mold problem--sphag & bag

[Ross]

Sorry about your Phal! Sometimes they just don't cooperate. I am suspecting all the chemical treatments left it too weak to respond. Physan 20 usually does the job and I recommend it lots of times for less severe cases. Mold usually doesn't just appear on it's own in a closed container. It must have been there before you started. Perhaps a better alternative for the future would be a spritz of pure denatured alcohol. Use pure, not diluted. Won't hurt the plant, but will shock the roots and immediately kill the mold/fungus. It's the only thing I have luck with for white mold/fungus on my mounts in my Wardian case. All this is for future use, since your plant secummed. Let's just hope you never need this in the future!

[Des]

I can't understand why you guys are putting anything other than the plant, into the bag all you are doing is adding a source of possible contamination . Also as far as I know physan has a half life of just a few days and is of no use after that . I find it far better to use one of the wetable powder fungicides which stays active far longer
The method I use is to take a new clear plastic bag spray the inside of the bag with the fungicide mixture . Then throughly drench the orchid in fungicide,and place it into the bag , tying the opening closed so that nothing can get in or out . There is usually about 6 mm of fungicide /water in the bottom of the bag and I find that there is no problem if the plant rests in this water. Every now and then I will shake the bag so that the bag and the plant are covered in fungicide again, just to make sure. I have always had a very good success rate using this method

[Annika]

Thanks for the kind words. Oh, I am as much an orchid lover as ever---just sad about my poor phal. But I bet a new orchid would go a long way to cheering me up!!

[bonsai1504]

i lost an epi. the same way. so sad. i know how you feel but a new orchid always makes things better!