Found tiny white bugs in new bag of medium right before repotting

[ptk]

Hi everyone. I'm a bit new to orchid care and completely new to this forum so I hope I can get some help.

I was prepping everything to get ready to repot one of my phal orchids because the first medium was growing mushrooms. The orchid itself has finished blooming a few weeks ago, I've already trimmed down the spikes, and the plant is currently growing a new leaf. The roots are very healthy and I've already rinsed them and sprayed them with hydrogen peroxide.

I have a new bag of Better-Gro Special Orchid Potting Mix that I bought from Lowe's last week. I shook up the bag so that I could get an even mix and looked closely through the transparent side of the bag and noticed tiny pinpoint sized, elongated bodied bugs crawling on some bark chips. I saw about 3-4 of them at a time. I can only find them if I agitate the bag enough. After a long search online through other websites and this forum, they're probably springtails.

After reading around, I now know that they're not harmful to the plant, but every thread I've read say that they are a sign of old medium and the OP needs to repot. But what about in my situation? What do I do if I'm finding them in new, unused bag medium?

I'd hate to introduce new insects to an already insect free orchid so I'm hesitant to pot my currently naked orchid in this medium. I thought about returning the bag to get a new one but I might run into the same issue. Lowe's and Home Depot keep all potting media, including orchid media, in the heat and high humidity outdoors. I even had to aerate my new bag when I first bought it because I saw a bit of condensation through the transparent window of the bag. It is now dry. With this information, is it ok to spray hydrogen peroxide on the medium? Or should I not use this bag at all? In the meantime, I'm keeping my orchid in it's new clean clear plastic pot naked until I get advice.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can provide some ideas/answers.

[katrina]

Springtails are everywhere and they are nearly impossible to completely eradicate however, I would be concerned about a fresh bag of medium already having an infestation. It means the mix is old and/or was stored very poorly and I would be worried about it's longevity.

Hydrogen peroxide will not get rid of them...it really does little to nothing to sterilize the medium either. It might help a little if there was some fungal or bacterial issues but, again, I would be concerned about the freshness of it. You shouldn't have to "treat" new medium.

If possible, I would return it and pick something up elsewhere...something that hasn't been stored out in the elements. It's best that the bags be stored in a dry location...that ensures the best longevity of the medium. Springtails feed on decaying matter so if there are a lot of them in that bag...again, I'd be concerned. If you have no other options, you could probably use it but you might see it break down pretty quickly.

I buy orchiata in bulk and I buy a lot of it when my local OS does orders. I buy enough to last me a good 3 years...I store some in storage bins for easy use when I repot and the rest sits in bags until it's time to open a new bag...I've never found springtails in any bag. I never store it where it will get wet...if it's kept dry, it can last a very long time.

[ptk]

Thanks Katrina for your detailed response.

I'll definitely be returning that bag, and will try to find some at a local independent garden center that hopefully stores them indoors. Our humidity levels down here range from 75-90% so I don't even understand why these big box stores decided to store these small bags outdoors.

Also, I have another repotting question that I hope is ok to ask in the same thread. I have 4 mini orchids that are currently under (home remedy) treatment for white spider mites soon after I rescued them from a grocery store. They were distributed by Just Add Ice in this strange spongy, brown media of which their roots have wrapped around or grown through. They're currently still in bloom and the treatment was 1% mineral oil in water with few drops of dish soap as an emulsifier. Four or five days ago, I sprayed them with that mixture all over their leaves and spikes, basically anything green except for the roots and blooms. I was thinking of repotting until I found the springtails in my new bag of medium. What should actually be my next step if I do find a dry, bug-free bag of medium?

Again, thanks for helping.

[ptk]

Update: Luckily a local mom 'n pop garden store carried dry bags of orchid potting mix stored indoors. The brand is Ferti-lome and it's a chunkier mix than the bark+sphagnum moss mix my orchid was in before, consisting of "Canadian sphagnum peat moss chunks, orchid bark, hardwood charcoal, lava rock". I potted my orchid in it and then watered so hopefully she'll be happy and adjust.

So in addition to my mini phal question in my previous post, could I also make this chunky potting mix work for the mini's?

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board.

In addition to the above, don't use hydrogen peroxide on roots. It can damage them.

Don't do any kind of preventive treatment. It won't substitute for good cultural practices. Widespread killing with chemicals kills the beneficial bacteria and fungi which may protect your plant from pathogens. I realize your humidity is super high this time of year, but try and provide good air circulation.

Only treat for pests or diseases if you are certain they are there, you know what they are and you know your treatment will take care of the problem.

[ptk]

Thanks for the welcome!

The heat and humidity in Louisiana is pretty unbearable but I keep my phals in my air conditioned house where the temp is kept at 73-74°F and humidity is moderate at about 50%. The phals have been sitting at a bay window that gets adequate indirect sunlight and shade.

Going back to your comment about hydrogen peroxide, the only reason why I sprayed the roots was because the old medium it was in (original medium it came in) was infected with lots of mushrooms and I was afraid of transferring this fungal infection to the new pot and medium. So is that an appropriate situation to spray the roots?

[estación seca]

Your Phals would be much much much happier outside. They feel about your air conditioned house the way you would if you had to live outside under a tree. Your weather is what they expect. Find a spot with bright shade and protect them from critters.

Fungi that decompose dead organic matter don't attack living plants. Mushrooms indicate the medium is old and decaying, but an orchid can grow happily in this next to mushrooms if there is proper air and water at the roots.

The fungal spores are everywhere. You cannot keep them out of new medium. Every time you walk into your house you bring them in with you.

I would never spray roots with hydrogen peroxide. If I knew I had a fungus that was damaging my plant, I could not control it by cutting off the affected leaf, I knew the identity of the fungus, and I knew the fungus were susceptible to the chemicals I had, I would treat the whole plant.

[ptk]

Thanks for clarifying about the mushrooms. Glad to know they won't harm an orchid.

Any insight on my questions about my mini phals?

[estación seca]

You can leave the mini Phals in the spongy medium if you just let them get almost dry between waterings. Or you can pick it off and repot into another medium.

When they outgrow the current pots you can do either.

Don't overlook other potential potting media. At a hydroponics shop you can buy LECA, Light Expanded Clay Aggregate, which is small fired clay balls. They make a decent orchid medium and don't rot. I doubt you'll find much pumice nor cinder in NO but people also use those.

[ptk]

I've seen the use of LECA while looking around online and they seem interesting. I'll save that method for when I become more experienced with orchids, especially since the closest hydroponic store to me is a bit of a drive.

As for the mini orchid sponge blocks, I'm paranoid about the water retentive property of sponge. It's been a week and a half since I bought my first mini, and a week since I bought the other three. I haven't watered them since, but their roots still appear green. Is it a thing for phal roots to be moist for "too long" between watering? Or am I being too paranoid and should just continue waiting until the roots tell me it's time to water?