Pest and Disease Management

[Tobi]

Found this very informational link about pest and disease management. It's
a good synopsis by Marilyn H.S. Light. Granted it's from 1998, but it does
give some good info on this topic which is benefical to new growers and
intermediate growers as well.

www.geocities.com/~marylois/arch100.html

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

When I have time I will go over it to comment on some of the approaches to prevention and other things. For now, I see a couple of things to comment on. I don't know what all this is about burning the removed pieces of diseased tissue. This isn't hoof & mouth disease, you know. Just dump them in the trash and it will not be of any problem to anyone. I notice that they say to dust the cut surface with powdered charcoal or fungicide. Add cinnamon and sulfur to the list (fungicides-yes, but who would know if you are not explicit) and I question the use of charcoal. Anyone know if it acts like a fungicide?

[Tobi]

Originally Posted by Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

and I question the use of charcoal. Anyone know if it acts like a fungicide?

Cynthia,
Aside from cinnamon and garden sulfur, I have read that activated charcoal
has been used to treat fungal infections. I know in potentially fatal ingestion
of fungi in human cases, they have used activated charcoal to interrupt the
entero-hepatic recycling that can occur with toxins that the fungus produces.
Activated charcoal is simply burnt wood that has all the oxygen removed
from it through controlled oxidation or processing by steam. Because of its
high absorbtion rate it absorbs the fungal toxins and neutralizes them.

[BillC]

Thanks for the link Tobi, plenty of good quality information for all growers of orchids. Whilst not agreeing with everything the author offers I believe the article is good, solid, sound advice, covering a wide area of the subject.

Perhaps Fred would consider making it a Sticky.

Bill