I have a Phalaenopsis in a greenhouse window in my breakfast room. It seems to do quite well there, blooming every year. However, it and the other plants in the window seem to get infested with scale.
I've treated the other plants in the window with a soil drench of imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide. It seems to be effective and give long-term results. Is this safe to use when watering my orchid?
It appears that your soil is the problem, check pH and sterlize the soil. I will show you How
I am an Organic Gardener, treating plants with Herbs and Spices, no chemicals required. visit my site
If you are going to spam this group at least give a link that works.
David
Phalaenopsis does NOT grow in soil. Mine is growing in bark chips. Other growers prefer fern fiber.
While I do use some organic principles in gardening, I'm not dogmatic about it. See my
Great, battling web sites ;O)
Better, don't spam this group, and don't leave any link. An' don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Phals are dirt cheap and can be had at most big box stores or even Trader Joe's or Costco or BJs for $10-$20 - even exotic ones. Unless it is a fabulous specimen or has some sentimental value, I'd get rid of it.
Scale on orchids is nasty, difficult to eradicate and time consuming to tend. I'd ditch the phal, myself, including the potting medium, and I'd sterilize the pot before re-using it.
I have switched as many of my orchids as I can to "semi-hydroponic" as it is known. I get my stuff at the link below and have about 30-40 orchids in it. It took quite awhile to convince me of its worth, but I am a believer now. I have no connection to the comp nay indicated below, I am just a happy customer.
Imidacloprid will work fine as either a spray or drench and will not hurt your orchids as long as the label is followed. If you are getting your Imidacloprid from a tree and shrub product you are not using the product as labeled and you will need to search the web for proper rates.
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