What Wrong Here???

[Candace]

True, it's probably better to try something less toxic first.

 

[PHRAG]

True, it's probably better to try something less toxic first.

I tried the Bayer Advanced with Imadocloprid first. I hate it. It eventually took care of the mealies, but left me with a nearly impossible mite problem that killed several plants. I chose tetrasan with an enstar chaser and nuked those buggers from orbit.

If you search online you can find documentation about the Bayer products causing mite outbreaks.

 

[Candace]

Very interesting. Quite a few orchids growers on different forums dislike the Bayer!

 

[PHRAG]

Well, I think for something that is labeled Advanced it should kill with one application. It took several applications, spread out over several weeks in order for the mealies to die off.

Then the mites came on strong. And since I had never encountered mites before, I wasn't aware of the problem until it was too late. I lost a few species Phalaenopsis to mites waiting on the Tetrasan and Enstar to come in the mail.

After Tetrasan and Enstar were applied, I haven't had another pest outbreak. Both of these products were expensive, but well worth the money. And they will last me a long time too. A little goes a long way.

 

[seawitch]

Oh, my! I'm not sure what to do now. I sprayed the Bayer on all my orchids, except a special cymbidium "sweetie" that has 10 new blooms!!!! second year... I couldn't bear to touch it, since it looks sooooo healthy... Guess I'll wait & see what happens. (I'm keeping it far away from all the others!)

In a post tomorrow I'll attach pics of the cymbidium..sorry for you pros out there, that's all I know about what it is!! But it's beautiful, and what prompted me to pursue this orchid paradise to begin with.

Thanks for all the help.

Ann

 

[NYEric]

If a pest problem isn't too advanced I would avoid [wholesale] broad application of pesticides.

 

[Heather]

I'm with Eric on this. Bayer's good to keep around but if you have a couple mealies and that's it, just go with the alcohol on a q-tip for now.

 

[NYEric]

I'm with Eric on this.

I should be so lucky.

 

[PHRAG]

Of course you two are in favor of using Bayer. You haven't had a mite outbreak because of using it. Have either of you used it at all?

All I am saying is, if spraying one pesticide causes an even bigger problem, why not just use the better pesticide to begin with? Do you honestly think Bayer is any less toxic than Tetrasan or Enstar?

And for the record, mites do not die off in high humidity. It doesn't affect them at all. If anything, my high humidity made them more abundant faster.

 

[NYEric]

I dont use any pesticide besides Safer's,

 

[Heather]

Safer's killed several of my plants. Phytotoxicity.

 

[NYEric]

Did you soak them in it!?

 

[PHRAG]

How often do you use Safer's to get rid of a pest problem?

 

[Heather]

Did you soak them in it!?

No, of course not, I sprayed them, once. Irrepairable damage.
Never again, only had to learn that lesson once!

 

[Candace]

I think the main limiting factor in this is do you grow in a greenhouse or inside. I wouldn't spray the heavy duty chemicals inside, ever. Too many people and animals I'd worry about. If I didn't have little ones and animals, maybe I'd be braver...Luckily, I have the advantage that if an indoor plant gets a bug or two I can move it into the greenhouse and spray away. I do use the big guns out there. Enstar is great and "supposedly" less toxic than many of the others but lots of $$. I don't have any mite problems in the greenhouse.

 

[NYEric]

For scale and mealies I use just alcohol. For fungus gnat larva, safer's soap and garden insecticide a couple of times [no problems]!

 

[gore42]

For what it's worth, mites aren't generally as much of a problem in areas with high humidity, and the Seattle area has some good moisture. I'm not saying that you'll never have to worry about mites, but I don't think that they should be your first concern.

I've had a very high rate of success with the Bayer, but obviously experiences will vary. I had a mealy bug breakout about a year ago... sprayed all of my plants once (a good drenching that got to the roots) and never saw another one. I did follow up about a month later with a second application anyway, though. I've never had any scale, though...

- Matt

 

[Candace]

Yeah, for scale it's like they bathe in it and enjoy the bubbles. I've found it to be as successful as neem oil treating scale. But, I did notice that it did do a pretty good job on a couple of plants I recently inherited with a small outbreak of mealies.

 

[Mrs. Paph]

Back to the browning bracts... I concentrate on Paphs, so I'm on my first Phrag as well, but for what it's worth the bracts on my Will Chantry have been browning after blooming. It doesn't happen until about a week or so after the blossoms fall though, so I guess I'm not concerned about it. I figure if they bloom for about 3 weeks each and they're done blooming, then they're allowed to senesce, but maybe that's not ideal.

 

[NYEric]

On the phrags I wouldn't worry about the browning.