PLEASE HELP! New C&H seedlings have bugs!!!
 

Ok guys! Freak out moment! Many of you know I just got two Cattleya seedlings in from Carter and Holmes...well they were almost dry today so I went to water them for their first time and after really flushing the pot I let them soak in RO water in individual containers for just like 2 minutes. When I went to flush one last time and let them drop dry, on the first one I spotted this teeny tiny little gray/silver bug the almost looked like a super tiny mosquito. It was climbing up to higher roots away from the water it looked like. I tried to kill it and think I did but I found some questionable little things floating in the soak water that resembled the tiny but I noticed.

THEN i went to the second one and see....oh my gosh....I am not good with bugs....some sort of nasty slug/snail.... it had the two antenna eyes sticking up from a long tiny neck if that helps? There were a few that were climbing up the pseudobulbs trying to escape the water too.

WHAT CAN I DO????? I don't want to harm my seedlings but can I use 50:50 alcohol with a little dawn? What will work? I don't even know how to kill a slug/snail creature! Do I call C&H about this? They had a certificate saying they were checked for "all major pests"....obviously not very well.

sorry guys just so worried about the babies and I have no clue how to handle this!

---------- Post added at 12:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 PM ----------

OK correction. The little silver bugs are just fast little walkers and are on both seedlings. they don't look like mosquitos! Terrible description. Just teeny tiny silver bugs..

Also. They are snails! Not slugs!

The little wood lice are nothing to be concerned about, but you're going to have to use a commercial presticide to get rid of the snails.

Snail is probably a bush snail. Snail baits not terribly effective but can't hurt and may help. When you see new roots starting, fresh media is called for. In the meantime, if you see them, remove and dispatch them. (shoes work well, squishing is very satisfying). Potting when the plants aren't pushing new roots stands to do a lot more damage than these minor pests can do.

So both babies have new roots right now....The one I actually found snails on has three root tips started from the new growth and the other only has one root tip started at the new growth....It is my understanding we want quite a few more new roots before repotting however....right? I'll go ahead and start working on seedling supplies though! That way I have it handy when needed!

The snails are really tiny. But they travel much faster then expected!

Since I only have s/h supplies, which Idk, maybe this size seedling would be good in s/h once I get more root growth?? Ray! I am sure you have experience with cattleya seedlings in s/h? What's your preference?

If I don't plant them in s/h I would prefer to just order bark from C&H so they stay in the exact same type of mix they have been in but now I am a tad worried that the mix might have bugs too! I don't know, maybe not...

Thank you though guys! And Ray, in the way of using a pesticide (at least until I have a lot of root growth going on and I can repot), do you have any recommendations for one you would trust using on seedlings specifically? Are they all pretty safe for seedlings and work well?

Actually, the START of new roots is the ideal time to repot. It is nearly impossible to not damage a root tip or two when handling (very fragile, especially the tiny hairs) but if they're just starting, there will be more along in short order so the effect of any damage on what is showing is minimized. When potting, no matter what they are potted in , very important that the plant be very stable so that those new roots can grab on, wobbling will damage the growing root tips.So you want to get them settled in their new home just before the main flush of root growth, not after the roots are established.

Ahhhhhh! Thanks Roberta!!!! Once again!

I have just read SO many articles you know about repotting and when to do it. I've repotted Phals plenty but let's be honest, as long as you repot AROUND the right time then they will probably be ok!

But anyways, when reading these articles by AOS And other orchid societies, they show photos of "when to repot" and the cattleyas always have like 10-15 new little root tips exploding out everywhere all at once and plus they say usually in the spring so I have always just thought that these are just "straggler" root tips that continue growing during the off season and I should wait for this root tip explosion I see in photos to actually repot!

So thank you for the clarification on THAT assumption! I definitely will make sure to stabilize them well, I've heard it also isn't good for them to be wobbly because the root tips can become bruised as well as what you said about them needing the stability to really have a chance to stabilize themselves!

This is what I've got going on right now...first photo is of the baby that I haven't SEEN snails with (I'll plant to still repot most likely just in case) then the following two are the snail baby. In the very last photo you can just BARELY see the third teeny tiny white & green little tip sticking out!

Really though, you have cleared so much up for me...I am pretty sure I have quite a few who might be ready for repotting then. I guess I just thought, especially if swapping to s/h, we want that root tip explosion!

Oh and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays guys! Thanks for responding today!!

Phals don't care when they are repotted, since they are growing roots pretty much all the time. Same with Paphs. Catts on the other hand have definite rooting times. In one (or maybe more than one) of Fred Clarke's presentations he shows it dramatically... "time to repot" is the slide caption when you just begin to see roots. Then the next slide shows roots with green growing tips that are maybe 3-4 inches long, the slide is captioned "should have repotted 3 weeks ago" ... still can get away with it by being very careful, but the "repot now" for the teensy roots is better. In fact, his suggestion is is to write on the tag, NOT the date that you repotted, but a date several weeks before (how much depending on how much you missed the ideal window). Then the next time, you'll KNOW the ideal time, even before you see the roots.

THAT! Is SO helpful! I can totally picture the slides in my head! I guess I just heard all these book scenarios like, "after flowering" or "Spring time" and totally just thought that I was WAY off base. At first I thought that this type of root growth would be right and then people kept saying things like "really good root growth" and I kept picturing those 10-15 little root tips off the base of a Catt and kept thinking "oh, well, A root tip or two probably isn't "GOOD" root growth!"

I have definitely been told that catts will not be happy if they aren't potted at the right time and so definitely didn't want to mess up Potting my Catts for the first time!

I know I have also read that after getting a new orchid it's nice to give them a few weeks to acclimate before reporting to reduce shock....In this case, sense the time is now for repotting these guys and it is due to bugs, I would guess it best to go ahead and repot asap? Right??

Plus, they are seedlings, not saying they won't have a shock period, (I pray it isn't too bad, BUT it's not like i have holes for flowers this year! Or in the next 3-5 years! Lol I just want them to grow and be healthy!

My cross's new root probably is a little longer then the other but I will make sure to repot asap!

Now to just decide on an organic medium or s/h!

Ray is certainly the go-to person for S/H since he invented it. Personally I have never used that approach, but I live in an environment where bark works extremely well... for Catts, I have also found that baskets work better than pots, especially for plants that are past the seedling phase. However you choose to accomplish it, these guys need lots of air around the roots, and a chance to mostly dry out between waterings. (Think about what happens on the side of a tree... it rains, then it stops and the sun comes out though it may stay humid. And the breeze is there pretty much all the time)

Ya I do agree about the tree thing! And I am SO happy to hear about the baskets actually! I really have wanted to explore into having some orchids in baskets because I don't think every orchid is made for s/h and baskets give me more room!

But I just haven't known which orchids, other then Vandas, do well in baskets or exactly what all you do to put them into baskets! It is definitely something I need to research more! So I really just haven't known how catts do being in a basket but just that it doesn't seem like they are sold in a basket! I guess I just assumed that this meant it wouldn't be a good option for them!