Red mites?

[poetiscariot]

What are the red things in this plant's roots?



If you want to see the picture full size, it's at http://www.flickr.com/photos/poet_is...n/photostream/.

They don't move, but they seem to be multiplying. I'm guessing mites? If so, what do I need to do to make sure I get rid of them?

[pavel]

Hmm, don't look quite like mites. Try removing a few and see if they move then. Mites are generally not stationary. Looks more like eggs or fungi to me.

Btw, that root at 8 o'clock looks dead.

[Dazed]

I would be unpotting that in a bloody panic if it was me. It does look like a fungus I saw once, but as Pavel said poke at a few and see if they do anything. Do you have anti-fungal handy? Maybe you should leave it unpotted for a little while to let it dry out a bit. Hope you figure out what it is and there's no damage to the orchid.

[poetiscariot]

The plant needs to be repotted anyway -- it got stressed pretty badly and I've been waiting for it to start making a new leaf. I don't think they quite look like mites, either, and there's no webbing or residue, which I'd expect to see. Maybe I'll try to put some on a piece of white paper and see what they look like by themselves.

[remo]

Victoria, I vote for a fungus. I've had stuff like that before. It is the evil moss! Ive repotted all my rescue phals, over 20 of them, into a bark mix with some shredded moss to hold just a bit more water than the mix alone and after about one year have had no fungus issues. I've got lots of air circulating in my greenhouse and very high humidity, about 70%, constantly, I treat with physan 20 about one a month and no more fungus problems and much healthier plants.
Remo

[poetiscariot]

I'll be a lot less worried if it's a fungus, honestly. That I know how to fix, and as I said, the plant needs repotting anyway. I may do that with the last bit of tonight. Spider mites are supposed to be a serious threat to a whole collection, so I'd way rather not be dealing with them.

I don't usually have problems with moss at all -- my orchids are in my living room, so they're a lot more threatened by low humidity than dampness -- but this one's been in the orchid hospital, by which I mean my shower. Good environment for keeping humidity up, but good for mold, too.

[nagurski]

Mites would not be on the roots, they would be on the undersides of the leaves.

Also, I would take this plant out of your bathroom. It looks completely water-logged.

Let it dry out more frequently.

[kiwiorchids]

yeam that medium looks poked. One reason you wuld be getting a suspicious red fungus on the roots. I would keep in the bathroom if it is otherwise happy, but repot into bark, not sphag. I have never potted Phals into sphag, it stays wet for too long.