Thick funnel web in between leaves

[I am the Yin]

Hi everyone! I just began to grow some phalaenopsis orchids this September upon my vacation back from the Netherlands. I saved an orchid (in bloom) from a boxstore last month.

The flowers wilted away, and I began to cut the stem down (since the stems were brown, and the tip of the spike was dried out). Before cutting the stem, I spread apart the 2 leaves it was in between, and noticed that there was this THICK funnel web attaching the two leaves. It was so gross to the point where I am creeped out. There are no other webs on the plant. My other orchids that are next to the plant do not have this either. However, one of the other phals I have next to this plant, has a bunch of tiny webs on the (moss) medium. There are no webs under the leaves.

There is also some algae on the side of the plastic pot (I'm not sure how relevant this is).

I took a photo of the web, but unfortunately there's a bunch of cinnamon on it (I spilled a little bit by accident) so it may not be too visible. It looks like a thick, funnel web.



The current growing conditions are:
- A room temperature of ~70 degrees
- Location: On the windowsill, facing North. The window being a little cold due to being December in NYC.
- Watering: 1x/week, "drowning" method for approx. 30 minutes
- Fertilizing: 6-30-30 fertilizer biweekly
- Medium: Bark

I am wondering what this pest is, whether or not it's a threat, and any advice on how to get rid of it.

Thanks so much!

[mmosley]

Looks like spider mite webbing to me, though I could be wrong. Did you notice it after it had been indoors for a little while? Sometimes, they seem to pop out of nowhere on houseplants, and favor very dry conditions (ie, indoors). They can damage plants. I'd recommend using a cotton tip applicator to remove all webbing you see, misting it with very diluted soapy water (like a dime-sized drop of gain dish soap in a small spray bottle), increasing humidity for your orchid (ie, misting it), and inspecting nearby plants for similar webbing with the abovementioned treatment. Be sure to inspect your houseplants again a week afterward to check for any new webbing, as they sometimes come back. Here's more information:

Spider Mites

I've dealt with spider mites on a number of my houseplants during the winter, and I've been able to treat them pretty successfully.

[Cjcorner]

Spider mites can be controlled by spraying the plant with a mix of water, rubbing alcohol and a few drops of plain dish soap. I used 50/50 ratio on the water and alcohol, add a few drops of dish soap, put in a spray bottle and after shaking to mix the solution I make sure and spray the plant, turn, spray some more, turn, etc.; until the entire plant is soaked. Whatever is left in the bottle gets poured onto the potting materials. Repeat every 3-4 days for a couple weeks. If you have a rather bad infestation i'd recommend using this method along with a systemic bug killer. One cause for spider mites, other than them arriving from the store infected, is keeping a plant too dry and with low humidity. When my plants are outside and we go more than a week without rain I spray for bugs. Oh, and one other thing: if you don't like the smell of this mix you can add a few drops of oil of peppermint, or oil of whatever scent you like. I knew a nursery that did this and her shop smelled wonderful after she sprayed.

[I am the Yin]

Hi! Thank you so much for your responses. Now when you say to spray the plant, do you mean just the leaves and the medium? I'm worried about the soap/alcohol on the roots, and also falling into the crown.