One of the major stumbling blocks for beginning orchidists is that they feel that they must use harsh pesticides to be successful and avoid orchid diseases. The main goal is to grow and produce beautiful orchid plants and flowers for our own personal enjoyment. The purpose of this article is to provide easy alternative methods in treating many of the common orchid diseases including pests of orchids. To be successful with these methods and avoid orchid diseases, it is imperative to use in conjunction with good cultural practices. But first, we need to have an understanding of what our responsibilities are as an orchid grower, and we also need to be able to identify some of the common ailments that affect our orchids.

Physiological Disorders and orchid diseases

It is important to identify physiological disorders of orchids and recognise from orchid diseases. These are ailments that are not caused by insects or disease, but are caused by poor culture. Some examples of this are; excessive sunlight (sunburn) or not enough sunlight, improper watering, salt or wind damage, temperature stress, and root die back (from of old media). In every case, it is up to the grower to supply the proper environmental conditions for the various orchids we are growing. Spraying of chemicals will not remedy any physiological disorder.

Insects and orchid diseases

It is very important that you watch your orchids carefully and take care of problems as they occur. Most insect problems (aphids, thrips, spider mites, and mealy bugs) occur in the warm summer months and will feed on soft new growth and flowers. Onwe of the best time to spot problems and orchid diseases is while you are watering. If you stay on top of things, spot spraying of these home remedies may be all that is needed to rectify the problem.
a. Try to maintain a spotless growing location. Remove all faded flowers and dead leaves promptly, as they are a major source of infection and orchid diseases. Sanitation is the best defense against insects and orchid diseases.
b. Control weeds and pests in and around your growing area. Weeds and other plants in the collection often harbor insects that can transmit orchid diseases.
c. Maintain good air circulation. Stake up all orchids and provide adequate spacing between them.

Orchid diseases

For an orchid diseases to occur the causal agent or pathogen must be present in an infectious stage and come into contact with the host plant. The environment conditions must favor the infection and the plant must be susceptible. So our goal is to break the cycle of infection. The most common orchid diseases are bacteria, fungus and viruses. Here are a few ways to control them.
a. Water orchids early in the day, allowing them to dry before nightfall. Do not let puddles of water accumulate around your growing area.
b. Avoid the temptation of watering newly repotted orchids. During repotting, any part of the orchid that is cut or damaged could provide a path of entry for orchid diseases . Water is a great carrier of bacterial and fungal orchid diseases.
c. Maintain proper sanitation when handling your orchids. It is very important to sterilize all potting implements such as; pruning shears, stakes, pots, table top, and your hands).
d. Quarantine new orchids for at least two weeks and isolate diseased ones from the rest of the collection to prevent from orchid diseases.