Orchid
Culture: Spraying
Spraying,
or foliar applications of solutions can provide solutions
for many pest problems. Luckily they don't always have to
be so toxic or leave any potential harmful residual. Unfortunately
I don't no of any magic formula that's a "cure all".
Excellent spraying seems to be a combination of art and science.
One needs to not only have good equipment and technique, but
also have good understanding of the particular pest one is
terminating. Knowing its reproductive cycle, which includes
knowing its developmental stages, can assist in setting up
a strategic plan of attack.
We can't stress enough the importance of application. Sometimes
the insect's strong hold, the epicenter of their reproductive
community is more difficult to access, and the spray person
needs to give these areas more attention. Thoroughness in
the coverage, the importance of coating every undersurface
is vital, or the problem will persist and may escalate.
So in this vast arena of the disease and insect armies, where
does one begin? One begins by determining what cultural conditions
-- light, water, nutrition, etc -- are relevant to the presence
of these particular pests. Then systematically making adjustments
to counter the conditions that lead to the pest problem. All
the while setting up a plan of attack to annihilate the enemies.
Joy and delight emanated from the Dalai Lama after receiving
three of our orchids from little Laura during his visit to
Hawaii. His conversation turned to how much he loved these
plants but somehow they never really grew for him. Was it
the climate of the Himalayas? Or does raising orchids and
pacifism not go hand in hand? I personally think it's the
climate, but knocking out some pests can really improve the
orchid sector.
There is a landslide of information concerning conventional,
non-toxic compounds, and safe methods of pest control. The
beauty of the Web is that there is an enormous amount of information
as well as directions to sources. It's actually a lot of fun
to Google your way.
|
