Orchid Info, Bangalore, India

[JPC]

Hello Everyone!

I live in the Bangalore City, India, and grow Orchids (mostly Phals), Bonsais, Ferns etc., and would like to know if any of the members from my geography have a 'tried and trusted' advise on fungicides / pesticides available locally.

Though I rarely use pesticides and somehow managed to keep my garden out of sight of those killer pests

-- is there any particular name / brand that fellow members could recommend ?,
-- how tolerant are orchids to such chemicals?, and,
-- if I do use a pesticide / fungicide - does that impact flowering ?.

Most of my phals have flowered. I'll add some pics later. I am also interested in exchanging plants / meeting people associated with environment / wildlife conservation. Thanks to those who initiated this forum - I find this site quite informative and helpful!

Best regards,
JPC

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board JPC.

Sorry I can't help with what is available in your area. Hopefully someone else will be from the same place.

[Discus]

Hi JPC, welcome to orchid board. Sorry, I am also not from India, so I don't know what's available there.

[JPC]

Thank you RosieC and Discus.

If you guys are based out at US ? - could you recommend any of those available in your area ?... I'll try to get them thru any of my friends out there. Thanks for your help.

[veekay]

Originally Posted by JPC

Thank you RosieC and Discus.

If you guys are based out at US ? - could you recommend any of those available in your area ?... I'll try to get them thru any of my friends out there. Thanks for your help.

Hi,
welcome to orchid board,it is difficult for any one to suggest to you because they (here)would not know what is avialable in India.My choice of fungicides are Phyton 27,Alette,Capton and Zaneb,
Read the labels before you use them.
veekay
.

[Discus]

Hi JPC, I'm based in South Africa.

Depending on the pest, I've used all kinds of things and have a cupboard full of just-in-case (I live in a small town where things can be very hard to find in an emergency).

I have a number of general insecticides, miticides, fungicides, and then things for sterilising.

As with most things orchids, it depends on the plant... some are more prone to being nailed by particular chemicals than others (phytotoxicity); very few pesticides actually have dosage instructions for "orchids", let alone any particular kind.

Prevention is generally better than cure, so if you can quarantine plants, do it.

Also make sure you regularly inspect your plants and then remove any pests you see before they multiply out of control; you can spot-treat by physically removing insects with an isopropyl alcohol dipped swab/ "Q-tip" (one of those things people use for cleaning their ears) or a good blast with slightly soapy water.

[JPC]

Hi Veekay, Discus,

Thanks much for your inputs! Guess, I'll have to get used to the 'orchid' supplies ;o). I've been trying to avoid chemicals to the best I could, and hope I'll be able to sustain that .

At the moment, I'm using 'neem' powder (natural) and just sprinkle a few flakes around to keep away pests. Though it works very well with my Bonsais / Ferns / other plants... i'm worried that it would dominate the fresh fragrance of some of the orchids. Thanks again for all your suggestions.

By the way, your blog was good to read thru!

Regards,
JPC

[Discus]

Thanks for the kind comments on my blog, JPC

Neem seems to be fairly effective - you should be able to get neem liquid extracts you spray onto plants too. The active ingredient is quite sensitive to sunlight, so you'll probably find the flakes lose potency quite quickly.

The active ingredients in the "chemicals" I've used are :
Fungicides
Captab [Dicarboximide] 500g/kg WP (Wettable Powder)
FungiNil [triforine] (not yet used on orchids)
Benlate [Benomyl]
Dithane [mancozeb]

Insecticides:
Malathion
Chlorpyrifos

Acaricides (red spider mite):
Vertimec [Abamectin] (have used on a Cymbidium)
Ludwig's Rose Spider Mite [Etoxazole] (not yet used on orchids)

I've listed the trade name and generic name for each, wherever I know them; you should be able to find something in India which has these ingredients. Be careful with them as they're generally quite unpleasant, toxic chemicals; wear adequate protection and follow any safety instructions given.

I'm currently spraying with a general purpose insecticide auto-sprayer at night to wipe out some fungus gnats which have gone mad. They sell these for use inside your house for permanent installation (which I don't think is a good idea, no matter how non-toxic you might feel the ingredients are) - they're a pyrethroid-class active ingredient with a synergist, I think.

(I'll check what else is in the cupboard at home and update at some stage).

[satishsherikar]

Hi JPC, I'm from Bangalore. I use Bavistin for fungicide and Malathion for systemic insecticide. I'm a little skeptical to use neem oil as it can burn the leaves, and did not want to take a chance. I recently got to know that "Confidor" is also a very good alternative to Malathion. I source most of my plants from Kerala.

[JPC]

Thank you, Discus and Satish... notes were quite informative.

Satish: By the way, I'll be traveling to Cochin by the month end - any recommendations of good places to collect orchids ?. Though, I've to admit that me / my wife can't resist stopping by all those nurseries on our way ;0)

~ JPC