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Post by meateater on Sept 22, 2016 17:14:33 GMT -5
Another pot is done blooming so I repotted it with new medium bought from Sheridan and it grew mold! I dunk the pot+medium in diluted bleach yesterday and there's mold again today! Why?! From yesterday -- root still green Today -- root is turning brown
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Post by shoggoths on Sept 22, 2016 18:39:25 GMT -5
I would try, not enough air movement and low light ... Under strong ligth, I never have mould problem... Only bunt leave
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Post by meateater on Sept 22, 2016 20:06:31 GMT -5
I would try, not enough air movement and low light ... Under strong ligth, I never have mould problem... Only bunt leave East-facing window and still not enough light? Days are getting really short.... Air movement... not sure, it's sitting above a heat/AC vent, although it doesn't get blasted directly. So... anything else I can do to save the poor plant? (Why doesn't bleach kill off the mold anyways?!)
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Post by carkin on Sept 22, 2016 22:25:15 GMT -5
Those leaves look dessicated, I'm suspicious that the root condition is not good. It may be rotten roots that are holding moisture. You can pour peroxide over the pot to kill the mold and it won't harm the good roots. Increase air flow too.
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Post by kawarthapine on Sept 23, 2016 0:36:13 GMT -5
I agree with all the previous suggestions.
Another possibility is that the mold spores are airborne in the vicinity of your growing location. Perhaps along a windown frame, in saucers, on floors, in air ducts, you get the idea. It could also be that your potting media is of poor quality or has been corrupted with mold after purchase.
Another, often overlooked vector for mold are the plant containers themselves... if reusing pots, you should first clean them thoroughly and sanitize before reusing.
A very good sterilent that I use with my orchids is Physan 20. Physan is diluted in water and used to kill mold, viruses and other common pathogens. If you cant find Physan you can use bleach, just be sure to rinse with plain water so as to avoid residue that could burn sensitive roots.
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Post by meateater on Sept 23, 2016 18:29:38 GMT -5
I agree with all the previous suggestions. Another possibility is that the mold spores are airborne in the vicinity of your growing location. Perhaps along a windown frame, in saucers, on floors, in air ducts, you get the idea. It could also be that your potting media is of poor quality or has been corrupted with mold after purchase. Another, often overlooked vector for mold are the plant containers themselves... if reusing pots, you should first clean them thoroughly and sanitize before reusing. A very good sterilent that I use with my orchids is Physan 20. Physan is diluted in water and used to kill mold, viruses and other common pathogens. If you cant find Physan you can use bleach, just be sure to rinse with plain water so as to avoid residue that could burn sensitive roots. Dunk the whole pot+plant in bleach? Quick update: medium growing green mold already I've removed the green medium for now, until I figure out what to do....
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Post by lloyd on Sept 23, 2016 20:33:05 GMT -5
I wouldn't bother disinfecting. Mould spores are ubiquitous. Just let the medium dry out completely. When you water, drain all the water out after a few minutes.
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Post by kawarthapine on Sept 23, 2016 22:12:55 GMT -5
Quote: ' ...dunk whole pot and plant in bleach?'
No. I would not even use diluted bleach on plants. Make sure you dont leave any standing water in the pot or saucer of any orchids (unless you are growing phragmipediums of which several species and hybrids can hadle wet feet). A bit of mold is not an issue but a lot, especially black mold, can be harmful to your health.
Lastly, you noted the mold is 'turning green' and that sounds more like algae to me. If that is the case your orchids are likely way too wet.
Commercial orchid mixes are often made with low quality ingredients and this might be part of your problem. They are generally o.k. for phals and catts but not much else. I recommend you check out the AOS or SOOS web sites for helpful tip sheets on preparing potting medium, repotting plants and specific cultural requirements of different orchid species.
If you need more help you can pm me and we can continue dialogue by email or phone.
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Post by meateater on Sept 24, 2016 12:45:37 GMT -5
Thanks for all the advice thus far. I'm suspecting it's the orchid mix that's causing problems because the plants didn't have mold until they were repotted in the new mix. But I sanitized the pots and medium with diluted bleach twice, and they still grow mold the next day, that's really the part I don't get I did an experiment and pour alcohol on both the medium and the plant. Plant is still alive. I'm sure once I start watering it it'll grow mold again but we'll see. Kawarthapine: And thanks for the offer! I wish I had taken pictures of the green 'mold'! If I see it again I'll pm you with pictures.
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Post by meateater on Oct 2, 2016 11:42:14 GMT -5
Finally managed to get a good shot of the green mold on the bark. (Lesson learned the hard way: don't buy orchid mix from Sheridan)
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Post by kawarthapine on Oct 6, 2016 15:00:34 GMT -5
I would take the bag back, show them your photo and ask for a refund. I would then buy spag mass and chopped cocunut husk from Lee Valey.
Be sure to rinse moss and cch in water at least three times. The buy large perlight and you have the basis for a widely used home-made orchid mix. You can enhace that threesome with addition of horticultural charcoal. A rough ratio for the four ingrediants would be 5:1:1:1.
Failing that I would buy custom orchid blends from one of Ontario's many commercial orchid growers.
If you
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