Brachypetalum paphs

[Happypaphy7]

I have no idea.

 

[BrucherT]

! what's your secret to keeping the leaves, nooks and crannies clean?

Well, I used to inspect and use alcohol on a q-tip to kill them. Then I had a major outbreak and surrendered to Safari for about 3 months. Got rid of everything. Then mites came and now I just drench-spray pretty nearly everything with the homemade soap/oil/RO mixture (3 tbsp Dr. Bronner’s soap, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 gal RO water) every 10 days. In my big spring repot, I will do that, plus a real miticide application, and hopefully by fall I’ll have them completely eliminated so that keeping humidity up next winter will banish them forever. This is only my second concerted, conscious battle with them. They really came for me this time, I think because of my filter failure poisoning at the worst possible time for indoor growing (January in Chicago) and I didn’t want my home to be as humid during COVID. Lessons learned.

 

[merc]

super interesting! on top of trying to micromanage the bugs via qtip cleanup i am super careful not to get water in the crown to avoid rot and here you guys go making it rain. clearly i need to try this soapy drench method.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Trust me, water in the crown does not rot the plant.

Well, I used to inspect and use alcohol on a q-tip to kill them. Then I had a major outbreak and surrendered to Safari for about 3 months. Got rid of everything. Then mites came and now I just drench-spray pretty nearly everything with the homemade soap/oil/RO mixture (3 tbsp Dr. Bronner’s soap, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 gal RO water) every 10 days. In my big spring repot, I will do that, plus a real miticide application, and hopefully by fall I’ll have them completely eliminated so that keeping humidity up next winter will banish them forever. This is only my second concerted, conscious battle with them. They really came for me this time, I think because of my filter failure poisoning at the worst possible time for indoor growing (January in Chicago) and I didn’t want my home to be as humid during COVID. Lessons learned.

Just an idea. Instead of stressing over this treatment and that, why don't you just submerge the entire plant in water for a few hours? I bet any hidden critters would come out for air and die. Plants won't be harmed and can be repotted. Or just weekly soap bubble shower. Leave the entire plant covered in soap bubbles for a few minutes, rinse well with clean water, done. If anything, most would be washed off.

 

[Happypaphy7]

super interesting! on top of trying to micromanage the bugs via qtip cleanup i am super careful not to get water in the crown to avoid rot and here you guys go making it rain. clearly i need to try this soapy drench method.

Trust me, if getting water in the crown caused rot, there would be nothing left in the wild.
Water might help carry and spread certain pathogens and their spores, but they also wash things off the surface.
In my supermarket Phalaenopsis days, I poured water on them too. Nothing ever rotted.

 

[Just1more]

I’ve not heard of Dr. bronners soap. Can just dish soap (Dawn) be used?

 

[BrucherT]

I’ve not heard of Dr. bronners soap. Can just dish soap (Dawn) be used?

I don’t know. I wouldn’t. Dr. Bronners is widely sold. Walgreens, CCS, Jewel-Osco, etc, You can get it off the Internet I use it every 10 days and would be afraid Dawn would be too harsh. Maybe scentless Palmolive? “Madge! I soaked in it!”

 

[gego]

Why do you think a lot of people have trouble with them? (Based on the responses here and on fb) Temperature too cold? Esp in a greenhouse?

I think for me is over fertilizing, salt. I only have a few of them so I tend to get lazy having a separate mix for them. Most of the time they get the same treatment as my multis. Sometimes I rinsed the fertilizer when I do that..Sometimes, ohhh live with it. My bad.
They difinitely love the calcium carbonate in our tap water. But pH rise needs to be neutralized. Tap and the right amount of miracle gro does the trick for you.

 

[papheteer]

I think for me is over fertilizing, salt. I only have a few of them so I tend to get lazy having a separate mix for them. Most of the time they get the same treatment as my multis. Sometimes I rinsed the fertilizer when I do that..Sometimes, ohhh live with it. My bad.
They difinitely love the calcium carbonate in our tap water. But pH rise needs to be neutralized. Tap and the right amount of miracle gro does the trick for you.

What do you use and how much?

 

[gego]

What do you use and how much?

I make mine, sort of 3-1-1 and 1-3-2.
I have big multis, vanda and phals and I feed them up to 175 ppm N.
Tap is about 150 - 200 ppm, mostly Ca and Bicarbonate, 7.5 pH. So my mix is intended to buffer the pH down to 6 pH and then some.
The plan is to dilute that mix with rain or distilled for the sensitive small plants. But plans are just but plans...I think they like the pH low enough for the micros to get absorb but are happy to have that bounce back to a higher pH after. And I fertilize every week...hehehe..I like to feed my babies. So I'm basically torturing them..

 

[Happypaphy7]

Any soap should work fine. I have not had any issues and I have used whatever's at hand. I usually never buy the same product again just for variety's sake. so there.

 

[Just1more]

I don’t know. I wouldn’t. Dr. Bronners is widely sold. Walgreens, CCS, Jewel-Osco, etc, You can get it off the Internet I use it every 10 days and would be afraid Dawn would be too harsh. Maybe scentless Palmolive? “Madge! I soaked in it!”

Thank you. I’ll check out our closest Walgreens onWednesday, Maybe check Walmart online this p.m.. if they have it, they’ll get it to me by Wednesday!

 

[BrucherT]

Thank you. I’ll check out our closest Walgreens onWednesday, Maybe check Walmart online this p.m.. if they have it, they’ll get it to me by Wednesday!

I went to my Walgreens last night and there are 5 “flavors” of it in the large bottles. Some purists demand unscented but I have used citrus and lavender with no issues.