices as well as those more experienced. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing database of information on all topics of orchid cultivation.

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