This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

moldy clay pots & orchid questions

I've got some orchids in clay (terra cotta) pots, and they have this
horrid-looking gray mold on the outside.  I've scrubbed them off before but
it keeps coming back again.  How can I get rid of this stuff without hurting
my orchids?  I suppose I could put them in plastic pots but I hate the look
of plastic and I'm afraid the orchids won't dry out enough between waterings
(though I suppose I could simply adjust their watering...).

I also have a couple questions about my orchids:

1)  How do you tell when to stop giving food for growth and start feeding
for bloom?  Do you wait until a bloom spike starts to form or do you start
even before that?

2)  One of my orchids has an old pseudobulb that has suddenly turned dark
brown (the rest of the plant is very healthy).  Should I cut off the old
growth?  It doesn't feel rotten or mushy, more shriveled and dried up.  I'm
afraid it will spread to the rest of the plant if I don't remove it.

Thanks for any advice.

Cami
utaar@cnnw.net
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index