Mark,

IMO, the bucket method is not a good idea. There are exceptions - your
Physan idea is one of them. If you are treating plants for something you
have identified, then during a mass repot you can unpot, dunk, unpot
another, dunk, etc. For routine flushing, just use water without fert. Just
MNSHO.

Diana

"Mark_OK" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" Wrote:
I know that contamination is hard to prevent. That doesn't mean I won't
try my best to keep disease from spreading. I do, in fact, wear latex
gloves when potting, and I change them frequently. If I don't change a
pair I'll wash my hands with the gloves on, in a bleach or TSP solution.
They are much less costly than losing a favorite plant or worse, several.
We keep a bunch of sets of cutting tools so each can sit and sterilize for
a while before being used again.

I've seen how fast disease can move through an orchid collection even
when precautions are taken. I'm not about to add to the danger. But,
that's me. To each his own.

Sounds like good advice from the voice of experiance.

What about he use of Physan in the dunking bucket? Or would a monthly
flushing be better?


Diana
"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
. ..
The problem I have with the bucket method is that you can transfer
pathogens from one plant to the next. If at all possible, flush with a
hose, faucet or wand.

My thoughts are disease will travel in any case. On our hands, on our
clothes and shoes, insects can pass viral and bacterial disease from
plant to plant. We can move our plants around and unknowingly put a
clean pot where a diseased plant sat the day before. To prevent
contamination we would need to wear latex gloves and sterilize them
between plants. Each plant would have a spot and never be moved from it.
We would then still have bugs and insects to contend with. I've already
found frogs on my plants when spending the summer outdoors. Cross
contamination is very difficult to prevent.

I once worked in a hospital and known about contamination.