Brown Rot, Erwinia cypripedii, is usually a fatal bacterial infection which gains entry into the plant through injury, or possibly through the stomata.Â* It begins as a small brown spot in the leaf, and then it rapidly spreads throughout the rest of the plant.Â* As soon as it reaches the basal portion of the plant, or its crown, the plant will die.

The spread of this disease is so fast, it can destroy a multiple-growth plant within 24 hours. Â*Often, the crown of the plant will be completely rotted and collapsed, while the outer portions of the leaves still remain healthy looking.Â* This disease is the most serious threat to Paphiopedilum growers and it is responsible for more losses than any other single disease.

Treatment, when it is possible, is to remove the infected growths, sterilize the knife with flame for each cut, and then dispose of the infected parts in a safe place outside your growing area and far away from the rest of your plants. Â*First, cut away all dark tissue, well into clean white flesh, and then soak the plant in a fungicide solution for several hours.Â* Allow the plant to dry completely before repotting.Â*

You should also thoroughly spray the surrounding plants, pots and bench area with the same fungicidal spray.Â* At intervals of one week, again spray the infected plant and the same bench area with three additional treatments.

Carson,.....does this describe your plant?

If not, how about a photo?

Or read this:
http://www.lancebirk.com/downloads/CH_1-Pests.htm

Lance,

What about such that resembles Erwinia (and was thought to be it by several members here, so precautions were taken accordingly!) but doesn't continue to act like it? For example, dry, no smell, no spreading really. Did I just nip it in the bud? Or was it not Erwinia? For reference, see my lowii post here:

http://www.rainbowcomputers.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1646#1646

It has grown at least another half to full inch since the last update, and not worsened any. Still wondering what this is (and yes, I *did* check your book...) :wink:

Well Heather, both Peter and Steve nailed the problem....it was sunburn. I saw that post when you first made it.

The question is: Why did you unpot your plant, massively disturb its roots and then continue to worry about a simple, one-time occurance?

I know, I know, sometimes it seems so difficult. But.....when you are in the U.S., and NOT in Africa, and you hear hoofbeats outside your window.......It's probably gonna be horses out there.....and NOT zebras. Right?

Confidence, girl. Confidence!

Well Heather, both Peter and Steve nailed the problem....it was sunburn. I saw that post when you first made it.

The question is: Why did you unpot your plant, massively disturb its roots and then continue to worry about a simple, one-time occurance?

I know, I know, sometimes it seems so difficult. But.....when you are in the U.S., and NOT in Africa, and you hear hoofbeats outside your window.......It's probably gonna be horses out there.....and NOT zebras. Right?

Confidence, girl. Confidence!

Well, Lance, perhaps you should have added to my options to choose from. It doesn't look like other sunburn that I have experienced, and being so new, I was unsure what other sorts of sunburn might look like. I received conflicting reports, and, as you well know, I weigh all of those reports and decided based on them. If it were rot, I didn't wish to lose the plant. I have become attached. I am learning...

Further, it was not a one time occurrance, I have had other issues with this plant recently, and I was concerned that I was a) keeping it too wet and b) had low humidity issues. Seems conflicting, doesn't it? To a person so new to growing, it may be hard to know which/why/etc. So, I chose, based on my opinons of the mix it was currently in, that it likely wouldn't hurt to check the roots to be certain I had no problem there, and try a different mix that I have had more success with. Especially since I have not had issues with repotting Paphs on a more frequent basis. Thankfully, I did not have a problem, the roots are fine.

Heaven's knows, we don't know what works best for us until we try. Perhaps more advice would have made me choose differently, but since I am rather new to this, I can only research and hope the more experienced will assist me, which we did. I was concerned. However, the problem has been aborted since.

Thank so much for your frank opinions of my poor culture...I have to be off now, I have episodes of Blazing Saddles to go watch....:D

I didn't say 'poor culture', Heather.......what I meant was for you to trust what you see.

When you unpotted your plant and saw those outrageous roots....I would have thought to just put it back in the pot.

........and BLAZING SADDLES??? What the.....?

(I just showed my copy to my godson last week. He watched it three times. Got it on DVD in Beijing last year for a buck....but don't tell anyone.)

So.....have confidence,you'll get there.

LB

I didn't say 'poor culture', Heather.......what I meant was for you to trust what you see.

Sometimes, when it is the first time you are seeing somthing, it is difficult to trust what you see.

........and BLAZING SADDLES??? What the.....?

(I just showed my copy to my godson last week. He watched it three times. Got it on DVD in Beijing last year for a buck....but don't tell anyone.)
LB

Well, I know you are a fan....

Lance- Bonide sells, or used to sell, a streptomycin wettable powder for use on fire-blight, which is also caused by an Erwinia species. Would it be effective on this type of Erwinia? take care, Eric

Lance,

Thank you for your reply; the first place I looked, actually, was your book. Unfortunately, the infection did indeed spread to the crown of the plant, and killed it. It all happened very quickly, and I have taken appropriate precautions with neighboring plants and growing area.

carsonchase

Eric
Without running a sensitivity study you can't say for sure if strepto will work. In fact since bacteria can mutate so fast, the strepto may already be ineffective to certain strains of fire blight Erwinia.

Strepto is a very big shotgun antibiotic so at least logically it should work on Erwinia c. too. In general I think the problem with plants and antibiotics is how to get them into the plant /past cell membranes (always an issue with topical use of antibiotics in fish), but maybe Bonide has got that taken care of too.

Its a good idea, but hopefully you won't get too many cases of Erwinia to try it out on.

Eric,

What Rick said.

Carson,

And, ya know, one day you're just walking along and alla sudden a meteor falls outta the sky and lands on your head and you die.

Same thing happens to plants with Erwinia. Fortunately it doesn't happen very often. But with plants, we can keep things cleaner, we can make a general spray with something like Clearys 3336.....or better, we can increase the air circulation, or maybe raise the temps a bit.

We used to have a product called Natriphene, but I haven't tried to find any of it since I no longer have orchids. Sometimes it would cure Erwinia if it was caught soon enough. A 4 - 6 hour soak in that stuff worked pretty well.

I hope you discarded the plant and any of its parts, well out of your growing area, and that you sanitized your 'opersating table' area and your tools.

Lance