Black Rot (Oomycetes) in Orchids

[@LauraStansfield-tw7xb]

Glad to hear such detailed information.because so many people get this wrong. Thanks. Plenty of stuff I learned as well as I have not had it and I appreciate seeing the examples.

[@Naturamorpho]

I found that stressed plants tend to succumb to oomycetes more frequently. That means any kind of stress, repotting, hydric stress, sun stress, severe weather stress. Then, excess water from a storm or overwatering creates the perfect environment for the disease to spread (contaminated water is often the means of contamination). I don't use any poison at all, whatsoever, on my orchids. Either I cut the infection off or toss the plant. Every spring and summer we get monsoon-like rains. It rains every day for a couple of months. So I moved all my potted plants to crushed granite stone medium, with just a little charcoal mixed in. It is so well drained and inert, my plants go through the rainy season very well and thriving. No more black rot attacks! Even if it means fertilizing a lot more often and watering everyday in the dry winter season. The crushed stone doesn't hold fertilizer or water for any period of time.

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

This sounds like a great plan. Especially if don't want to use pesticides. We use lava rock but have still had black rot on some of those because of how the foliage has stayed wet for such extended periods of time. Inert potting media and good culture are probably the best preventative care you can take, just like you've experienced, but sometimes if disease pressure is high.....black rot finds a way.

[@bibicheknauf4163]

😢. Great video. Thank you😍

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for being here! 😊

[@JustOneMoreOrchid]

Great one!!!

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Thank you so much, Natalia!!! 😍

[@emmanuelV37]

Awesome video!! Such great learnings!! Definitely been a battle with black rot for me this year too! Very knowledgeable video!

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

If it ain’t the rot, it’s thrips, hurricanes, and cold weather. 😅 Orchid growing ain’t for the weak! Thanks for watching, Emmanuel! Hopefully we’re out of this mess soon!

[@emmanuelV37]

@@IngramOrchidsandMore yesss so true haha!!

[@vickyslikes]

GREAT GREAT video. Thank you so much for sharing this info. I've been meaning to ask, and I'm glad you mentioned using hot shears to trim plants. I do that sometimes. Being a surgical tech, I know the human flesh is cauterize and is OK. Thank you Tristan for your help at Palmer's in the last event. Keep up the good work 👏

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Thank you for being here! What a great comparison-Live plant tissue and human tissue certainly have similarities in terms of cauterization and the need for sanitation. Bacteria is no respecter of persons or plants. Always a pleasure seeing you two at the nursery! We appreciate you guys!

[@vickyslikes]

@@IngramOrchidsandMore ❤️ thanks so much.

[@charlesbianco7932]

Love these videos and the information they share, but who else would watch these just to hear Tristan’s Georgia accent when he says foliage??? Love it!

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Kathryn here--I was laughing while editing LOL! The Georgia accent was STRONG in this video

[@PC-zg3eo]

Great video…useful information! I’m sorry you lost those orchids, I know how painful it can be.

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Thank you for watching! Hey, we win some and we lose some. It's the cost of growing orchids.

[@sheaeastman5576]

great vid. really appreciate the in depth explanations and biology of it all. thanks for your time!

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Our pleasure! So happy this was useful for you. 😊

[@sherriheebner9479]

Thank you for some great information.

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Always a pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@iluvorchids]

Thanks for showing the challenges of growing! Could you please tell us how often, how much (e.g., 1 tsp/gal?) and when we should be spraying the Banrot as a preventative? I was told to make sure it doesn't get on blooms and buds.

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Banrot is 1 tsp/gallon of water and during high disease pressure once every 2 to 4 weeks may be necessary. Otherwise, I'd say just monthly. Make sure to rotate it out of schedule every now and then with a different systemic fungicide that has a different mode of action to avoid resistance to chemicals. Heritage SC would be a good substitute for Banrot.

[@pauladixon-williams3246]

Thank you.

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

You're so welcome!

[@SharmuneJeffers]

Thank you for sharing

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Thank you for watching!

[@HolySpiritCome1]

That was one of your best videos. Don’t forget to tell people you work professionally at an orchid nursery. -Dave kennon

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Hello-My name is Tristan Ingram and my wife is Kathryn Ingram. We are professional orchid addicts at Palmer Orchids👋😅

[@dsiegel22]

I shared this video with a few close orchid friends. This is by no means meant to alarm but frequent inhaling those fumes can potentially lead to eye irritations or bronchial issues. Respectfully,

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Thanks for the response. I know it's probably not best to be sniffing those rotten plants all the time but that smell is sooooo.....alluring! In all honesty it's probably best to avoid it.

[@TheDanEdwards]

Since the Catasetinae can start new growths at the leaf nodes, could you save some of them by cutting just the healthy lengths of the pseudobulbs, and root the cuttings?

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Yes and no! Yes Cyrtopodiums will sprout from the node and I usually do this and have great success, especially if you do it as soon as any issues arise. But in this case I think the disease has made it's way into most of the bulb tissues and I honestly don't want to muck with it if the chances of getting a kieki or two is low.

[@satyajitpanda3019]

Can i use Thiophanate Methyl 70% as a preventative

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Yes you can! As long as you use it according to the label’s instructions/dosage.

[@lyndamodeste7902]

I need to fungicide tomorrow

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

SAME HERE! 👍

[@matthewpeebles7836]

Did you notice any patterns of Black Rot based on potting media? Like you I'm growing outside in Fl so I grow as much as possible mounted on palms or hanging mounts but some just prefer pots. I repotted a large amount of my plants this spring/summer into a media of 2/3 lava rock and remaining 1/3 mixed charcoal and orchiata. They were potted into net pots to further increase drying and then sit in oversized plastic pots so the roots don't grew into each other. Of those I have transitioned into the mostly inorganic media I have not had issues this summer. I know you mentioned the one C. purpurata with rot was in straight lava rock (surprised it got Rot truthfully). How about the rest? Did it tend to happen more with media that is more moisture retaining like the tree fern?

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Usually, I'd say there tends to be more black rot in media that stays wetter, but this season we've noticed it on all media types and mounted plants too. We attribute it to how much rain we got and how many days in a row we've been getting rain. When we have 3 or 4 days where it's constantly overcast and intermittent rain, the constantly wet foliage is a recipe for disaster and that's what happened in our specific case. It's still safer to use inorganic media for the majority of the time regarding disease pressure.

[@TheDanEdwards]

The "water molds" are nasty. Out here in southern California, growing Cattleyas outdoors is pretty easy most of the year but we get our rain in the winter, and typically winter storms bring cold temps. So it rains and then stays cold (near freezing though not actually a hard freeze) at night while the plants are wet, and in my experience that can be deadly to new Cattleya growths. I've had new growths die in a single day.

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

Yes, constant wetness is a problem. If disease conditions are perfect I get really nervous, regardless if I've applied fungicide or not.

[@mattyt3663]

Here in the good news bad news. Good news, I don’t have black rot. Bad news, I brought a plant with fusarium and pretty much looks like everything is infected. Roots dying- but plants trying to push through. What do I do? 😮😱🙏🆘

[@IngramOrchidsandMore]

I'd remove all infected tissue. If you have to cut so far that you have only a couple bulbs, I usually toss it. If you get a nice healthy chunk that appears unaffected then soak it in a strong solution of Banrot and wait and see if new growth continues normally without any continuing infection in the rear of the plant.