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Thread: Gnats and Medium

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  1. #1
    Real Name
    Fadi
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    In a Greenhouse.
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    Paphiopedilums
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    Jan 2008
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    Jerusalem/Israel
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    Default Gnats and Medium

    Hi Everyone,

    I got a Phal in bloom (Two spikes) as a present 10 days ago. It only has two flowers that bloomed and the rest are on their way bloom hopefully(blooms are developing at different stages).

    The problem is that I always go home in the evening and I find gnats on top of the medium. I sprayed twice the top of the medium with alcohol but of course the problem persists because the source is probablly deep inside the medium. It is potted in Peat. Well, this is the first Orchid that I have that is potted in this medium. One day I also noticed there was some sort of web.

    So, I wanted to know what is the best course of action for me to take since i also don't want the gnats moving to my other Orchids. I thought of repotting in cocnut husk(pre-washed), but there is a possibility that the flowers would blast. I forgot to mention that one bud already blasted two days ago.

    I would appreciate any advice on what to do..

    Thanks

    Fadi

  2. #2
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    Bruce Brown
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    Default

    Hi Fadi,

    I would repot. If you do it carefully without much disturbance of the roots, you probably will not loose buds. You could also pour a poison through the medium, but my first action would be to repot and throw away the peat. If you did loose the buds this time, it is better than loosing the plant. Good luck.

    Cheers,
    BD

  3. #3
    Real Name
    Fadi
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    Default

    Thanks Bruce for your reply!
    I already have some Phals in bloom. So I think I prefer to take the risk of this one's blooms blasting as long as keep it in good health I will re-pot it on Friday.

    Have a good day

    Fadi

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
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    Saratoga Co. New York
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    Default

    I have repotted Phals in bloom without problems. I have also used yellow sticky traps to capture them on a temporary basis. Might be a good precaution to capture any that may have already escaped.

  5. #5
    Real Name
    Mary
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    I concur, you need to get rid of that peat. Make sure you wash the roots carefully with warm water and prune away any dead roots before repotting. Since you mentioned webbing, you might also want to wipe on the bottom side of the leaves with a wet paper towel. If the towel turns reddish brown you have spider mite and need to go with a systemic to get rid of them.
    ischel

  6. #6
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    Connie
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    I almost always repot my phals and dens due to bugs and awful sphagnum moss. Don't worry about blasting a few buds. The plant will reward you next time with healthy long lived flowers instead of a half dead plant that takes forever to recover. I should do a post from a few of my sicko's. Note; we all kill a few before we figure out what we are doing. So hang in there....
    Connie

  7. #7
    Real Name
    Fadi
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    Default

    Thanks a lot for all the great advice. I have actually prepared all the necessary supplies and soaked the new medium, so that I can actually re-pot it tonight. I thought the sooner I do it, the better it is for the plant.
    Ron: I will try to find some yellow sticky traps. I hope I can find some in Jerusalem
    Ischel and Connie: thank you for your replies.

    I will keep you guys updated tomorrow on the status of the plant once I see the roots and the hidden mess!

    Cheers

    Fadi

  8. #8
    Real Name
    Fadi
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    Default Phal has been repotted

    I just wanted to update you guys on the repotting. I finished doing but with some difficulty. The roots were really stuck to the peat medium, but to my surprise, non of the roots were rotting! I imagined that it would be a mess...

    Anyways, I cleaned the roots with warm water and then used a diluted anti fungal treatment and soaked the roots for about ten minutes, I also cleaned and treated the leaves just in case. There was no residue on the cotton, so that made me relax a bit.

    And finally I repotted in coconut husk. I just have one question about the new medium. I squeezed some of the water out of it before using it so should I water anytime soon or should I wait till it dries up? Also, should I keep the plant in low light or should I keep the good lighting, just in case the rest of the buds on the spikes decide growing and blooming?

    Thanks

    Fadi

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