Orchids and Cockroaches

Cockroaches are some of the worst pests with which you will have to deal in growing orchids. They can do heartbreaking damage in a scant few nights if not intercepted and destroyed.

What is the problem with roaches?  The answer is that one of their favorite meals 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 off in a single night by roaches.

How to effectively get control of a roach problem is an enormous topic. 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 devised in an attempt to control roaches. If you go the poison route, you must of course only use those that will not harm your plants. Visit the garden supply aisle of your local hardware store.

For a less risky approach, many people have had great success with a combination of boric acid, a little sugar, and flour, mixed with water to make a paste. Its effectiveness depends on making sure you get it into every hole, nook, cranny and crevice in your growing room. To be completely safe, though, don't allow any of the stuff on your plants themselves.

You could also put out a few those "roach hotels."  These will trap many roaches and prevent a few at least from getting to your orchids in the first place.

To be honest, the only way to control roaches is keep a constant lookout for them. 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 up-to-date guide to expert orchid cultivation, I have found, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded from the web. Mr. Howard's guide is a complete course, helpful for beginners as well as the more experienced cultivators alike. Also, be sure to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing library of information on all topics of orchid cultivation.