Pest identification
What's eating my free-flowering cymbidium?
Aphids
Signs: Soft green or grey clusters on new spike tips and buds; distorted flowers and sticky honeydew
Control: Rinse off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil; check weekly through bloom period
Scale insects
Signs: Hard waxy bumps on pseudobulbs and leaf undersides; yellow patches and reduced vigor
Control: Remove manually with alcohol-dipped cotton swab; apply horticultural oil spray fortnightly
Spider mites
Signs: Pale stippled speckling on leaf surfaces; webbing visible under leaves in warm dry air
Control: Boost humidity, rinse leaves, treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil every 5–7 days
Keep free-flowering cymbidium pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Free-Flowering Cymbidium pests — FAQ
What is eating my free-flowering cymbidium?
Free-Flowering Cymbidium's prolific flower spikes attract aphids during bud break, making aphids its most common pest. Scale and mealybugs colonize pseudobulbs year-round indoors. Spider mites can flare up in centrally heated rooms during winter. Inspect weekly, especially spike tips, and treat immediately with insecticidal soap or neem oil.
How do I get rid of aphids on free-flowering cymbidium?
Soft green or grey clusters on new spike tips and buds; distorted flowers and sticky honeydew Rinse off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil; check weekly through bloom period
How do I get rid of scale insects on free-flowering cymbidium?
Hard waxy bumps on pseudobulbs and leaf undersides; yellow patches and reduced vigor Remove manually with alcohol-dipped cotton swab; apply horticultural oil spray fortnightly
How do I get rid of spider mites on free-flowering cymbidium?
Pale stippled speckling on leaf surfaces; webbing visible under leaves in warm dry air Boost humidity, rinse leaves, treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil every 5–7 days