Thanks for the information. I also grow orchids and I knew about the
cinnamon but I didn't know about the peroxide. I will have to try it on a
problem Masdavilla I am trying to save

Shell


wrote in message
...
When the ancient war dogs did battle on Tue, 18 Nov 2003 23:09:41 GMT,
"Cereoid-UR12-" did speak the following bit
of wisdom:

Don't waste your money on peroxide.

Use an actual insecticide to get rid of the mealies.

People who grow orchids use hydrogen peroxide often. It's a good
general disinfectant to use when a plant has a bacterial problem such
as crown rot. You just water once with the peroxide (regular stuff
from the pharmacy) making sure to drench the problem area, and then
keep the plant on the dry side so it can recover. Cinnamon sprinkled
into the crown of a plant or on any cut surfaces is also very good. It
helps to seal the wound and has some antibiotic properties to it. I've
heard that cinnamon applied over the surface of the media helps to
discourage fungus gnats. But I've never used it for this purpose.

I've never heard of peroxide being good to use as an insecticide. You
CAN use regular rubbing alcohol for that however. Just spray it on or
saturate a Q-tip or wad of cotton and apply to the leaves. This will
kill mealies and scale but has rather limited use if a plant is
completely infested. But for spot tx, it's pretty useful. HTH...

* * * * *
Karen C.
Southern CT / USDA Zone 6
Spammers be damned! I can't be emailed from this account...

"Gardeners know all the best dirt!"