Being one of the most beautiful, exotic plants, orchids will always fill your house with joy and vivid colors. But the minute you’re enjoying the coloration of your home given by the amazing orchids, the next moment you notice the appearance of some sticky stuff on their leaves. Fortunately there are several methods in diagnosing and treating your beloved blossoms.
Many experienced gardeners who are growing orchids panic when they see the sticky stuff on orchids. As I said, there is no reason to be concerned. That sticky stuff found on orchid’s leaves is often a sign of pests, more precisely, the secretions of aphids, mealybugs or scale insects.
However, if you notice any sticky substance on orchids, you should better investigate all the plant for insects. Ants around your orchid are a sign that your plant has pests. Check under orchid’s leaves, at leaf joints and even on the flowers and buds for pests.
How to get rid of scale on orchids
[image]
Of course, there are several pesticides on the market, but before trying anything chemical, you should try some natural remedies first:
- you can rub the scale with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab to remove the bugs
- make sure to get under the leaves and down in the crease where the leaf joins the stem
- wipe the plant completely cleana
- after treating, spray thoroughly with a diluted alcohol solution
- repeat this treatment weekly until the infestation is under control
- another option would be to carefully wash the whole plant in warm water with grated soap (be sure the soap is mild and not ammonia-based, as this will cause damage to the plant)
- the plant must be washed every other day for a month
- then it must remain separate from other plants for two weeks to ensure no new scale appears
Wondering how scale got on your orchids?
[image]
The most common way of acquiring scale is purchasing an infested plant. Scale is easily transmitted to clean plants when plants are crowded, and crawlers move from plant to plant. So, you should better other houseplants and declare a quarantine.
[image]
