On Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:18:27 -0700, "David E. Ross"
wrote:

On 4/19/10 11:10 PM, shahwin wrote:
On Apr 20, 10:17 am, "David E. Ross" wrote:
I have a Phalaenopsis in a greenhouse window in my breakfast room. It
seems to do quite well there, blooming every year. However, it and the
other plants in the window seem to get infested with scale.

I've treated the other plants in the window with a soil drench of
imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide. It seems to be effective and give
long-term results. Is this safe to use when watering my orchid?

It appears that your soil is the problem, check pH
and sterlize the soil. I will show you How

I am an Organic Gardener, treating plants with Herbs and Spices, no
chemicals required. visit my site http://groups.google.com/group/pakgardenclub-

I am online to meet your requirements
shah


Phalaenopsis does NOT grow in soil. Mine is growing in bark chips.
Other growers prefer fern fiber.

While I do use some organic principles in gardening, I'm not dogmatic
about it. See my http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_organic.html.


Phals are dirt cheap and can be had at most big box stores or even
Trader Joe's or Costco or BJs for $10-$20 - even exotic ones. Unless
it is a fabulous specimen or has some sentimental value, I'd get rid
of it.

Scale on orchids is nasty, difficult to eradicate and time consuming
to tend. I'd ditch the phal, myself, including the potting medium, and
I'd sterilize the pot before re-using it.

I have switched as many of my orchids as I can to "semi-hydroponic" as
it is known. I get my stuff at the link below and have about 30-40
orchids in it. It took quite awhile to convince me of its worth, but I
am a believer now. I have no connection to the comp nay indicated
below, I am just a happy customer.

http://www.firstrays.com/semi-hydro.htm

Boron