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Root Shield Trichoderma for Cephs

quogue

quogue

Hi all, just picked up some Root Shield which has 1.15% Trichoderma harzianum Rifai Strain KRL-AG2 for my Cephalotus

I know a couple of people here use Trichoderma harzianum, is this a good enough brand? How much should I use per gallon of water? How much should I water my Cephalotus with? And how often? Do I pour it all over the plant or just over the roots?

I recently beat the dreaded Botrytis fungus which set mine back quite a bit for a year and a half. I hope by using this stuff I can avoid a repeat of that.

Any suggestions from anyone with experience using this stuff would be much appreciated!
 
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I can't remember the mixture:water combination, but I just watered the plant from above.

You only need to do it once. The culture will grow along the roots as the season goes on.
 
G,

Ive been a Trichoderma user for quite a few years now, personally I prefer ampacbiotech's Trichoderma atroviride strain. It seems to work much better for CP's and the spore count is significantly higher then rootsheild's. Another prob I have had with rootshield is getting some that wasnt out of date already. Ive ordered it from several sources and every single time it had already reached the expiration date prior to shipment. However, each time the vendor made good on the purchase... but still.

As far as treating once and forgetting, that only applies to some strains, not all. Personally I use it as a monthly drench. Trichoderma will form a symbiotic relationship with the plant plus parasitize other fungi. It also has the ability to physically change the cell structure of the plant root. The beneficial effects seem to be able to travel throughout the plant to some degree as well.

I use a teaspoon per gallon of water and I also use ampac's granular product for any problem areas and transplanting.

Trichoderma is a numbers game, if you keep a good healthy population of it, it competes with the pathogens for resources. Hence, not only attacking them, but preventing them from getting a foothold to begin with.

Trichoderma also increases the plants nutrient uptake, increasing growth rate.

Its a win, win situation. Personally, it's a monthly routine for me. Ive not used any fungicides in many years now.

Suggested reading

http://geocities.com/butchtincher/research1/trichoderma_research.pdf

http://geocities.com/butchtincher/research1/trichoderma_summary.pdf

and yep, I am biased... Ive tried many Trichoderma/beneficial organism products... ampac has no rival in product or customer service IMHO

http://ampacbiotech.com/

some will tell you its only voodoo, and that's ok too... :)

Av
 
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Thanks Alexis and especially Av8tor! I already have the Rootshield in hand... otherwise I'd take your advice on the ampacbiotech.
I've only found Trich for sale one other time and it was pricey!
So I got this stuff, which has no expiration date, just says "refridgerant after opening"

So do you water heavily with the stuff and let freely drain through Av8tor?
I use trays under my Ceph's with little water in em, I suppose I would let the treatment drain through, then tray water I'm guessing?

Thanks!
 
Usually the exp date will be on a rectangular sticker on the lid, the shelf life for rootshield is 6 months. However, if kept cool it should las for years. I usually get rootshield from Johnny's Seeds.

Yes, give it a good drenching and then catch the run off and give that to your next tier plants... and use all the liquid you make, dont save it. I only use the tray method for cape sundews... but I will typically wait a few days before watering again to give the trich a chance to take hold.

You can also "dust" with it in case of botrytis attack. One tek I use with ampac's granular is to use a straw. This will facilitate getting under a ceph's "clump" where it likes to hide and slowly weaken the plant.

Guogue, knock on wood... but ceph die back is something that I no longer experience, plus my cephs grow at very rapid rates..

Im sure many variables come into play but....

There are literally hundreds of peer review refs regarding the benefits of trichoderma,

Ampac's strain was originally derived from a source in Alaska, so (IMHO) its at home in boggy type enviroments..
Av
 
Wow, I think I may start using this stuff.

Any idea where I can pick some up locally? Should Lowe's or Home Depot have it?
 
yellowdart,

It's a speciality item, you wont find it at your local garden supply. AMPAC Biotech's main lab manager and at least one of their east coast distributors are TF members.... maybe they will see this and PM ya,

or contact Kelly @ ampacbiotech.com

Av
 
Thanks Av.

I appreciate all the info.
 
Just a heads up, I am in the process of becoming a distributor for ampacbiotech. I plan to carry their flowable (drench that Butch mentions) as well as their granular formulas. There's a hiccup with the NC Agricultural department with getting it shipped into NC. Once that's straightened out, I will have different quantities available for sell. If anyone is interested in more details, please feel free to PM me.

In the mean time, Kelly at ampacbiotech is an extremely nice lady. She will do all that can be done to help you guys out :).

Crystal
 
  • #11
Thanks both of you.

I'll be sure to order some when I start working. As for now, I'm broke.
 
  • #12
I might as well add in that I use Ampac products as well. I personally attribute a good degree of my success with pitcher plants to trichoderma. As AV said, I am biased to it as well, so don't come knocking for controls. ;) I too use the flowable for a monthly or so treatment. Yes...Kelly is a great lady and very very helpful. :) As Av would agree, I too am a customer for life as long as i still grow CPs.
 
  • #13
Not to be the buzz-kill here, but I have used Trichoderma on and off over the years -- once touted as "the greatest thing since sliced white bread" -- and haven't ever been able to tell any difference whatsoever between those Cephalotus I treated and those I did not.

There is truly no short cut to sound horticultural practice; and provided that the plants aren't stored in a stifling environment (all but inviting Botrytus) or "par-boiled" as many I've seen, there are seldom any problems . . .
 
  • #14
Thanks again for the tips Av8tor, wish I knew of the availability of this Ampac stuff here... I ferget where I got the Rootshield from, there seems to be no exp date on it. It's in the fridge now.

How I got the dreaded fungus? Watering too much during Winter dormancy with the lower lighting. Plus it was in an upright 75gal fishtank. Wasn't paying too much attention either as I was heavily involved in other projects.

Happened about a year-and-a-half ago. I found the best way to get rid of the fungus is to simply put the affected plant ouside in the Spring and/or Fall. The sunlight burns it off and the air movement keeps it from coming back. I use 10 Gal tanks with a screen top with clamps to keep out hungry critters.

Summers too hot here on LI so they'll be back inside in a 75gal fishtank on it's side in a cool room.

The Trich does make sense to me that it would help... I figure an ounce of prevention and alla that.
 
  • #15
As with any product Your-Mileage-May-Vary.

My Cephalotus would get patches of a white fuzz, which would leave red "bruises" when cleaned off with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Patches would crop up every 3-4 weeks. I finally got it under control with Neem oil - month and half with no outbreaks.

After reading all the virtues of the Ampac product I obtained some of the granular and flowable products.

I drenched the pot with a concentration of the flowable product as per directions. Within a few days a few of the "bruises" started growing a off-white/cream colored fuzz. Assuming this to be the Trichoderma "attacking" the existing fungus I left it untreated locally (alcohol). The fuzz spread over a few days and killed a few pitchers. Local control (hydrogen peroxide) would only abate the fuzz for a few days. After about two weeks I added about a 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of the granular product. Fuzz continued to be a problem, tips of "keel" on new pitchers would yellow and blacken soon after lids would open. Eventually the entire pitcher would yellow and wither away. 6 weeks after the first drench I tried a second drench. No improvement.

Neem oil would only control the "fuzz" growth for a week or so. After struggling for a few months I learned that others have had negative experiences with Trichoderma (unknown if the Ampac product) and resorted to a systemic fungicde Benomyl (no longer available).

I then learned that one Cephalotus propagator uses sulfur based fungicides on his plants. After one treatment of a sulfur based spray I have not had any further outbreaks of fuzz and the browing/blackening has stopped. It's been 4 months or so.
 
  • #16
I too have had good experiences with sulfur, used primarily as a preventative measure during wet winters in Northern California (most of my Cephalotus having been kept outside). I used Bonide Sulfur Plant Fungicide, which can be applied either as a solution with a sprayer or dusted directly in its very fine powder form. The product is ninety-percent sulfur, inexpensive, and highly effective . . .

Those growers I've known who have utilized Trichoderma treatments with some "success" already followed sound horticultural practices; that their Cephalotus never succumbed to Botrytis or other fungal infections was more a testament to their skill than the use of any innoculent . . .
 
  • #17
Why doesn't anyone use a combo of beneficial fungi and bacteria? I have been looking to get some beneficial mycorrhizal products for my CP's and other plants. Can anyone recommend a good brand to get? I really would like to get a product that has multiple beneficial mycorrhizal. I have used a product called Subculture on my garden in the past but it contains some nutrients. I'm looking for one with no nutrients just beneficial mycorrhizal (Endomycorrhizal fungi, Ectomycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma & Beneficial Bacteria).
 
  • #18
Frilleon said:
Why doesn't anyone use a combo of beneficial fungi and bacteria? I have been looking to get some beneficial mycorrhizal products for my CP's and other plants. Can anyone recommend a good brand to get? I really would like to get a product that has multiple beneficial mycorrhizal. I have used a product called Subculture on my garden in the past but it contains some nutrients. I'm looking for one with no nutrients just beneficial mycorrhizal (Endomycorrhizal fungi, Ectomycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma & Beneficial Bacteria).
Click to expand...

Quite simply because there is absolutely no need for it. The carnivorous plants have existed for millennia in nutrient-poor soils; and it is all-too obvious how these plants obtain their nitrogen and other necessities.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it . . .
 
  • #19
Can any of this be used for Sarracenia? I am looking for a preventative fungicide for bortytis, etc. but I have a hard time using something on a healthy plant that has nothing wrong with it! I know, I'm weird. I have been using Actinovate as a soil drench. It is a biological fungicide that uses a beneficial bacteria.

BigBella: Do you use the Bonide on your Sarrs?
 
  • #20
I've used Root shield and the Ampac product with Sarracenia with no noticeable effects. I had a S. purpurea ssp. venosa and S. minor dying of the mysterious rhizome rot. Both died despite treatments with the Ampac Trichoderma. They may have been too far gone to begin with.
 
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