Up until now, I have been removing these fluffy, white things with a wet paint brush. Obviously removal hasn`t been complete, as they are now gathering in the joints on a flower stem. Can I use a paint brush dipped in, for example, isopropyl, to kill them, please, without damaging the plant?
Many thanks Kate
Yes.
Putting a spray head into a bottle of isopropyl alcohol really simplifies the process. Wet all surfaces of the plant thoroughly, allowing it to stand in the leaf axils. Repeat every 3 days for 3 or 4 applications.
One thing you may have to watch for is root mealie bugs. If they have colonized the medium and root structure, you're going to have to resort to "stronger medicine".
Thank you for the tips, Lee. I only have four orchids (at the moment) but seem to be having reasonable success - so far. I never had bugs on orchids when I used to grow them years ago, so didn`t know any safe method of eradication. When you say "soapy water", do you mean real soap, not washing-up liquid, for example? And I assume that the plants have to be flushed through with fresh water afterwards?
Thanks again Kate
I am just so cross with myself! I picked up my phal to treat it as per the advice and caught the flowering stem on another plant, knocking one of the side stems off. It had at least four buds on it. First time I`ve got a phal to re-flower and I go and do something like that :-(
Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year Kate
Yesterday I picked up a cattleya and snapped off the newest growth. Sound like snapping celery. Wait until 2009!
K Barrett
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