Mold in Flask... - Orchid Board

*Trouble* · #1 03-29-2008, 04:54 PM

Help please.

I haven't looked closely at my flask of Vandas for a while, when I did today I found to my horror that there's now mold at the top of the flask and a little touching a couple of the leaves (most white fluffy stuff, but some has gone green).

Here's the question... the vanda seedlings are just about 2 inches tall with only a cm or two of roots, should I risk leaving them longer or get them out to plant them up straight away..?

unhappykat · #2 03-29-2008, 09:05 PM

Watch the mold for a few days, if it touches the media and starts to surround the roots you may need to break the flask. If you do need to remove the plants from the flask try potting them with the media intact using fine bark to just cover the surface and water using a dilute solution of hydrogen peroxide to keep further infection from taking hold.

Gin · #3 03-29-2008, 09:42 PM

I would get them out of there the mold is fast growing and can cover them very fast . Gin

Aussie02478 · #4 07-16-2008, 09:51 AM

get them out and spry with physan 20, best of luch . the fungus dose travell very quickly indeed

Royal · #5 07-16-2008, 10:58 AM

I'd watch them very closely too. Contamination will usually grow fast and take over, killing the seedlings. But this is not an absolute. Sometimes minor contamination won't affect the plants too much, but I'd be very careful.

Oscarman · #6 07-16-2008, 11:04 AM

I had a flask of Cattleya dowiana that developed mold and it was a serious battle to save them. Get them out of the right away.

Using Physan is a good idea (also what I did), but heard that it can have a stunting effect on small seedlings. Possible stunted seedling versus dead.....then I'm OK with using Physan!

Anyone have experiences with that?

*Trouble* · #7 10-05-2008, 04:30 AM

Well, more than 6 months later the 'baby orchids' are still alive, although haven't grown much.
All I did in the end was to wash off the mold, guess it wasn't anything too serious after all.

masda · #8 10-05-2008, 03:41 PM

Deflask them and use 2 bowls of tepid water(barely warm) in one bowl put a few drops of a fungicide, using a pair of plastic tweezers rinse the seedlings in the warm water washing of the media, lay on a paper towel and allow to dry, then dip them into the fungicide water and repeat the paper towel treatment, pot up when done. It takes about 1.1/2 hours to do a normal 30 plant flask. Works well for me.