Win the War Against Orchid-Munching Roaches
Cockroaches are among the biggest pests with which you will have to deal in growing orchids. They can do incredible damage in a scant few nights if not stopped and destroyed.
Why are cockroaches such a headache? The answer is that one of their favorite foods is a potted plant’s tender young roots and flower stems. It is not unheard of for the roots of a plant to be entirely chewed up in one night by these pests.
Fighting roaches is a huge subject. People have been fighting with them in their homes and kitchens for centuries, and we will probably be fighting them for centuries to come. They have evolved to be incredibly successful in living amongst us and in resisting extermination.
A tremendous variety of poisons have been invented in an effort to control cockroaches. If you go the poison route, you should of course only use those that will not harm your plants. Check out the garden section of your local hardware store.
Less risky to you and your household is the boric acid solution. Get some boric acid (cheap and readily available at most drug stores) and mix it up into a paste with some sugar, a little flour and water. A little paste should be spread into every corner and crevice that you can access. To be completely safe, though, don’t get any of the stuff on the plants themselves.
You could also put out some of those “roach hotels.” These will trap many roaches and stop them from getting to your orchids in the first place.
Cockroaches are stubborn, though. If you truly want to keep them under control you must be prepared to look for them constantly. You should especially search for them on and around your plants in the evening, using a flashlight. They leave their hiding places in the evening to seek food and it is then that they are most easily caught and killed. Don’t forget to move your pots and baskets around to uncover ones that may have run into hiding from you.
A good guide to orchid growing will have many other tips and suggestions for making sure that pests such as roaches don’t put an end to your plants. The most complete guide to modern orchid care, in my opinion, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded online. Mr. Howard’s guide is a comprehensive course of study, helpful for beginners as well as the more experienced fanciers alike. Also, be sure to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of postings on many facets of orchid cultivation.
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