Orchid Pests & Disease
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Prevention
Anyone that has spent considerable time keeping orchids alive has probably encountered problems with pests or disease. The saying goes that if you say you don’t have pests among your orchids it’s a sure sign that you need new glasses. One reason that this is the case is that most every orchid we grow is from the tropics and its natural resistance against pests in its native land may not be as effective against the bugs that live in our temperate regions. This is probably the case to a certain extent, but the MAIN reason that orchids become susceptible to disease or pests is that they are unhappy. That is to say, you will have considerably less hassle with pest or disease if you follow this single preventative rule:
GIVE YOUR ORCHIDS WHAT THEY WANT!
We can all stock up on poisons and medicines to treat our orchids when problems do arise, but the best strategy when it comes to pests and disease is avoidance. While the pests in our temperate region differ from those in tropical regions, it is must be pointed out that there is a much greater difference when it comes to temperature, light (especially in Oregon) and humidity between the tropics and the US. Plants that are getting improper amounts of something they want (or don’t want) will become weak and susceptible to disease. So the very first thing to know when it comes to pests and disease is that prevention is the best medicine. Do a good job with cultivation and your orchids should be able to ward off most if not all diseases and pests.
