Hi there Gene,
Wondering if the sale is still on? *G*
I too have been bothered by infestations of both mealies & scale.
Have been using Mavrik along with Enstar II but still have sightings after 2yrs.
I have only sprayed so wondering if I can use the Bayer product when I water. Don't
have a Dosmatic? Is this a fert dispenser?
I have notice a reduction in flowers this year both in the greenhouse & outside?
Still trying to catch up on my repotting but it has been so hot this summer.
And so it goes.
--
Cheers Wendy

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Gene Schurg wrote:
I've been meaning to post several things out here for some time and
have been so busy. This is a string of unrelated thoughts I'd like
to share with my extended orchid family.

1 - Rabbits eat Zygos! I had two nice Zygos that I put on the bottom
shelf of a plant stand with the other cymbidiums. I've been fighting
a couple of rabbit this year in the flower and veggie garden. The
rabbits are gone now but before they entered the food chain they
chewed up the Zygos. They didn't bother the cymbos on the same
shelf. Just thought I'd share that with you folks who put your
plants out for the summer.

2 - Jewel orchids are wonderful! Last year I purchased 2 Macodes
petole plants in 2 1/2 inch pots from Oak Hill. They were so tiny.
Over the past 12 months I've moved them up first to a shallow 4" bulb
pot then to a nice glazed bonzai planter. They look great, grow
fast to form a colony, and fill a spot in the greenhouse where other
plants won't grow because of the light level. They join a great
ludisia discolor that is growing in a larger bulb pan with the
surface covered in live green moss. I also have Anoectochilus
chapensis (also from Oak Hill) that I've had about 6 months now that
is growing very quickly. If you have a nice low light area in your
growing area that you'd like to brighten up I highly recommend these
jewels.

3 - Oak Hill Cattleya Sale ... I didn't have any more space for
plants but I couldn't resist 10 catts for $50. They sent 9 unbloomed
plants many showing sheeths and one mericlone. Great looking plants
for $5.00 each in 4 and 5 inch pots. If you want an instant catt
collection of some really interesting crosses (their choice) I can
attest that this is a true orchid bargain.


4 - Bug report ... As you know I have been fighting the nasty two
scale and mealies for the past couple of years. Mealies have been
gone now for a year and my phals look much better without the
mealies. Enstar II was the solution for me. I took several
applications but they are history. Scale is another story. For the
past year I seem to have been chasing around the greenhouse. Back in
June I bought a bottle of the Bayer Advanced Shrub and Tree systemic
that people have been touting for a while. My first mistake was not
to check my arithmetic and the setting on my dosamatic. I only
applied it at a quarter of the recommended rate of 1 Tbs per gallon.
The soft scale went away on the soft leaved plants like Oncidium but
persisted on the Catts and Dendrobs, specially on the older
leaves/stems. After discovering my error I bought 4 more bottles of
Bayer and corrected my dosage. For two consecutive weeks I watered
at the correct dose. Today I went through the plants the scale
really are attracted to and found many dead adults. I will wait a
week then do two more applications to get any eggs that hatch. I
think I've got them on the run now.

Well, that's all that's happening in my collection. I hope everyone
else is having a great summer (for those in the northern hemisphere)
or your winter isn't that bad (in the southern hemi).

Good growing,
Gene