"booster shots"

[exasperatus2002]

How many of you do periodic treatments for disease prevention...kinda like a booster shot for your kids? I just lost my Blc. Chia Lin "New City" to black rot. All my other orchids appear fine. I sterized everything including the orchid stand. I guess it never fully recovered after it had root root the other year. It even had 2 new growths on it. What can I treat my other chids with periodically to avoid this again? I remember Jerry posting that he'll treat new orchids with a concotion of sorts but cant find it.

[kmarch]

The best prevention is excellent culture. I spend 99% of my efforts in that direction. I then treat the occasional problem as it arises.

Different story with seedlings. I use a fungicide in the potting mix and to give them a soak when they come out fo flask to prevent kill.

[jerrymeola]

Black Rot and Root Rot are Pythium fungus and thrive in humid moist conditions. The fungus exists everywhere in the world and if like most people you keep your plants in a constant 55-80 degree range the temperature will never be hot enough or cold enough to kill the fungus.

I agree with the Hawaiian nurseries (their temps never kill Pythium) that it is necessary to drench new orchids and older orchids when re-potting. Most of them use very strong and dangerous chemicals, which I try to avoid whenever possible.

I agree with Kevin that the best defense is a healthy plant. Our orchids fight the fungus their whole lives and only succumb when they are weak.

The treatment I use is a Worm Tea (vermi-liquid from worm beds), Companion (Bacillus subtilis), Essentials (gibberellic acid, Hunic acid from Leonardite and Kelp Extract) mixture. This is a combination to strengthen the plants not to kill the fungus when attacked. A fuller discussion is here Organic disease and pest control

Usually our 100 degree temps in August kill the fungus for another year but the high rains this year and still causing trouble. It is a constant fight.

If your plant had root rot last year, it did not fully recover its strength and when attacked again this year it succumbed.

[lmartiny]

Can worm tea be bought at a store? Or does it have to be ordered through a specialty vendor?

[Rocinante]

You can't get it at a store. Jerry has it, or Our Vital Earth ~ All Natural Worm Castings & Worm Tea