Physan vs. phyton soak

[Nekko]

Hello,
I have root rot on a few of my phals. Should I soak the roots in Physan or Phyton , before repotting them? As I understand it, Physan is more of a topical treatment, and phyton 27 is a systemic fungicide/bacterialcide. However, I was told I could soak the roots with phyton 27, then treat it systemically twice in ten days with this. has anyone tried soaking in phyton vs. Physan? I have read through much of the phal abuse thread, but not all of it, and I apologize if it was already discussed somewhere. Thank you for any help.

[NYCorchidman]

I have not used phyton 27. I have found that physan 20 is useless. I threw away my left over and never will use it again.

I'm curious what others will say about it, although there had been similar discussions in the past, and there were mixed opinions.

I can say that I'm not the only one saying physan 20 is not very effective against anything.
Might as well just use dilute Clorox. lol

[Nekko]

Oh, dear, physan ineffective? Well, thank you, NYCorchidman, for your take on it. So, what DO YOU use ,if you ever, encounter root rot?

[Brooke]

Clean the rotted roots out of the root ball, rinse the remaining roots in water and repot. I have never used a bactericide or fungicide on rotted Phal roots and never have had a problem.

After repotting, don't over water the roots and you won't lose anything but the oldest of the old roots.

Brooke

[Nekko]

Thank you, Brooke, for your recommendations. I appreciate you responding. I know I need to give better aeration in the media for these phals.

[NYCorchidman]

Yeah, what he says.
I hardly encounter root issues.
When I repot, there are usually some dead old roots but not root rot.

I'm anti-chemical since I grow everything indoor.
The only time I spray is when I have thrips (once so far) and mites (which I try to wash the plants).
When I sprayed my plants, they turned out much worse than before. lol

[Ray]

Physan is an extremely effective topical disinfectant that kills fungi, bacteria, algae, and viruses on contact. Any assertion that it is "ineffective" suggests that it was being used for an application for which it was not intended - like taking antibiotics for a viral infection - it doesn't work!

Phyton 27 (a copper sulfate solution) is a systemic bactericide and fungicide, but depending upon the type of plant and the concentration, it can by phytotoxic, as well. (Copper sulfate is commonly used to kill algae in farm ponds...).

You might consider soaking the plants in a 1:50 letdown of Inocucor Garden Solution, then water them in with one half that strength. Check your PM's)

[Nekko]

Thank you, Ray, for the information on phyton vs. physan, and for letting me know that physan IS effective, as I have been using it on my phals' root rot problems. Still have not tried the phyton

---------- Post added at 01:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------

You are so lucky not to have root rot problems, nyorchidman.


I have had scales on a few of my orchids, and bought some 100%pure neem oil with azidarachtin , from a guy named Gary Pilarchik from the Rusted Garden, and it killed the scales. He said it kills any chewing insects, and the neem oil sold in the big box stores do not have the active ingredient, azidarachtin, that actually kills the insects.

[Joseia]

Question about using physan20 on mounted plants - is it ok? I ask because I used it on a mounted B. Little Stars and it killed all the roots. I've used it in the past in the same concentrations on potted orchids and it did the job without harming the roots at all. But the Little Stars roots were all black, mushy and dead within 3 days. It's a tough plant and is growling new bulbs and new roots, so it will survive. Thank God it was my experimental mount and not the main plant, or I would still be cursing my stupidity.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I basically do what Brooke recommended. For most Epiphytes I also withhold water for 2 - 3 days to allow any injured roots to dry a bit & injuries to scar over.

In 30 years of orchid growing I've never owned or used Physan or Phyton so I can't comment on their use except to say that apparently I haven't needed them.