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[email protected] 28-03-2006 05:12 PM

rot rot rot
 
gah! rot below the medium. grrr. done the H2O2 thing; done the
cinnamon thing; lost two plants (one a seedling that i thought was
getting better, and the phal bellina from [insert name of large east
coast orchid grower which shall remain nameless--no one on here] that
started it all); now my Br. Lancer clone has it. did the H2O2 thing
and cut away the bad parts and cut the spikes off and sprayed with a
copper fungicide (all i had)--and now i'm paranoid the whole
collection's got it.

besides physan 20, what could i use as a prophylactic spray/drench on
the rest? these plants are in my living room so i don't want to go too
toxic; fan on them for 8 hrs a day; the rest of the time the heat
pump's running with two vents directly below the plants.

AND my african violets have powdery mildew. i think i'm just going to
switch to cut flowers. :(


--j_a, cross and grumpy


Jack 28-03-2006 06:39 PM

rot rot rot
 
Have you considered Neem oil, or google organic gardening and see if
you can find some tricks, but in your case, proably the best solution
is just take them outside, or to the garage and treat them, you
shouldn't have problems once the plants dry, also with rot, when they
are recovering arn't you supposed to keep the plants alittle on the
dryer side to help prevent a relapse?

Jack


[email protected] 28-03-2006 07:14 PM

rot rot rot
 
-sigh- trying to do the dryer-side thing but they're all in sphag
--because it's so dry in the house 8 mos out of the year that they
shrivel up and die if they're in bark. (primarily phals.)

i have neem also; if it's warm enough this weekend i was going to take
them all outside and spray them with one or the other; thought i'd run
my griping by the group first, though. :)

--j_a


jtill 28-03-2006 08:51 PM

rot rot rot
 
Have you reviewed SemiHydro? Seems to be a way to bypass all this
rotting of bark, sphrag, etc. Plant roots have a damp substrate to grow
in that provides the perfect atmosphere for the roots. I have just
started using it so don't have a history to report on.
Joe T


[email protected] 28-03-2006 09:30 PM

rot rot rot
 
i actually tried one in semi hydro once--shrivelled up and died.

it might be time to revisit it though....

--j_a


jtill 28-03-2006 11:37 PM

rot rot rot
 
I just repotted a Cattleya I recently purchased from a local orchid
house. It was in total large charcoal! Had great and healthy roots. I
bought it in full bloom and the flowers lasted two weeks. I put it into
the same sized pot in SemiHydro.
I just visited the Santa Barbarba Estate Orchids site and read all
their stuff, they are going to total crushed Granite as a potting
medium! WOW, had not thought of that.
I know you are in the middle of a war so am tossing in my two cents
worth, maybe something will turn it around for you. I am not sure
rotting is a virus, most I read it is from wetness and medium
breakdown. Good luck, keep us posted.
Joe T


[email protected] 29-03-2006 12:10 AM

rot rot rot
 
from what i read, it might be bacterial.

al keeps his phals in pea gravel--but he has a GH where he can control
the humidity. this morning, for instance, the orchids were in 50%
humidity acc to the hygrometer.

thx for the suggestions; i will keep griping to myself and yelling at
the plants and maybe just try spraying things on 'em til they die. :D

--j_a


Ray 29-03-2006 01:43 AM

rot rot rot
 
once ounce of bleach per gallon of water is a good disinfectant.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


wrote in message
oups.com...
gah! rot below the medium. grrr. done the H2O2 thing; done the
cinnamon thing; lost two plants (one a seedling that i thought was
getting better, and the phal bellina from [insert name of large east
coast orchid grower which shall remain nameless--no one on here] that
started it all); now my Br. Lancer clone has it. did the H2O2 thing
and cut away the bad parts and cut the spikes off and sprayed with a
copper fungicide (all i had)--and now i'm paranoid the whole
collection's got it.

besides physan 20, what could i use as a prophylactic spray/drench on
the rest? these plants are in my living room so i don't want to go too
toxic; fan on them for 8 hrs a day; the rest of the time the heat
pump's running with two vents directly below the plants.

AND my african violets have powdery mildew. i think i'm just going to
switch to cut flowers. :(


--j_a, cross and grumpy




Jack 29-03-2006 01:45 AM

rot rot rot
 
I have mine in S/H and my phals are loving it, except one rescue and
it's a ******* child living in a baggie now ( it lost all it's roots,
but i'm fighting to keep it because it looks similar to a Phal.
bellina)

I have my orchids set up on a food grade wire shelving unit about 6' H,
4' L, 2' W, under a plastic bag from my mattress, I keep about 50%
humidty with daily misting and large rubbermaid boxes that fit the
shelves draining in to another at the bottom. Its close culture so I
know that I am risking loosing everything, but so far it is the best
I've been able to do as all the humidity in alaska is currently on the
ground (being very slippery BTW)

It is low maintence, once every two weeks I take the plastic off and
wash the alge out of the trays, check the plants and adjust as needed.
If you want I'll send you pics though it's not a preaty setup.

Jack


V_coerulea 29-03-2006 02:00 AM

rot rot rot
 
Why do you say "besides Physan"? What you mentionned trying is at least as
toxic as Physan. Physan is a quartenary ammonium compound closely related to
the same stuff people put in their pools as an
algacide/bactericide/fungicide. I've had better success with Physan than
with anything else. Cut out the infection and soak the rest for 15 min in 1
tsp/gal. I've recovered catts, paphs and a phal from certain death. The
stuff is a lot milder than bleach, peroxide or copper and I think works
better. Hope this helps.
Gary

wrote in message
oups.com...
gah! rot below the medium. grrr. done the H2O2 thing; done the
cinnamon thing; lost two plants (one a seedling that i thought was
getting better, and the phal bellina from [insert name of large east
coast orchid grower which shall remain nameless--no one on here] that
started it all); now my Br. Lancer clone has it. did the H2O2 thing
and cut away the bad parts and cut the spikes off and sprayed with a
copper fungicide (all i had)--and now i'm paranoid the whole
collection's got it.

besides physan 20, what could i use as a prophylactic spray/drench on
the rest? these plants are in my living room so i don't want to go too
toxic; fan on them for 8 hrs a day; the rest of the time the heat
pump's running with two vents directly below the plants.

AND my african violets have powdery mildew. i think i'm just going to
switch to cut flowers. :(


--j_a, cross and grumpy




Diana Kulaga 29-03-2006 04:31 AM

rot rot rot
 
Just my 2 cents here. I'm a firm believer in Physan, but if I were growing
inside, I'd rather put up with the smell of bleach for a few days than the
smell of Physan. And even outside, we occasionally wash down the grow areas
with bleach. As far as copper based products are concerned, I wouldn't
categorize myself as a *tree hugger*, but I imagine that any of us who
ardently love orchids, or any other plants, have at least a modicum of
concern about the environment. Copper has its place, but it's one of those
elements that does not break down in the ground. From what I know, it pretty
much stays where it lands. Chemists, correct me if I am wrong. Also, if you
grow Dends, be very careful with it. Dends will drop their leaves if treated
with a copper based product.

Semi hydro works wonders for some of my plants. I often wonder why I haven't
bitten the bullet and gone for it on a wholesale basis.

Potting medium? Orchids are not as fussy as we think they are. But, you need
to adjust watering, etc., based upon the medium you choose. I have been
growing Catts and Dends in plain old river rock or pea stone using plastic
pots for about 5 years. No problem. But I tend to *underwater*, so I am
gradually going to Aliflor or Primagra (sp?). Our Phals are in Aliflor now,
for the most part. We got tired of root rot. The exceptions are small plants
which dry out faster; those get spaghnum. For the plants that I have in a
CHC mix, we need to take into account how much water that stuff wicks up - a
lot!

There are as many ways to pot an orchid as there are people who grow them.
Two recent speakers at our society meetings illustrate this. Jeff Adkins
(Adkins Orchids, Fort Lauderdale) did a demo on repotting Dends. He used CHC
'plugs'. I would hesitate to use them for Dends; too much water retention
during our rainy season. But he grows great plants, so who can argue, except
that he has a more controlled environment than we do? And Michael Sinn
(Canaima Orchids, Ellenton, FL) is an undisputed expert on Venezuelan Catt
species. I bought two plants from him, a mossiae and a leuddemanniana, and
both are in baskets with spaghnum. That won't work for my grow area, so
after they bloom I will repot them into something more suitable for us.

Hmph. I guess that was a dollar's worth, not 2 cents!

Diana



unknown 29-03-2006 04:57 AM

rot rot rot
 
thanks all for the addt'l advice--didn't know that about the copper.
ray--can the bleach solution be used on the plants themselves?

jack--i'm also on wire racks over pyrex baking dishes of water. a shot
of bleach in the water in the dishes keeps the algae down (or at least
turns it colorless. ;) of course, i don't know what it would do to
rubber....)

--j_a

(and the Br Lancer has not fallen over dead yet--in fact, it may be my
imagination but i think it's looking slightly better.)

Ray 29-03-2006 01:02 PM

rot rot rot
 
Yep. I did so for years until I bit the bullet and bought the Physan, which
has a scent that - unlike Diana - I prefer to bleach.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"unknown" wrote in message
...
thanks all for the addt'l advice--didn't know that about the copper.
ray--can the bleach solution be used on the plants themselves?

jack--i'm also on wire racks over pyrex baking dishes of water. a shot
of bleach in the water in the dishes keeps the algae down (or at least
turns it colorless. ;) of course, i don't know what it would do to
rubber....)

--j_a

(and the Br Lancer has not fallen over dead yet--in fact, it may be my
imagination but i think it's looking slightly better.)




V_coerulea 29-03-2006 02:00 PM

rot rot rot
 
I prefer the scent of Physan too. Wonder if it's a male thing, or if bleach
is a female thing?
Gary

"Ray" wrote in message
...
Yep. I did so for years until I bit the bullet and bought the Physan,
which has a scent that - unlike Diana - I prefer to bleach.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"unknown" wrote in message
...
thanks all for the addt'l advice--didn't know that about the copper.
ray--can the bleach solution be used on the plants themselves?

jack--i'm also on wire racks over pyrex baking dishes of water. a shot
of bleach in the water in the dishes keeps the algae down (or at least
turns it colorless. ;) of course, i don't know what it would do to
rubber....)

--j_a

(and the Br Lancer has not fallen over dead yet--in fact, it may be my
imagination but i think it's looking slightly better.)






V_coerulea 29-03-2006 02:18 PM

rot rot rot
 
Admittedly it's an unsignificant sample, but my wife too prefers bleach
which is what lead to my speculation.
Gary

"V_coerulea" wrote in message
...
I prefer the scent of Physan too. Wonder if it's a male thing, or if bleach
is a female thing?
Gary

"Ray" wrote in message
...
Yep. I did so for years until I bit the bullet and bought the Physan,
which has a scent that - unlike Diana - I prefer to bleach.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"unknown" wrote in message
...
thanks all for the addt'l advice--didn't know that about the copper.
ray--can the bleach solution be used on the plants themselves?

jack--i'm also on wire racks over pyrex baking dishes of water. a shot
of bleach in the water in the dishes keeps the algae down (or at least
turns it colorless. ;) of course, i don't know what it would do to
rubber....)

--j_a

(and the Br Lancer has not fallen over dead yet--in fact, it may be my
imagination but i think it's looking slightly better.)









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