When I feel the stickies on the leaves of my Catasetums, it's usually mites. These plants are champion mite-magnets.

That's not good.

It's very strange though. There isn't any stickiness on any other part of the leaf, only at the base and only on the largest ones. Also, it isn't just stickiness, it's big drops of dew and they appear to get larger after I water.

I really don't want mites. I really don't.

Just watch it for a while and see if anything is puncturing the leaves, allowing the juices to flow. Under my conditions, I have never seen Catasetums produce honeydew from the leaves like some other orchids; only occasionally from the flower spikes.

Don't worry, mites are the easiest to get rid of.

cj do you mean spider mites are the easiest to eliminate? I just spent $250 for Floramite to rid some daylily prolifs growing inside the g/h of the beasties when nothing else was doing the job. The good news is one application worked and even better news, they didn't spread to the orchids.

I hate using harsh chemicals if I can get the job done with something kinder, gentler. My two toads in the g/h are my new pets I want them to hang around.

TIA - Brooke

I've used the Neem Concentrate for years on my fifty or so Catasetinae plants and a few other genera which the mites also favor, like Cyrtopodiums. Wipes out even the worst infestation immediately. I keep it in a quart sprary bottle and use it as needed since these plants are outdoors during most of their growing season and subject to reinfestation. It also seems to deal nicely with white fly on some yard plants.

Mites can be kept to a dull roar or elliminated when humidity is increased. Not too common to see 'em in a G/H. If your Ctsm is in spike ya probably have dew.
Mike

I see them all the time in my humid greenhouse, Mike. Very common.

sounds like spider mites or red mites
they key to geyying rid of them is they hate water
make sure you pray the underneaths of the leav with every water
they are both pretty easy to get rid of
usually insectidal soap works
our catasetum house even in the worst infestation should be able to take some Kelthane to rid them
but thats unusual

OK, I think I do have mites, so I'm glad I asked. Thanks for the responses. No spike yet, but if one is going to appear it should do so pretty soon. Hopefully the mites will be under control when and if that happens. Mites and buds are not a good combo.

K

saccatum usually blooms in the summer and fall, although a big plant can occasionally throw a spike at any time. Has yours bloomed in the winter before (not counting a recent import from S. America)?

Some superfine oil or Neem Concentrate will wipe them out overnight. Spray all leaf surfaces and around the bulbs. These are contact killers, not systemic, and have to hit the mites directly.

I couldn't actually see the critters, but the discoloration on the leaves made me think it was probably them.

Yup, took the plant to the bathtub and washed it down and then sprayed with the insecticidal soap. I'm going to do this every week for a while and see what happens.

CJ - I don't know if you remember my post last winter concerning this plant. It wasn't going dormant like I thought it should, so I tried to force it. That was a big mistake to make a long story short. During all of that it tried to spike, but the spike dried up because of all my abuse. I believe that was during January. I'm hoping it does the same thing this year. The plant is showing no signs of slowing down, so I haven't tried to force anything on it this year.

K

Definitely don't force it, Kev. Keep it warm and at high light levels, water normally and fertilize if it is still maturing the new bulbs and leaves. Ctsm saccatum has only a very brief dry season in its native habitat and may not go dormant at all.

I have a bunch of Ctsm pileatums, species and primary hybrids (and pileatum is the most common parent used in ctsm hybridization), and they start their new growth before the old leaves even fall. As a result, I keep them fed and watered year round and they all bloom in the late spring and early summer, with an occasional encore performance in the fall. In its native habitat, this common species also has a very short or non-existent dry season.

Watch out for generalized advice that ALL Catasetums go dormant and need a long winter rest. That is not true.

Good luck. Hope you get a spike soon.

Thanks cj for the Neem knowledge. I checked my bottles and I had used insecticidal soap, a pyrethrin based product, a Bayer product with two different insecticides in it and they laughed. The Floramite did knock them immediately and it supposedly kills the eggs too. I had even treated the pots with a systemic prior to bringing them inside.

Ditto to appearing in a humid g/h - it wasn't close to hot and dry when these popped up. May they rest in peace.

Brooke

Ditto, ditto humid GH. I got the bloody little buggers on an EE planted *under* the bench this spring - HUMID? You bet!! They laughed and partied the night away and had a good ole time until I discovered them. I got rid of them by blasting the leaves top and bottom everyday with water for weeks(don't want to kill my little frog friends ...oh dear...). They never spread to anything else. Then there is the story of the flea market Dend my sister put *IN* my GH to surprize me. It was COVERED in mites. I got it out, never spread .......but that is as close as I have ever come to putting my hands around someones neck in a not so nice way.........just kidding .........but Dang ya'll...