Mold, Fungus, Bugs??? HELP PLEASE.

[NiNiDazzle]

In all the years I've grown orchids, I've never come across this. I am not sure what it is so don't know how to treat it. Can you please help identify and suggest a treatment?

EDIT to add more info.
This is happening in two of my phals. They are in S/H. It started indoors and I took them outside to separate from my other 'chids. They have been outside for about 4 days now. Pics were taken on 5/5/11.

[Filb]

That most certainly looks like mold to me.
It's curious that is it on LECA since that doesn't tend to stay very moist.
Do you have your phal in s/h? Did you make sure to put holes near the bottom of your pot?

[kid a]

It doesn't look like bugs..I think its probably a mold or fungus. Not sure which though.

[NiNiDazzle]

Yes, it is in S/H. There are holes near the bottom. I have all my 'chids in S/H and this is the first time I've come across this. It's actually in two of my phals pots.

[kid a]

thats kinda scary! Maybe Ray will come along and give some advise about it, he has probably seen this before or knows what it is lol! Have you tried just using new LECA for those two? I wonder if it would come back if you switches the LECA, if it did it's probably an environmental issue..if you have good airflow i'm leaning towards fungus...kinda reminds me of micillium strands

[NiNiDazzle]

As soon as I get a chance to go to the hydro store, I'll pick up some new LECA and change them out. I've only had these two 'chids for about two months and I repotted them with another two that aren't having this problem. They've been sitting outside away from my inside 'chids for about 4 days now and it still looks like that.

[kid a]

was it like that before you took them outside? maybe some spores ended up in only those two somehow, or were they sitting on the ground outside?

[NiNiDazzle]

Yes, they got like that inside so I took them outside to separate them from the rest of my 'chids.

[orchids4me]

I'm not sure if you can use a diluted bleach water mix to soak the hydroton to kil the spores or not. (Not wit plant in there of course). But you seem to have damp low light and no air circulation or not enough where you're growing them. When problem get corrected try to increas the light a bit and kick up the air flow around the growing I use regular fans. To get the plants higer on shelves I have small clampo on fans and a fan that has a stand with fan mounted on top of the post of the stand that moves side to side. If the leaves of the plant blow like a gental breeze that's usually a good setting.

[NiNiDazzle]

Bump for help.

I'm leaning towards fungus since I figured mold would have dried out in the sun and breeze. How should I clean this?

Would BrookN's remedy work?

[Filb]

Mold is the same thing as a fungus (for most intents and purposes).

[Shannara]

I am not saying this is the only answer but if it where my plants I would remove it from its pot. Any potting medium stuck to the roots I would leave attached. I would blast the LECA stuck to the roots with my garden hose. The I would give it a spray with Physan and repot it with fresh LECA.

Just any idea.

Shann~

[Ray]

Two questions:

How thoroughly did you clean the old medium off of the roots before moving it over to s/h, and ...

How long were they in S/H culture before this started to happen?

[NiNiDazzle]

Ray-- I scraped off as much of the bark and other stuff as I could and then rinsed the plant. They were in the LECA for about 1.5 months before this showed up.

[Lo*rchid]

It definitely isn't mold, there isn't a mycelium structure i am aware of that looks like that. Also, the medium your using lacks most of the nutrients needed for mould and fungi to develop and set roots. You also would not likely see such a strong structure in a mould or fungi in that short amount of time. It points to a bug infestation noting the web structure of the habitant. Good luck!

[Lo*rchid]

Please all note: alcohol as well as bleach solutions will destroy spores and endospores (slightly developed, like a germinated seed). Once these have passed beyond that stage and become a multicellular organism they can deal with a solution of bleach upwards of 20% in some fungi. alcohols of all sorts will make for setbacks to the development of the intruder however strong structures that are well set will be able to overcome intoxication. hope this helps

P.S. don't bleach your orchids, the solution will change the ph of some mediums and possibly cause them to poison your orchids root structure.

[Renee]

I've just started growing in LECA, so consider the newbie source. However, I have been encountering these little white strands, too, so let me describe what I did in case it helps someone ID the source of the strands. The problem happened to me on some newly received Sansevieria trifasciata and Tradescantia bermudensis. The plants were field grown in Florida then mailed to me. They had a little rot (the usual brown, soft variety). I trimmed back to healthy tissue and soaked the plant material for 1 minute in diluted fungicide/bacteriacide (Physan 20). The LECA was brand-new (rinsed, boiled, soaked in binding salts, soaked in rooting hormone). Within a few days, I could see the white stingy growth that look a lot like the original post. I haven't solved the problem yet. My own research suggests the culprit is "Sclerotium rolfsii", as this is a known problem in Florida fields. A google for images of "Sclerotium rolfsii" turned up a range of photos that, again, look like the original post. Iowa State Univ. Extension services has a detailed description of the problem (it apparently hits Hostas pretty hard) and they suggest the following chemical treatments (incl. drench): flutolanil, pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB), and quintozene. For brand names see the Iowa State original post (google "sul8 iastate crown rot")

[NiNiDazzle]

Thanks for the info Renee.

Here's the link to the Iowa research paper.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/sul8.pdf

Brand names for the fungicide.

Fungicides are sometimes used to suppress
S. rolfsii in hosta as well as other ornamental and food
crops. A relatively new fungicide, flutolanil (sold as
Contrast®), is labeled for use against this fungus on
ornamental plants. Fungicides containing pentachloronitrobenzene
(also known as quintozene or
PCNB) typically are applied preventively to soil or
media, either as a drench or as a granule.Trade names
of PCNB products labeled for control of crown rot
on hosta include Terraclor®, Defend®, Pennstar®,
Revere®, and PCNB®. Note that the labels of these
products do not specifically mention hosta, but they
are legal to use on hosta because hosta is included
within the broad designation “ornamentals” on the
labels. Since phytotoxic reactions to PCNB can
occur, it is advisable to treat a small bed area or a small
number of pots first, then check the hosta’s reaction,
before attempting larger-scale treatments. To our
knowledge, flutolanil and PCNB products labeled
for use on ornamentals are available only through
commercial pesticide dealers rather than at garden
centers or other retail outlets. Sanitizing agents such
as chlorine bleach have been used against crown rot,
but these products are not legally labeled for this use.

I don't know if orchids are considered "ornamental" plants so I personally would be hesitant to use it.

[Orchidchick]

Originally Posted by NiNiDazzle

Thanks for the info Renee.

Here's the link to the Iowa research paper.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/sul8.pdf

Brand names for the fungicide.


I don't know if orchids are considered "ornamental" plants so I personally would be hesitant to use it.

Hi Linda,The broad term for ornamental plants are any plants that are not grown for utilitarian purposes such as food or textile production. But are grown and valued for their asthetic characteristics. Orchids would fall under this broad criteria with the exception of the vanilla orchid.