Nice intro, Bill. I'm certainly with you on the use of the least toxic methods of keeping orchids healthy. Haven't used Neem in years but it might be time to buy some more. I also have a cat, and now four grandkids that visit regularly. I also like to think I'm not killing myself along with the bugs and fungi by spraying noxious stuff that will rain down on me, onto my patio and into my pool the next day when I'm not paying attention. But my use of non-toxic stuff goes way back to my Master Gardener training in 2002. We were even then advised to recommend to the public the mildest form of control available as a first step.
Nowadays, I'm still volunteering as a Master Gardener at the local elementary school garden where, of course we are growing everything organically. The only controls we use are soapy water for insects, baking soda/water for fungus control, and Bt for caterpillars if it's ever necessary. Thankfully we hardly ever have to use any of these methods because a class of 20 kids can eradicate an infestation of just about anything in 20 minutes or less just using their (gloved) hands.
I have a good friend and mentor living next door to me, having his Masters in Hort from UF. He was the County Extension agent and my teacher when I took the MG course in 2002, and one of his subsequent jobs was 3 years as a pesticide inspector for the State of Florida so his knowledge of all the available poisons is pretty extensive. He still keeps up to date as he now has a landscape pest control business. I think he may have saved my life last year when I asked him about using a product called Thio-Myl against the black rot fungus that does plague our orchids. He said "Yeah, that stuff will kill all the fungi but it will also kill you! Wear your Haz-Mat suit if you use it" Btw this stuff is also known as T-Methyl and Cleary's 3336 fungicide.
My orchids grow inside my pool cage for the most part. Many of them are hanging up in the top of the cage for good air circulation, and it's a vain hope that at least a few harmful bugs are kept at bay by the screening. But there's no doubt that thrips, spider mites and mealy bugs do get in. I'm using preventive approaches such as the yellow sticky traps extensively, as well as a regular spray of dormant oil when the weather is cool in winter, soapy water each month on everything, and a backup of a Spinosad-based insecticide if I see anything going on that needs immediate attention. My favorite is Cap't. Jack's Dead Bug Brew just because I like the name, and it is an organic approved insecticide for use on edibles so it's only going to kill the bugs, not the critters and people. So far this season I've had very little evidence of any insect activity except the ones trapped on the sticky traps. The Cap't Jack's is available online (Amazon) as a concentrate for considerably less money than you buy it at the big box stores for.
For fungus (which I also consider a "pest") I'm now using another organic-approved product called Actinovate every couple of weeks. Again, no sign so far of black spots, rust or other nasty spotty diseases. This stuff also works great on that rusty fungus my fig tree, daylilies, plumeria and cannas get in the humid weather. Best price is again on Amazon, 2oz. (56gm.) size gives me 5 gallons of spray.
Word of advice - don't buy any "organic" remedies unless you can first determine the active ingredients. Especially on Amazon there are a dozen different potions listed for sale for big dollars, and you really don't know what you're getting.
