I've been using Preen - a granule that you sprinkle in the beds. It doesn't kill existing weeds, though. And you have to re-apply in 3 months, maybe sooner if you get a lot of rain. But it does make a difference. You will still get a few but nothing like you do without it. And it doesn't touch nut-sedge. I used to pick all the weeds, but my back won't allow that anymore, and you can't use a shuffle hoe in heavily landscaped beds, especially ground-covers like jasmine.

Good lord! I removed them immediately!!thanks a lot Scenter & Tony for those advices. So then there is really no need for a mulch in my container other than decoration? as I definitely water the plant everyday and I am not eager about decoration. Also I have this plant in a container with water reservoir, so it should not have any moisture problem. I saw this tiny white fungus near the roots today, may be due to over watering (?? I just sprinkle water though!) so I immediately tilled the upper soil, and sprayed the insect killer, That should take care of it, right? Thanks for any advices in advance.

Good to hear Mike! Makes sense, neem can burn up leaves. I've noticed the leaves on my maxillaria turn brown if they get too much sun. Is yours getting a lot of sun lately? I don't water it too much because it's in pure peat moss and it retains a lot of water. I notice the bulbs shrivel if I don't water enough so that's how I gauge its water needs. But with orchids the more water the better. Some of my orchids seem to need double the water and fertilizer of the others. What medium is your maxillaria planted in? And maybe some leaves just tend to turn brown naturally. Some of my orchids will get ugly spots, probably from sunburn or humidity, on the leaves while others are virtually spotless. Maybe fungicide and less sun and no water resting on the leaves can prevent spotting and browning. I don't really know!

This post was edited by DMForcier on Mon, Jul 14, 14 at 19:18