White fungus

[Kmangardener]

I recently put my orchid in a self watering pot about two weeks ago. I just checked on his roots and saw this white fuzz poking out of the pot. Is this white fungus? Should I remove the medium or is it sufficient to let it air dry or apply something? I would hate to shock the plant by repotting. Any suggestions?

[Ray]

I would guess that the plant has some failing roots, due to the change to a new environment, and the fungus is decomposing them. If that is limited in its scope, it's nothing to be overly concerned about, but if the plant shows floppiness in its leaves you're going to have to take action.

You basically have three options:

1. Do nothing.
2. Treat it with a fungicide like thiomyl to kill the fungus.
3. Treat it with a probiotic like Inocucor Garden Solution, killing the fungus, preventing future infections, and stimulating root growth.

[thefish1337]

Originally Posted by Ray

I would guess that the plant has some failing roots, due to the change to a new environment, and the fungus is decomposing them. If that is limited in its scope, it's nothing to be overly concerned about, but if the plant shows floppiness in its leaves you're going to have to take action.

You basically have three options:

1. Do nothing.
2. Treat it with a fungicide like thiomyl to kill the fungus.
3. Treat it with a probiotic like Inocucor Garden Solution, killing the fungus, preventing future infections, and stimulating root growth.

the pot looks pretty wet maybe increase airflow around it? but I would have to give a
+1 for the inocucor

been using for 4 years and havent had any soft rot or fungal/mold problems. I used to be so paranoid about leaving water leaf junctions but i water heavily from overhead on all of my plants and haven't had a single case of rot and I don't even think about it anymore.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Innocucor's active ingredients are

1. Bacillus subtilis a hay fungus, also present in the human gut, and available in stores and online as a probiotic for human consumption.

2. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is common baker's yeast, a.k.a. brewer's yeast.

As indicated here Inocucor Garden Solution equal proportions of each bacteria in a solution of inert ingredients.

Probably less expensive to mix a solution of the active ingredients yourself.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Innocucor's active ingredients are

1. Bacillus subtilis a hay fungus, also present in the human gut, and available in stores and online as a probiotic for human consumption.

2. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is common baker's yeast, a.k.a. brewer's yeast.

As indicated here Inocucor Garden Solution equal proportions of each bacteria in a solution of inert ingredients.

Probably less expensive to mix a solution of the active ingredients yourself.

According to the microbiologists that developed the product, those are the species for which they guarantee specific contents - the "active ingredients" - as required by law; there are additional ones in the consortia that they don't, so they are not on the label or SDS.

Every shipment I get is accompanied by a Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) declaration that precludes the need for a USDA Import Permit, and it lists ten different species of bacteria, fungi and yeasts.

As each has its own exudates and those impart specialized protection, it is a far more "broad spectrum" product than you can easily prepare yourself.

[thefish1337]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Innocucor's active ingredients are

1. Bacillus subtilis a hay fungus, also present in the human gut, and available in stores and online as a probiotic for human consumption.

2. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is common baker's yeast, a.k.a. brewer's yeast.

As indicated here Inocucor Garden Solution equal proportions of each bacteria in a solution of inert ingredients.

Probably less expensive to mix a solution of the active ingredients yourself.

that wont work because the properties of the solution are due to unique characteristics that inocucor has developed. you can attempt to amplify the inocucor using kelp and molasses and ferment them which would help with the cost.

video here on how to amplify it on a commercial scale:

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Ray

According to the microbiologists that developed the product, those are the species for which they guarantee specific contents - the "active ingredients" - as required by law; there are additional ones in the consortia that they don't, so they are not on the label or SDS.

Every shipment I get is accompanied by a Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) declaration that precludes the need for a USDA Import Permit, and it lists ten different species of bacteria, fungi and yeasts.

As each has its own exudates and those impart specialized protection, it is a far more "broad spectrum" product than you can easily prepare yourself.

So, it has 10% of bacteria 1, 10% of bacteria 2, 80% of inert. Check my math, but seems like that = 100%.

So, what bacteria do they list in the remaining 0% that they don't guarantee? I'm always leery of secret, but critical, ingredients; reminds me of SUPERthrive. And yes, I get it: secret ingredients, Coca Cola and KFC.

If the remaining 0% is a critical (active) part of the bacterial consortia, provides specialized protection and make it a broad spectrum product, shouldn't they list them? Ray, can you share the list?

[Ray]

OW - My understanding is that the other species are indeed active, but our opinions (and I agree with you) that they should, therefore, be on the label, are apparently irrelevant. However, looking at it from a business standpoint, if the added burden of listing them - testing at the very least - can be avoided, and your sales are exploding anyway, why would you do it?

Labeling requirements can have some serious "gotchas" in them, requiring companies to decide what and how they're going to say stuff on them.

I'll use seaweed products as an example. State that the contents are seaweed extract and they are considered to be "plant and soil amendments". State the contents of hormones those extracts contain, and it becomes a "plant growth regulator", with far more stringent and expensive registration and testing requirements.

Inocucor Garden Solution is sold as a "plant probiotic", making it also a plant and soil amendment. If they sold it to cure diseases (which it can), it becomes a pesticide with all of the registration and testing burden.

As far as listing those other ingredients, I don't feel it's my place to do that. Sorry.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Sorry, not a business model I care for.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Sorry, not a business model I care for.

C'mon OW. You're just being a curmudgeon now, a term I usually reserve for myself (as does my wife...)

I think it's a model of practicality.

If this was your business, would you prefer to spend about $10,000 to have your product registered in every state, or that plus the cost of EPA registration of your company and manufacturing facility, as well as the testing needed and cost of EPA registration of the product - probably approaching $1-million or so?

The product works either way, and you would have to charge one hell of a lot more if the latter route was taken.