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John
About fungi - Has anyone ever heard of Zerolate powder to use on fungus infections? I was given some of this powder years ago and when a Paph gets something I put it on and it dries up the infection practically overnight.
DrJay
Haven't heard of it, but it sounds like a good hygroscopic powder.
KB
John, what's in Zerolate?
John
I have no Idea what is in it. It is a white, dry powder and works!
Helen
JOHN were can you get the Z stuff??
John Helen, I do not know where to get it. I was given a large sack and you use so very little that I still have some and haven't tried to find any. I will start asking around
John
Glad that you came back Ed. I have a question about your article in the Sept 1994 AOS Bulletin about using 5 ounce foam carpet padding. Do you still use it? What about algae etc?
Ed
John - I still use the carpet pad. Probably have 500 sq ft in use now. Algae grows on it but so what? Algae doesn't hurt plants. If the green gum gets too thick, a ten per cent Clorox solution will kill it back. eedlings love carpet pad! A guy here puts a square in the bottom of each wooden Vanda basket up to about 6 inches sq and swears by it.
DrJay
I did a test group on a flask of Phals. Half on pad, half not on pad. The ones on the pad have about 50 percent more growth, for the same amount of water, light, feed and temps...
KB
Where can I get Gnatrol? Supposed to kill fungus gnats? Home Depot? Local Garden Center? OFE?
Helen
KB just plain old insecticide soap gets rid of them with a few sprayings on the bark and over a few week period here after. Much safer.
Lois
Good advice, Helen. Kathy, they are more of a nuisance than a pest, get rid of them with the least potent device you can find....Safer qualifies.
Ed
Get any preparation of bacillus thuringensis or BT. The gnats come from worms and BT kills them. To get the adults, plug up the drain hole in several clay pots, fill them with water, add a shot of Physan 20 and wait
for the gnats to come drown themselves - in HUGE numbers.
Lois
Ed, how much Physan is a "shot"? 1-1/2 T per gallon added to the pot already filled with water????
KB
Is BT a trade name? If I ask for BT at my garden center will the horticulturist know what I'm talking about?
Ed
Gnatrol is high priced BT. Lois, I don't know how much Physan 20 - probably a teaspoon to a gallon of water. I put about that much in a gallon jug, fill it with water and fill all the clay pots. I measure carefully when it goes on plants, but all I need in the pots is to keep the water clear so the gnats will land on it. The Physan 20 reduces the surface tension and they drown.
Andy
Ed, I recently purchased two Cattleyas that rotted from the rhizome up. Is this a fungus or bacterial rot?? I've never had it before, and the seller replaced the purchases only to have it happen again. I'm sure it came from the dealer, because I saw it on the backbulb/rhizome when it arrived.
Ed
Andy, you probably have rhizoctonia or phythora. Won't matter, they are lethal because they get into the rhizome and quickly spread to all parts of the plant. Once they can be seen, it is too late for a cure. In a collection where they are found, a systemic like Subdue might be used as a preventive measure, but these are tough infections. I'd say you got them from the dealer if they took the plants in a matter of just a few days.
Ed
Andy - one other preventive you might try is Banrot. It is a very broad spectrum root rot fungicide. Not cheap, but more affordable than many of the newer products. Active ingredients are Ethazol and thiophanate-methyl. Banrot 40WP is what you want - a wettable powder that dissolves easily and
is used as a drench.
Andy
Ed, I've pitched the plants, because I tried cutting them back to good growth and they still rotted. I didn't want that "plague" even remotely close to my greenhouse. I've never seen anything like it. From nice green
growths of 5-6 years turned to mush in a matter of days.
Fleur
Ed I had a Catt that tried to die from the "black" disease, I thought I had cured it. Cut the plant back to healthy tissue, Plant looked fine these last two years, but now it's back on the older growths. Must Adolf Heckler go?
Ed
Fleur, My guess is you are dealing with a new and different problem now. The black and brown infections, both fungal and bacterial, don't wait - they move right along. Especially when it is hot. I'd get the old growth off and treat the cut end with any sterilant such as powdered sulfur.
Lois
May not count for much...but I hold down the creeping stuff by putting a 2 T (tablespoons) of Physan in my 5 gallon can of concentrate (applied at 100:1) and I try to never leave the hose laying flat on the ground. Believe your hose and mix can spread lots of stuff around.
Fleur
That's what I did last time I will give it another go, Maybe something wrong with my culture. Not enough fresh air in winter when it comes inside?
Ed
When you have sudden demise into a black or brown mess with an orchid plant, bet on the big 5 fungi: Fusarium, Phytophthora, Pythium and Thielaviopsis. Add the brown and black bacterial infections, and you pretty well have it covered.
Gail Remember, I was asking about Phyton27, it's supposed to be a fungicide - bactericide. I wanted to know the ratio??
Ed
Not ignoring you, Gail, I don't know anything about that product.
Gail
I guess I'll have to call OFE and then I'll give you all a report. It's supposed to be good stuff, but I'm not going to try it until I know how to mix it.
Lois
Gail, hon - do the directions tell you how many ounces per 100 gallons? That can be converted.
Ed
What are you trying to cure, Gail? We got a sample of Phytron 27 and it is still around here because I never did figure out what to use it for. Come to think of it, I think there are several bottles of it here from that sample deal and we never did use it.
Gail
We were told that it was good for curing the stripes on Vandas, actually it is a copper sulfate product so it can't be good for everything. I've tried Subdue, when something looks like it 's on it's last leg, I don't know if it helps but then they say you can only use it twice a year???
Ed
Gail, That's probably why we didn't use it. I hate copper compounds for greenhouse plants. Copper is highly residual and continues to build up over long periods. If you MUST use copper, mark the plant with full information re the treatment and try never to use a copper compound on it again. Kocide 101, for example is made to KILL ball moss when sprayed. Tillandsias are much tougher than orchids, as a general rule.
Gail
I've mixed Cleary and Orthene when I'm trying to prevent problems. It didn't kill my plants. I know Kocide doesn't make everything happy, but it's supposed to be great for Phals.
ndy
Does the copper keep the slugs and snails at bay??
Lois
A dose of wettable powder diazinon helps in that area. In fact, for the creepy-crawlies, diazinon is a good product...for the roaches, I put out Combat "roach motels" - which work if I remember to pick them up before each watering.
KB
I hope someone is going to address fungus/mold in Phals. I lost my favorite Phal to a rot that crept up the side of the axils of the leaves, not your typical crown rot pattern (I think). Tried cinnamon and cutting out the bad portions of the leaves but the poor plant just died. The rot would come in the sides of the leaf's axil,then the midrib would start to yellow, then the whole leaf would shrivel and die.
KB
Does anyone have any idea what attacked my favorite Phal? The leaf axils yellowed from both sides, eventually causing the death of the leaf. Started at the bottom leaves, finally killing them all. tried cinnamon and removing affected leaves to no avail. No softness to the stem, just one day the leaf
started to go then the next, etc.
Lois
Ed, What KB describes sounds like pseudomona????
Ed
I must have missed something. What is the question, Lois?
Lois
I was wondering if Kathy's phal prob could be bacteria, not fungus...maybe psuedomonas?
Ed
When it's hot, you don't have time to find out. You cut back, even if you have to take all the leaves off and let it put out from the stump. You only have a few hours to do what you are going to do. Once it is in the center tissue, the Phal is gone.
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