A Possible Solution to Basal Rot

[SlipperKing]

I'm sure most have experienced that nasty bacterial rot. That can quickly spread from the base of your favorite paph or phrag and consume the entire plant in a matter of days. Well, some time back, we had threads posted by Sanderianum and followed up by Rick from Tenn. on nutritional requirments of paphs. Especially Ricks resent interest in phosphates and its role in the health of the slipper orchids. He had come across an article stating cash crops in tropical soils benefited by the addition of lime. We haven't had an update lately on his experiments with bone meal being added to the his plants but I decided I would try the same with my paphs and phrags. So I've been adding bone meal as a top dressing to number plants for the last 2 months and here in Texas is the prime time for basal rot to pop up. I had a couple of plants that I was fighting this rot with an expensive antibotic power, repotting and the such with little success. Out of frustration I said "what the hell, it's worth a try" so I dumped a spoon full of bone meal into the leaf axles of a phrag that I was going to loose anyway. Wha La! I watched over a few days and the rot was stopped, dead in it's tracks! All total four out of four plants with no new rot. I don't know if this is new knowledge or not but I'm pleased with the results so far. See pics below.
Paph Imperial Jade with rot (old)

 

[goldenrose]

:clap::clap: You could be on to something! What an inexpensive way to solve a nasty problem!

 

[NYEric]

I don't have a lot of problem w/ rot but any I do I hate so I'll try it. Going to Home Depot on Saturday, hope they have some!

 

[SlipperKing]

I don't have a lot of problem w/ rot but any I do I hate so I'll try it. Going to Home Depot on Saturday, hope they have some!

Eric,
I got mine from the local feedstore but you may have a problem in NYC!

 

[Candace]

I wonder if it's the drying action of the powder rather than the bone meal itself. But if it works...


I usually rip the infected leaves off so it doesn't go down into the plant. You don't?

 

[NYEric]

Not if its rotting from inside leaves! Although I can tell you about the Pk x Living Fire I've got w/ no roots becase I tried to pull off a rotted outside leaf and the rest of the plant popped off! :sob:

 

[NYEric]

Eric,
I got mine from the local feedstore but you may have a problem in NYC!

Nah, I don't think petland discounts carries bonemeal, although it makes me curious. What do you feed bonemeal to?

 

[Rick]

I wonder if it's the drying action of the powder rather than the bone meal itself. But if it works...


I usually rip the infected leaves off so it doesn't go down into the plant. You don't?

Bone meal is not that great a desicant, but it will increase the pH quite a bit like lime.

Erwinia is a fermantatious bacteria that I would expect to generate a low pH environment around itself. Rick's results are a suprise to me, but I wouldn't have chalked up the results to increased Ca or P, but rather pH increase. The Ca and P may have more influence in the weeks to come??

 

[SlipperKing]

I wonder if it's the drying action of the powder rather than the bone meal itself. But if it works...


I usually rip the infected leaves off so it doesn't go down into the plant. You don't?

Candace,
Normally I do rip off infected leaves and had did so with these four plants but the rot kept coming back. Interestingly, the progress of the rot down the leaf stopped even though the bone meal wasn't in contact with that area to any extent. So I'm not sure that the physical drying properties of bone meal had anything to do with stopping the rot.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Why not try powdered lime the next time and see if you get the same results? Eric

 

[Ernie]

I wonder if it's the drying action of the powder rather than the bone meal itself. But if it works...


I usually rip the infected leaves off so it doesn't go down into the plant. You don't?

I think it's the drying too.

-Ernie

 

[goldenrose]

Nah, I don't think petland discounts carries bonemeal, although it makes me curious. What do you feed bonemeal to?

uuuhhh ........ plants, like perrennials etc. Good for roots & blooming.

 

[Renegayde]

if I am not mistaken LOL 20 years ago when we raised pigs on the farm we added bone meal to the feed when we were grinding

Todd

 

[SlipperKing]

if I am not mistaken LOL 20 years ago when we raised pigs on the farm we added bone meal to the feed when we were grinding

Todd

That's right Todd, bone meal is feed to livestock. Why you may ask? Heck if I know!!

 

[SlipperKing]

Why not try powdered lime the next time and see if you get the same results? Eric

Eric,
That's a good idea. I'll have look a round and pick some up.

 

[Candace]

I made the mistake of keeping both bonemeal and bloodmeal in the g.h. Let just say the humidity and water eventually melted the bags they were in and I had a large soup of yucky matter. Be sure to keep it in an airtight container or out of your g.h.

 

[streetmorrisart]

How about crushed oyster shell? Some might resent it, but not many of the paphs around here! I top dress with it and some of it gets in the axials anyway--maybe a nice preventative?

 

[cnycharles]

if I am not mistaken LOL 20 years ago when we raised pigs on the farm we added bone meal to the feed when we were grinding

Todd

yikes! in these days with mad cow disease I think feeding animal parts to other animals is heading out the door (hopefully). infected material from animals with that disease can survive cooking in an oven and then the animal eating it can get the disease. it was a source of protein and allowing animals to get to market size 'faster', saving the producer money

 

[Renegayde]

though I am sure that the amount makes no difference as I recall it was like 100 lbs to 2 Tons of feed

 

[SlipperFan]

Very interesting. May have to try that sometime.