more on mold

[Aniko]

I mentioned earlier the green mold on the bark and skewer - I soaked and flushed well the pots as a first step, then after a while I applied neem oil spray on the plants and bark, because I've also seen in some cases silvery little insects on the skewer. Of course the spray couldn't reach very deep.
After all, he mold is back, the insects are fine.
I think the time is not good for re potting , because I'm talking about young Miltassia and LC and BLC, which have pretty vigorous new roots growing, and one Mtssa. has a spike whith buds.Remains the hydrogen peroxide solution, but before I try it, I want to ask if is that necessary NOW ?
Or, it's better to wait and then re pot.
Can this mold harm the roots?
Please, help me to find the right solution.
Thank you.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think I would go ahead and treat the mix with peroxide.

Well, I spent some time with google and found a few interesting thisngs. It appears that the fungus gnat larvae live in the upper part of the soil/mix, so probaby want to water with what ever you use with a watering can with a spreader nozzle and go round and round over the mix to make sure that the upper part of the mix is well covered.

I found several references to mixing peroxide with water, from 1 part peroxide down to 4 oz in a gallon, below. I think I would go with the higher concemtration or use pure, as many have reported using it straight (3%) for one purpose or another. You might want to read this thread.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...314747.html?13
Another biological is Gnatrol. But these gnat killers won't help the fungus/mold problem.

Here is also a formula for using alcohol.
Mix 1 to 2 cups alcohol [Use only 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol] per quart of water.

Generally it looks like, for the gnats, you will have to do a few repeated drenchings as a few of the flys may still be around to lay more eggs.

Cynthia

[Aniko]

I know well fungus gnats - they invaded some other plants of mine last year, it was a nightmare until I got rid of them! I used a spray and let the upper part of the soil dry completely and stirred it all the time.

These insects are smaller than gnats, don't fly or come out of mix, just crawl on the skewer and possibly do not harm living vegetal tissue.They are some kind of lice I think, which live in leaf litter, mulch, paper,etc. I've seen such a stuff in the woods. (I did some search last evening on several sites specialized in entomology, soil dwelling insects, pests, etc.) Anyway, harmful or not, they are not wanted.
I should try the peroxide.To be efficient, I must immerse the pot. My only concern is the safety of new roots...I wouldn't like to burn them.
Aniko.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If you are going to immerse it, maybe you want to go with the lower concentration. I personally haven't done it, so if you still don't want to take a chance, we will have to wait for someone else with experience. Cynthia

[Aniko]

I have only one specimen of each, I would hate to kill any. I'll re pot in new mix later, if nobody assure the safety.Thank you for the brain storming!
Aniko.

I agree with using peroxide for the mold. I have poured it straight from the bottle into a sprayer and liberally coated the upper surfaces of some pots. Seemed to work well. I have seen some debate it may also get rid of "good" fungus in the mix.
Also, are you sure the "green mold" isn't algae? Are your conditions really wet? In that case you may want to let the pots dry out on the top.
For fungus gnats, I bought a few drosera (carnivorous plants) and they seem to control them quite well. I can see the little carcasses of fungal gnats and the occcasional mosquito on the leaves. However my experience with this is limited to the 50 or so orchids I grow in my house in the window sills. (gee, those orchids sure added fast, I thought I only had about 20!) I have also used BT mixes to get rid of gnats when I used to have a lot of african violets. Honestly the drosera seems to work better and it likes the same conditions as my orchids.

[latsyrc]

Personally, since I'm fine with dumping straight peroxide on open wounds, I don't see a problem with using it on orchids. That's not a good justification, but I've also used it on some orchid seedlings, and they're still doing just fine months later.

[Aniko]

Thanks for answering, I needed to know about tour experience.
Hopefully I fixed the problems taking the bark out of pots, soaked it in peroxide and rinsed than put back.The mold and the very tiny insects were deep inside, so I thought that just purring the peroxide will not be efficient.I took the risk of hurting the new roots but I worked very-very carefully so no damage happened.
It wasn't algae for sure because they need light to develop.The fungus appeared at a new plant, which had too big pot related to its size and root system.

I like the idea of using drosera for prevention, they are extremely interesting creatures!
Aniko.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I can't get Drosera to live in my greenhouse. I am pretty sure I just don't have enough humidity in the GH, probaly hits 50% too often. Cobra, flytraps, pinguicula, and nepenthes are fine, just not Drosera. Cynthia

[Aniko]

It could be a criteria of collecting plants: carnivorous ...!

By the way, Cynthia, what is your criteria? May I ask you: when do you say "I want this plant?
Aniko.

Originally Posted by Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

I can't get Drosera to live in my greenhouse. I am pretty sure I just don't have enough humidity in the GH, probaly hits 50% too often. Cobra, flytraps, pinguicula, and nepenthes are fine, just not Drosera. Cynthia

That's interesting Cynthia. I have a very dry environment in my house, central air, no humidifiers, just plants and a few pebble trays and the drosera I have seem to be doing fine. I water them every 2-5 days and let them sit in a saucer of water afterward.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Aniko, I prefer a plant that is asthetically pleasing. I also like the sense of something being as it was in the jungle, sort of natures handy work, not mans, and I always feel that species have some intrinsic value. But, since they must also be asthetically pleasing, if only moderately so, it leaves out about half of the species in the world. Many are pretty ugly, or just sort of the same thing over and over again, like many encyclia species, or many yellow brown oncidiums. Too many that look alike, so a few collected are enough. And then there are the exceptional encyclias and oncidiums that are must haves, but not all. And, yes, some hybrids are just too beautiful to pass up. But I am very picky about them, no room for any but the most appealing. So the selection process could result in to many plants wanted at any one time, so I limit myself to those that are very reasonably priced. Sooner or later I will get around to collecting everything that is wonderful. Oh yes, you need a big greenhouse for my style of collecting.

Newbie.... , I have tried drosera twice from the Home depot, two different species, and they are fine until I take the clear plastic protector cup off the top. Then they go down hill quickly. I have avoided other sources after this experience since the price is higher and the expectation is pretty low. It could be just an adjustment problem, or maybe they don't like the relatively large amount of air movement in the greenhouse. You know, if you have low humidity, but the air doesn't move much, I think it is a lot easier on the plants, as they don't get the moisture removed from their leaves very fast. I keep all my carnies in shallow dishes of water, or very regular watering for the ones by my kitchen sink.

Cynthia

[latsyrc]

Cynthia,
The problem with the drosera was probably the quick change in humidity, if you just took the clear top off in one day. If you don't mind waiting, you can get seeds for quite cheap, and then you won't have to worry about acclimating the plants. I got mine from www.cobraplant.com, and I think it cost me about 3 bucks at most for LOTS of seeds. Thinking most of them wouldn't germinate, I planted them all--now they're taking over my house! I have one plant that's in bloom right now, and if I can get it to set seed for me, I might see if anyone on here would like some. They really are nifty plants.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Well then I will try again, but I will think about the process to acclimate them. I have a lot of room to try again, because I made the mistake of putting them all in a large saucer, while away, and didn't take them back out when I returned. Seems the water level must have been too high, because most of them rotted. Still have the Darlingtonia in the house, and some nepanthes, because they were in larger pots and therefore at a relatively shallower depth of water. Live and learn. Cynthia