What's eating my pleione formosana?

Pleione formosana is a cool-growing terrestrial orchid often kept outdoors in temperate gardens or on a cool windowsill. Slugs and snails are its worst enemy, attacking tender new shoots and pseudobulbs at soil level. Vine weevil grubs can devastate roots in containers. Aphids attack new growth and flower stems.

Ragged, irregular holes in new shoots and petals; slime trails visible on pots and growing media Use slug pellets (ferric phosphate, wildlife-safe) around pots; hand-pick at night; place copper tape around container rims

Creamy grubs eat pseudobulbs and roots from below; plants collapse suddenly despite good care Apply nematode drench (Steinernema kraussei) in late summer/autumn; repot annually and inspect root zone for grubs

Soft green or black insects clustered on emerging shoots and flower buds; sticky honeydew and distorted growth Squash by hand or blast with water; apply insecticidal soap spray, avoiding open flowers