Hello…am a bit new to the orchid world. I have about 25 orchids that are indoors. I just kept buying different kinds and stopped. Some of my orchids have brown spots on its leaves. Others have mealybugs. (had to look it up) Any suggestions on how to cure my orchids?
The spots seem like they could be a little fungal infection that are very prevalent in zygopetalums and some oncidiums with these thinner types leaves. I used a three and one fungal spray that worked really well to stop the spread. Just be very sure to read the directions as I’m not a huge fan of using toxic substances in my home. How many orchids have mealy bugs? Isolate them right away as you begin treatment as they will spread to other plants. What are you currently doing to treat and how long have you been aware of them?
1 LikeI noticed mealybugs 10 days ago. I have them in my “sick bay” separate from the others. In one plant, I noticed the bugs 4 days ago. I’ve been spraying them with Neem oil. But that hasn’t helped with the black spots. Any product recommendations?
0 LikesI used Garden Safe Fungicide 3 in 1 for the spots. How are you treating the mealy bug situation?
1 Like
Rubbing alcohol will kill them on contact. Rub the entire plant down with a swab soaked in alcohol, making sure you get into the cracks and crevasses of the plants. Any bugs you get will leave scarlet marks on the swab. Repeat weekly until you no longer see any more bugs. If infestations return, try potting the plant(s) in fresh media. Be sure to treat the roots if you do so. Jen’s advice is always spot on. All I can add is test the product first. Some orchids respond poorly to certain chemicals, such as oncidiums don’t respond well to copper solutions. Check out the AOS for more information on fungal and mealy bug treatments.
1 Like