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Some sort of teeny tiny bug on my Phals

16 years ago

Ack! I've done a quick search and not found what I'm looking for.

I was going to repot my noid red phal, because it had been failing, and upon looking at the pot, it appears that the spag moss it had been packed with was green and growing (or else it was moss?). Took to the sink, got rid of old growing medium, trimmed back the roots, seasoned cut ends with cinnamon. Went back to the table where it sat and got the saucer, and noticed little brownish red specks similiar to chili powder? Used my kid's dollar store magnifying glass and a few of them moved around, but I couldn't see legs like I could on spider mites when I had those bugs on my ivies 4 years ago.

So...I can toss this phal, it was a $5 anniversary special from Wal*Mart 2 years back, and grew vigorously and bloomed up till now. But now I see these specks on my noid mini white phal I have, that I've not seen another in the stores since, that I will have a cry over if I have to chuck that one, and my heart if beating so fast over this it's a wonder I can even type straight!

I want to try to save this white phal, on it's spike it has little rust specks, mainly where the nodes are, but what else to I do? Do I dunk the whole plant? Are mites and spider mites treated the same way(insecticidal soap?). I see the local garden centre has neem oil, can I use that and how? Sorry for all the questions, I am truly distraught, and mad, because I noticed the orange flecks on the leaf of the red one a while back and cleaned it off and inspected VERY carefully, nothing moved, so I thought maybe the kids made a spill of something, or now I'm wondering, what the heck was I thinking??????? OF COURSE I should have been suspicious, I'm so mad at myself I could have gotten rid of that plant and now not be going through this turmoil, because I have mini african voilets on this table too and maybe they've got them??? Argh!

To whomever can give me answers, thanks for you time and patience in reading this. I'm storming back to the kitchen to see what else I can do (that's where these plants are). Thanks.

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Comments (3)

tommyr_gw Zone 6
16 years ago
Red spider mites it sounds like.

Google gave me this as a first link:

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/mites.htm
kioni
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks tommyr for the link. I got worried and had to run out for errands, so I made an extra stop at the nursery and purchased some neem oil. The lady there thinks they are spidermites also, though I still am not sure. When I had spider mites 4 years ago, with a magnifying glass I could make out their legs as they scampered around, if I held the plant sideways so the afternoon sun shone on the leaf (and this seemed to make them scurry). With this infestation of whatever it is, they don't scurry. Most appear dead, and the one I could get a good focus on moved just a little, and I couldn't see legs, AND it resembled a tiny drop of water because it was round, shiny and appeared translucent (while still being reddish brown in colour).

No matter, I hope that this neem stuff will do the trick for me, maybe if I can keep the regiment up long enough I can kill them all? Let's hope!
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maypoplaurel
16 years ago
I agree. Isolate the plant, ditch the medium, or cook it in the oven. Wash the plant (I have used liquid dish detergent and temperate water) and treat. Don't be shy about submerging the plant for awhile as drowning is a great cure. Do not re-pot yet. Place in a pre-soaked terracotta pot with NO medium to harbor the boogers, the smallest that will fit the plant, so that the roots are bumping against walls...and then place on pebbles with water. The clay should barely make contact with the water (to give off humidity). Spray x2 daily. You can put your regular fert in your spray bottle. Keep up the water level in the pebble tray so that the clay breathes water but no water should be in the pot. You may ask, "Why not just put the pot in water" Well, my unscientific, experiential answer is that the pebble tray enhances the general humidity around the plant. I could be wrong here. Anyway, treat the plant one, or better, two more times over the course of 10-14 days. Repeat the soap treatment too and wash your pebbles and pot with soap and hot water. Since your plant will be out of medium for a few weeks pay attention to keeping the terracotta moist and the humidity up. I would assume the violets have them (if they were not the source). They cannot handle the same tx (treatment). That's more complicated. Don't toss your old friend. She sounds worth saving.

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