Red spider mite is a pest will attack most orchids, but in particular the softer-leaved dendrobiums, lycastes and coelogynes, as well as cymbidiums. Individually, they are extremely small, but they can just about be seen with the naked eye, although more easily with a magnifying glass. This will show a yellowish mite, moving across the underside of the leaf surface.
There are many forms of slug and snail control, hut if you want to use non-chemical methods, keep one or two toads in the greenhouse or conservatory as natural predators. Try placing slices of apple mound your plants where you suspect these pests are lurking, and the next morning turn each one over.
Mealy bugs insects are larger than aphids and therefore more easily seen. They measure about 3mm long. They have soft, pink bodies and cover themselves in a white, cottonwool like substance, which gives a clear indication of their presence. They tend to congregate at the base of leaves and in axils on dendrobiums, among others.
The damage caused is similar to that done by scale insects, showing up as ugly yellow patches where they settle. Treat this pest in the same way as scale insects.
Weevils and caterpillars are leaf-chewing pests will eat large chunks from leaves and flowers in a short time. The weevils are nocturnal, spending their days buried in the compost (growing medium), which makes them particularly difficult to catch. Their grubs also inhabit the compost and harm root tips. Search for these at night while you are looking for slugs. Occasionally, they will be seen by day, as are various kinds of caterpillar.
Watering the plant with a solution of insecticidal soap or BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) will kill the grubs. Weevils are a common outdoor pest of gardens and will find their way into the greenhouse and home. They may also be brought in on other plants, and should be constantly watched for.
Woodlice, ants and earwigs are pests that inhabit cool, damp, shady places, and under the staging in a greenhouse is the ideal home for woodlice. Here they will burrow into the compost (growing medium), breaking it down prematurely and causing it to clog.
Ants can set up home in orchid pots, particularly in plants summering out of doors, and again will break down the compost, preventing aeration and suffocating the roots, which then die. Earwigs come into the greenhouse at the end of summer, as the outside temperature drops. They attack new root tips and settle at the base of pseudo bulbs and inside cymbidium bracts. They are often found when old bracts are stripped during re potting. To eradicate these pests, water the plants with an insecticidal soap, or use a powder insecticide for that purpose.
There are many forms of slug and snail control, hut if you want to use non-chemical methods, keep one or two toads in the greenhouse or conservatory as natural predators. Try placing slices of apple mound your plants where you suspect these pests are lurking, and the next morning turn each one over.
Mealy bugs insects are larger than aphids and therefore more easily seen. They measure about 3mm long. They have soft, pink bodies and cover themselves in a white, cottonwool like substance, which gives a clear indication of their presence. They tend to congregate at the base of leaves and in axils on dendrobiums, among others.
The damage caused is similar to that done by scale insects, showing up as ugly yellow patches where they settle. Treat this pest in the same way as scale insects.
Weevils and caterpillars are leaf-chewing pests will eat large chunks from leaves and flowers in a short time. The weevils are nocturnal, spending their days buried in the compost (growing medium), which makes them particularly difficult to catch. Their grubs also inhabit the compost and harm root tips. Search for these at night while you are looking for slugs. Occasionally, they will be seen by day, as are various kinds of caterpillar.
Watering the plant with a solution of insecticidal soap or BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) will kill the grubs. Weevils are a common outdoor pest of gardens and will find their way into the greenhouse and home. They may also be brought in on other plants, and should be constantly watched for.
Woodlice, ants and earwigs are pests that inhabit cool, damp, shady places, and under the staging in a greenhouse is the ideal home for woodlice. Here they will burrow into the compost (growing medium), breaking it down prematurely and causing it to clog.
Ants can set up home in orchid pots, particularly in plants summering out of doors, and again will break down the compost, preventing aeration and suffocating the roots, which then die. Earwigs come into the greenhouse at the end of summer, as the outside temperature drops. They attack new root tips and settle at the base of pseudo bulbs and inside cymbidium bracts. They are often found when old bracts are stripped during re potting. To eradicate these pests, water the plants with an insecticidal soap, or use a powder insecticide for that purpose.
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