I have a flask of Phal. gibbosa that I just noticed a tiny white fuzzy
patch in. This is the first flask I have ever bought where I wasnt able
to open it up right away. I never opened it or disturbed it so I don't
know how it got contaminated.
The seedlings are not quite ready to come out yet, the leaves are only
about 1/2" long. I am pretty confident that I could take them out and
get them to live though. What should I do?

Dustin

Subject: fungus in flask
From: (Dustin )
Date: 4/25/2004 1:13 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

I have a flask of Phal. gibbosa that I just noticed a tiny white fuzzy
patch in. This is the first flask I have ever bought where I wasnt able
to open it up right away. I never opened it or disturbed it so I don't
know how it got contaminated.
The seedlings are not quite ready to come out yet, the leaves are only
about 1/2" long. I am pretty confident that I could take them out and
get them to live though. What should I do?

Dustin


I would take them out. The sealed container is just too good of a habitat for
fungus once it's in there.

As far as I know, unless you take them out, it would be a certain loss. Maybe
someone else here will have more experience with flasks and have better advice,
though.

-

theoneflasehaddock

If you feel they are worth the investment, you could try to find a lab to
re-plate them. This is tough, most labs (understandably) don't want to work
on someone else's product, esp. if it's already in trouble. Failing that,
I'd take them out -- and discard the part with the fungus patch, or at least
clean and compot it separately (with a bit of margin so you don't
accidentally put fungus into the other compots)..

If the plants were shipped to you, there was probably a little opening
caused by changes in air pressure during travel, which let in the
contamination.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

"Dustin " wrote in message ...
I have a flask of Phal. gibbosa that I just noticed a tiny white fuzzy
patch in. This is the first flask I have ever bought where I wasnt able
to open it up right away. I never opened it or disturbed it so I don't
know how it got contaminated.
The seedlings are not quite ready to come out yet, the leaves are only
about 1/2" long. I am pretty confident that I could take them out and
get them to live though. What should I do?

Dustin

They were hand delivered in the beginning of March. I bought a couple
of flasks from Orchidview and they dropped them off on the way down to
the Miami show. Its just a flask of 5 Phal. gibbosa. I am getting
ready to deflask them now. I was really hoping to keep them in longer
but they will make it.

Dustin


Kenni Judd wrote:

If you feel they are worth the investment, you could try to find a lab to
re-plate them. This is tough, most labs (understandably) don't want to work
on someone else's product, esp. if it's already in trouble. Failing that,
I'd take them out -- and discard the part with the fungus patch, or at least
clean and compot it separately (with a bit of margin so you don't
accidentally put fungus into the other compots)..

If the plants were shipped to you, there was probably a little opening
caused by changes in air pressure during travel, which let in the
contamination.

dude
Flasks will develop fungus sometimes.
Yes you can leave them in the flask for a while but it will consume
the whole flask in the end. I have let the fungus grow until the whole
top of the agar was white because I was trying to let the plants get a
bit bigger before deflasking.(and they are still alive and doing fine)
If the seedling will make it I would take them out now and rinse off
all the agar and wash the plants in Physon, then pot them up.
This way they will be adapted to the new enviroment before you go out
of town.

LUCK
NOOK

I have a flask of Phal. gibbosa that I just noticed a tiny white fuzzy
patch in. This is the first flask I have ever bought where I wasnt able
to open it up right away. I never opened it or disturbed it so I don't
know how it got contaminated.
The seedlings are not quite ready to come out yet, the leaves are only
about 1/2" long. I am pretty confident that I could take them out and
get them to live though. What should I do?

Dustin

I deflasked them yesterday. They are doing quite well. Leaves are nice
and stiff. I wish I could say the same for the flask of fuscata I broke
open a couple of weeks ago. I cant get them to harden off for the life
of me.

Dustin



james wrote:

dude
Flasks will develop fungus sometimes.
Yes you can leave them in the flask for a while but it will consume
the whole flask in the end. I have let the fungus grow until the whole
top of the agar was white because I was trying to let the plants get a
bit bigger before deflasking.(and they are still alive and doing fine)
If the seedling will make it I would take them out now and rinse off
all the agar and wash the plants in Physon, then pot them up.
This way they will be adapted to the new enviroment before you go out
of town.

LUCK
NOOK

I have a flask of Phal. gibbosa that I just noticed a tiny white fuzzy
patch in. This is the first flask I have ever bought where I wasnt able
to open it up right away. I never opened it or disturbed it so I don't
know how it got contaminated.
The seedlings are not quite ready to come out yet, the leaves are only
about 1/2" long. I am pretty confident that I could take them out and
get them to live though. What should I do?

Dustin

Once contamination sets in, it is best to compot or dispose of. Decontamination
requires submission to disinfectant substances, which may kill both the fungi
and the seedlings and phals are not the easiest to grow in vitro. So, compot
them in either spaghunum or a mixture of bark, perlite, and charcoal, or use
the s/h way of potting.

.. . . Pam
Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kenni Judd wrote:

If you feel they are worth the investment, you could try to find a lab to
re-plate them. This is tough, most labs (understandably) don't want to work
on someone else's product, esp. if it's already in trouble. Failing that,
I'd take them out -- and discard the part with the fungus patch, or at least
clean and compot it separately (with a bit of margin so you don't
accidentally put fungus into the other compots)..

If the plants were shipped to you, there was probably a little opening
caused by changes in air pressure during travel, which let in the
contamination.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

"Dustin " wrote in message ...
I have a flask of Phal. gibbosa that I just noticed a tiny white fuzzy
patch in. This is the first flask I have ever bought where I wasnt able
to open it up right away. I never opened it or disturbed it so I don't
know how it got contaminated.
The seedlings are not quite ready to come out yet, the leaves are only
about 1/2" long. I am pretty confident that I could take them out and
get them to live though. What should I do?

Dustin