Questions on Clearys

[rochelle@58]

I noticed somewhere Ray had said Clearrys 3336 was a good treatment for chids. I'm not familiar with chemicals and have only used Bayer so I'm wondering if I can use Clearys as a drench and in wht proportions? I only have about 70 plants. Thanks
Barb

[Ray]

Cleary's is a great curative fungicide. I recommend against using any "-cidal" chemical on a preventive basis.

[Joseia]

Originally Posted by Ray

Cleary's is a great curative fungicide. I recommend against using any "-cidal" chemical on a preventive basis.

Ray, can you elaborate on this? What do'you mean by "cidal" versus curative? When should each one be used?

[rochelle@58]

Hi Ray -
Thanks for the reply. I don't do it as a preventive but I'm glad to hear you say that as I value your opinion. I guess I started thinking about using something since I did have a fungal problem about a month ago and I'm trouble shooting ahead of a problem lol. Think I'll take your advice and wait til I need something. Thanks again
Barb

[Nexogen]

If you do not know what he attacked the plants, Clearrys 3336 may be useless even destructive.

Fungicides and Bactericides for Treatment of Various Orchid Diseases

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...Okpj32e318KdWA

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...wcRK3SuzBCSRZQ

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Joseia

Ray, can you elaborate on this? What do'you mean by "cidal" versus curative? When should each one be used?

I was trying to refer to bactericides, insecticides, fungicides, miticides, and virucides - pretty much anything that is designed to chemically kill something. The use of them as a preventive treatment can lead to development of "super" strains that are no longer affected, so much more difficult to eradicate, and as Nexogen mentioned, you may harm your plants. They should only be applied in cases of severe, and well-identified problems. Throwing a treatment at something when you don't know if it will be effective can be disastrous.

Having just retired from the chemical industry, my first inclination has always been to look for that chemical killer, and not considering that the disinfectants wipe out the good critters with the bad. We really should be focusing less on cures, and more on prevention of such issues.

I realized long ago that improving our overall culture is the best thing we can do to avoid those issues, but after several years of skepticism, I have really begun to accept the beneficial role biological agents can have in that.

Use a human analogy: You get sick, and the doctor prescribes antibiotics to kill what ails you. Unfortunately, those antibiotics are also "anti" the good microorganisms that live in your gut and aid digestion, so you now find yourself running to the bathroom, hoping you don't have an "accident". So.... you go to the drugstore (or have someone go for you if you fear leaving the proximity of the facilities), and start taking probiotics to restore that population of microorganisms.

Do that on a regular basis, and many of those problems will be avoided. The same is true of plants.

I guess tanother analogy is that of the "kids in the bubble" we read about that have no immunity to diseases. If they are exposed, the results can be tragic. Plants' immune systems are based largely on the symbiotic microorganisms in- and around them. When we treat our plants with some products, we wipe those out, but don't have a bubble to put them in.