What to do if your Phalaenopsis gets bugs? With proper care, pests are unlikely

The Phalaenopsis you've cared for so carefully is blooming beautifully, when suddenly you notice sticky little dots on the leaves! You flip them over and nearly faint - densely packed little bugs! Whiteflies, scale insects, or spider mites? It really makes your head spin instantly! Don't panic! This article will quickly teach you the two-step approach of "first aid+prevention" to wipe out the bugs completely and even build up a "bug-proof" constitution!

The most common are the aphids stuck to the undersides of the leaves, packed in dense little patches that are gross just to look at. Dealing with them doesn't need to be too complicated - find a cotton swab, dip it in alcohol, and wipe the bugs right off, then spray some imidacloprid

If there are yellow dots on the undersides of the leaves along with fine silky webbing, then it's almost certainly spider mites. These things especially love dry environments, so besides spraying pesticide (abamectin will do), you also need to spray more water around to keep the air humid, and then they won't be able to reproduce. Before spraying, it's best to rinse the leaves with water first to wash away half the little bugs, for a better effect.

The most troublesome are scale insects, which hide at the bottom of the pot where you can't see them, and by the time you find them the roots are almost completely rotted. At this point don't hesitate - take the plant out of the pot right away, cut off the rotten roots, rinse the remaining roots clean with water, soak them in a jiebijiezhi solution for ten minutes, and repot with fresh sphagnum moss. Remember, don't reuse the old flowerpot; the eggs might still be inside.

Actually, the best way to deal with bugs is to keep them from coming at all. That means putting effort into your everyday care.

Phalaenopsis can't be grown in ordinary garden soil - that stuff isn't breathable and easily harbors insect eggs. Buy some sphagnum moss, bark chunks and the like; they're breathable and clean, so there will naturally be fewer bugs. Repot once every spring, and while you're at it mix some carbendazim into the new medium to sterilize and prevent pests.

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Watering and fertilizing are even bigger lessons. Don't water every day - water when you feel the sphagnum moss has dried out, pour slowly when you do, and don't let water collect in the leaf crown. It's best to let the water sit in the sun for half a day before use, until it's about room temperature, otherwise it will shock the roots and weaken their resistance. As for fertilizer, a light feeding once every two months is enough - don't be greedy, because if it grows too tender it actually attracts bugs.

There's also a little trick: spend two minutes every week checking the undersides of the leaves and looking around the roots - early detection and early action is always better than treating things after the bugs have multiplied out of control. Normally you can also spray a bit of Huhuashen, diluted, like taking a preventive medicine - the bugs take one look and run.

Only when a Phalaenopsis is sturdy is it less likely to get sick and attract bugs. Pay more attention to it normally: when the environment is comfortable and the water and fertilizer are given appropriately, it grows vigorously and those little bugs naturally won't dare come. And even if they do come, dealing with them using the methods above will surely make your Phalaenopsis fresh and lively again.