et’s admit it, most of us have been faced with a pest/disease problem at one point or another, despite the best care and attention we give our orchids. Do the words crown rot, mealies, scale or rot sound familiar to you? When I first started with orchids two and a half years ago, I naively thought that I would never have any problems with my orchids since they were indoors. Boy was I wrong! I have had minor problems like small spots of rot, and bigger problems, like a large scale mealy bug invasion. Reaching for the bottle of commercial chemicals products will usually get the job done, but why use those when there are plenty of useful, less harmful (to us at least) things in our own homes? There are many home remedies that can help the overly anxious orchid addicts rid their much loved orchids of pests and rot issues.

Why use home remedies? Using chemicals can be problematic, especially for the indoor orchid growers. For some, the thought of inhaling something potentially very dangerous to your health is not all that appealing. We love our orchids, but they need us to stay healthy so we can take care of them! For others, avoiding them is necessary because they have curious pets and/or children in their home. And of course, there are those that just can’t be bothered to go out and buy anything. Chemicals do have their use in orchid growing, but I like to think that they should be a last resort in most cases. My only exception would be thrips. I pull out the big guns when those guys are around!

So here is a quick overview of some of the better known home remedies that I picked up on Orchidboard, books and fellow orchid growers. After seeing so much useful information, why not compile it into one place? I have not personally tested each and every one yet, but they seem to have been successful in other growers cases. At least I know what to do if one of my phals gets crown rot (which I hope never happens!)

Ground cinnamon:
This is a very good item to have in your orchid first aid kit. Cinnamon has antifungal properties and is a strong desiccant, so it helps dry out wounds. It is the classic standby to deal with rot. Dab a little bit on the cut after cutting off sick leaves or roots. Although I have not tried it, mixing cinnamon with a little bit of Elmer’s glue will seal a wound very well. You can also sprinkle cinnamon on rot spots on the leaves, and some people even pack some down in the crown of plants suffering from crown rot. It is even possible to use cinnamon, mixed with water, as a spray. I have not tried this yet, but will give it a go on one plant. It is advised not to use too much on the roots as it has been known to stunt root growth and because of the drying effect, it may block the water uptake of the roots. Sprinkling some on all the roots ‘just in case’ will do more harm than good.

Hydrogen peroxide:
This is something very useful to have when dealing with a plant with crown rot. I have never tried it, since this isn’t something I have around the house. Pour a few drops into the crown, let it sit a few minutes, then pour it out. Hydrogen peroxide is a good antiseptic and anti-bacterial because of its oxidizing effect. It’s interesting to know that plants produce it naturally to defend themselves against attacking pathogens, if it recognizes that it's being attacked. The buildup of hydrogen peroxide(and nitric oxide) in the attacked plant cells leads to local cell death, to stop the spread of the pathogen. End of science lesson!

Listerine:

Mouth wash for orchids? I know of some bad breathed Bulbos that sure could use it! This is a mild antiseptic, so works well on any suspicious looking spots, and because of the alcohol it also works nice on stray pests wandering around on the orchids. Keeping a spray bottle of it around is always handy and it does seem to work! Listerine can also be sprayed on plants when they are being repotted. For some reason it is recommended to use the regular brown Listerine, and not any of the other flavors. I have finally found Listerine here in Europe and keep a sprayer of it handy.

Rubbing alcohol:
Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol either 70% or 90%(no experience with it) works very well to deal with insects when the problem is caught early. I have used 70% alcohol, with no big problems encountered, other than the fact that it is not a good idea to spray it on roots! My Sedirea japonica had tons of mealies on the roots, so I sprayed them with alcohol. It got rid of the bugs, but since then the root tips started dying and leaves shrivelling. From now on, alcohol is for leaves only!

Pour some alcohol on a q-tip and dab at scale or mealy bugs on the plant. Alcohol can also be sprayed onto a plant, but without getting it sopping wet. It can be mixed with water, but can also be sprayed pure (I used 70%), avoiding blooms and (in my experience) the roots. When spraying, care must be taken on windy or warm days, as the rapid evaporation of the alcohol can cause chilling damage to the plant. Try to wipe it off before it completely evaporates. It has to be applied regularly in order to get the newly hatched insects. I used a cotton soaked in alcohol to remove spider mites from my Cymbidium. After a few applications, I think I got rid of all of them as I haven't seen any since!

There are some spray on ‘recipes’ that can be used. Unfortunately I can’t try them, since there’s no 409 in France. If anyone knows of an EU equivalent, let me know! Some people make a mix of one third each of 409 cleaner, rubbing alcohol and water. I have also read that a 50/50 mix of 409 and rubbing alcohol works just as well.

Kill those slugs!!

For those that grow orchids outdoors or in greenhouses, slugs and snails can be a huge problem, as they munch their way through countless orchids during the dark hours. There are simple ways to deal with them, instead of using slug pellets. In the evening, place cucumber, apple or potato slices on top of the media in the pots or where you notice slime trails. In the morning, the slugs/snails will have gathered on/under the slices. Toss those out and replace with fresh slices until there are no more snails/slugs. Works like a charm!
Use beer: Nice fresh beer is something slugs can’t resist. Partially bury a little dish and fill it with beer, the slugs will come to drink, fall in, and drown. Change traps regularly, they stink quickly. Don’t forget to drink the rest of the beer in the bottle. We don’t want it to go to waste!

There are a lot more home remedies (and many variations of these) that exist, but I think that these are a good starting point. They probably work best on problems caught early, so regular inspection of the orchids is a good idea.

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