As with any plant we want to cultivate, orchids can be beset by pets--insects and other small creatures. The main pests are red spiders, cockroaches, thrips, woodlice, ants, and certain slugs and snails.
To grow orchids successfully, you must take measures to defeat these pests before they can damage your plants. There are specific steps you can take to deal with each sort of pest. The best defense against orchid pests of all types is cleanliness.
Imported plants often have their native pests hitchhiking along with them.However, even nursery-grown orchids can have pests lurking in their potting soil or within their root structures.
You should examine every new plant from top to bottom before allowing it into your home. Destroy all pests found after visual inspection -- immediately. If you neglect to do so, they will in time destroy the foliage, and possibly kill the plant entirely. These marauders will also destroy the flowers. That can be really upsetting after you have lavished care and expense on a plant.
It is wise to treat every new plant with suspicion, especially if you already own other orchids. Place it in a "probation" room or other area for a few days. If you find insects on it, do not rest until you have entirely got rid of them.
Pests cannot escape destruction if you wash all of the leaves, bulbs and roots of the plant. The best procedure is to thoroughly cleanse the bulbs and foliage. Carefully tap the plant out of its pot, trim off any decayed roots, wash the good roots in clean water, and then re-pot using new material and a clean container.
Done conscientiously, this is a virtually guaranteed way to eradicate pests, many of which the novice grower would be hard pressed to spot. A few pests might be seen in egg shape. Others appear as young insects but are so minute that you need a magnifying glass to find them in the foliage. Cleaning your orchid plants, as suggested, is your first line of defense against all pests, including the hard-to-spot ones.
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 complete guide to expert orchid growing, many agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded online. Mr. Howard's guide is a full course in itself, appropriate for neophytes as well as the more experienced. Also, be sure to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing database of information on many aspects of orchid cultivation.
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