spreading disease

[Orchid Whisperer]

Well, on the rare occasions I see Erwinia in my plants, I always just cut off or around the affected part & leave them drier for a while. It always works. No other treatment.

Growing orchids for 34 years, I've never even owned Physan.

Just sayin.

[tucker85]

I agree with the others that a few lower leaves turning yellow may be normal. I also agree that supplying calcium and magnesium is very important, especially if you use rain water. If you want to use one of the fungicides that you mentioned, it might help. Some commercial phal growers use Physan 20 at 1 teaspoon per gallon, once a month to keep bacteria and fungus problems in the media at a minimum. I'm not sure how effective it is but it won't hurt.

[Selmo]

I am not condoning the use of chemicals . I don't have or use Physan either. If you use good cultural practices with good air movment you should not have to use chemicals much. There are times that there is no choice, usually for pests (snails and slugs) thanks for all the input on this though.

[Ray]

Physan won't do any good on erwinia, anyway. It is a systemic infection, and Physan is a topical treatment.

If the OP is watering or misting, so that droplets can bounce from one plant to the next, that's an almost ideal vector to spread most pathogens.

I had a very expensive phalaenopsis mericlone develop an erwinia infection, and I sprayed it 2x/day with a 2% Inocucor Garden Solution solution, and the rot stopped almost immediately, and the plant resumed normal life!

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[geraldw3210]

Thanks for all the replies gives me some ideas but its showing up on another plant see pic. (atlantic fire) i did soak a couple of the worst plants in thiomyl i hope that works on those we will see if so i soak the rest of them.
oh i do not mist the plants . but i do soak them to water them. in a small pot one at a time
i do use physan20 every few months spray/soak or more often if i see signs of any infection/pests.
plants get msu fert weakly/weekly during growing season getting every 2-3 weeks now. dont do calcium or magnesium though.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Gerald, a few questions spurred by your last post. When you soak them, are you using the same pot of water to soak all plants? Or each plant is watered with new water, the pot cleaned between plants? If you are reusing the water, this is likely the route through which disease may spread.

Your profile indicates SE Pennsylvania as your locale. I looked up city water quality for Chester county (good, sodium roughly 10 ppm), Philadelphia (less good, sodium in high 30s - mid 40s ppm), and Allentown (in the middle, sodium in the high 20s low 30s). You can probably water your Phals with tap water, or mix your rain water with tap water in Allentown and Philly. Your orchids should not 'share a bath' though.

Start providing calcium and magnesium. An easy to find cheap source: for calcium add plaster of Paris, 1 tsp/gallon, let it stand overnight, add several ounces (maybe a cup) to the water you use on your plants. Plaster of Paris is a form of calcium sulfate. You can get a small box from hardware or hobby stores. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, any pharmacy will have them, use the kind without scents or additives add a teaspoon tto your plaster water.

Regarding the Physan - it is not a pesticide. Don't use it when you see pests.

Good luck with your plants!

[geraldw3210]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Gerald, a few questions spurred by your last post. When you soak them, are you using the same pot of water to soak all plants? Or each plant is watered with new water, the pot cleaned between plants? If you are reusing the water, this is likely the route through which disease may spread.

Your profile indicates SE Pennsylvania as your locale. I looked up city water quality for Chester county (good, sodium roughly 10 ppm), Philadelphia (less good, sodium in high 30s - mid 40s ppm), and Allentown (in the middle, sodium in the high 20s low 30s). You can probably water your Phals with tap water, or mix your rain water with tap water in Allentown and Philly. Your orchids should not 'share a bath' though.

Start providing calcium and magnesium. An easy to find cheap source: for calcium add plaster of Paris, 1 tsp/gallon, let it stand overnight, add several ounces (maybe a cup) to the water you use on your plants. Plaster of Paris is a form of calcium sulfate. You can get a small box from hardware or hobby stores. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, any pharmacy will have them, use the kind without scents or additives add a teaspoon tto your plaster water.

Regarding the Physan - it is not a pesticide. Don't use it when you see pests.

Good luck with your plants!

Thanks for the reply OWhisperer
when soaking i use same pots but clean with alcohol and rinse in fresh water between plants and i dont reuse the water on another plant i am aware of spreading things that way.

i will now mix a bit of tap water in the watering routine thanks again oh im in bucks county so i guess water is pretty good here??? il try it and see what happens.

ill get some Epson salts and P of P i have both pharmacy and home depot right across the street and try that also.

i really appreciate the help all the folks here are so nice and helpful.

[wintergirl]

Wiping with alcohol really doesn't do much in preventing disease spread. Something has to be immersed in alcohol for 10 minutes but even then it is a poor sanitizer, a bleach solution is better. You might think about different soaking dish for each plant or just take each one to the sink and let the tap run through it separately.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by geraldw3210

Thanks for the reply OWhisperer
when soaking i use same pots but clean with alcohol and rinse in fresh water between plants and i dont reuse the water on another plant i am aware of spreading things that way.

i will now mix a bit of tap water in the watering routine thanks again oh im in bucks county so i guess water is pretty good here??? il try it and see what happens.

I agree with the previous post by wintergirl, watering at the sink may be a better option. This is especially true if your Bucks Co. water is good. I looked for the Bucks Co. water reports online, BCWSA | Proven Accountable, but they don't list sodium or dissolved solids. You may be able to call them and ask, they test for more things than they list in the water reports. If the numbers are low enough, you may not need to mix with rain water.

Originally Posted by geraldw3210

ill get some Epson salts and P of P i have both pharmacy and home depot right across the street and try that also.

i really appreciate the help all the folks here are so nice and helpful.

Sounds good. The calcium and magnesium are not quick fixes, but should help in the long term. In the meantime, if you see soft watery spots (Erwinia), cut them out using a sharp knife or scissors, blades sterilized by flame, or blade sterilized chemically (ONE of the following only; Physan per manufacturer recommendations, OR bleach, OR trisodium phosphate, =TSP).

Good luck!