Flowering Cheery Tree

These tips cover five household remedies for the control of orchid diseases. For general disease prevention, maintain all your work area clean and disinfected. Chlorine bleach is a powerful disinfectant - add 1 ounce of household bleach per gallon of water. Mix well and spray the solution directly onto work tables, benches, cutting tools, walkways, and even onto the plants. Bleach will control fungus, bacteria, and algae. A paste мейд of common household glue, such as Elmer's, and ground cinnamon is effective to cover and protect wounds on orchids. The cinnamon protects against fungus and the glue forms a waterpoof barrier. This remedy is a "last resort" for heavily damaged plants that you really want to rescue. For preventative maintenance to your orchids' potting media, add a 5% solution of hydrogen peroxide to your fertilizing mix. The hydrogen peroxide attacks root pests and bacteria while providing oxygen to the roots. Your orchids' roots should easily tolerate this low concentration of hydrogen peroxide. Some orchid growers have reported that Listerine is very effective for treatment of crown rot. Pour it directly onto the infected area and let stand for 5 minutes, then drain the excess liquid. Repeat three times, three days apart, then evaluate the infection before additional treatments. To sterilize used pots, soak in a 10-15% bleach solution and let stand overnight. Of course, you should clean out all media first, and especially remove white root residue (and other organic material) with a scouring pad, as they may contain viruses. Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that you are using these tips at your own risk - remedies that work for others may not work in your environment, so you should test the remedies in on a single orchid first. Even though these are homemade or natural remedies, they are still chemicals and toxic (at least to diseases and pests.) Therefore, personal protection is important. Use proper gloves, and eye and skin protection and exercise caution when applying. Never apply any of these remedies in the heat of the day to your orchids as they can cause damage. Do not use on hirsute (hairy) orchids. And do not store left-over mixtures in violation of federal labeling laws which require identification and warning statements on all chemical containers.

Michael Anderson is co-author with Steve Frowine (author of four orchid books including the Orchid title of a well known series) of the web site, UncutOrchids. To get a free, 40-part video course on orchid care and the "Orchid of the Day" newsletter, click now on this URL: UncutOrchids [UncutOrchids]. Michael lives in the enchanting town of Guanajuato, Mexico, where he also offers to vacationers and visitors.