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Utric fungus! Help please:(

Hey there, I find that some watered down chamomile tea helps to get rid of fungus/mold problems with my utricularia (Chamomile has antifungal properties), just make sure you make the tea with distilled/RO water and of course let it cool down. Im not so sure how long the chamomile tea's antifungal properties will last, but I think that the tea should stay good for a couple days.
Just my 2 cents, Im fairly new to growing CPs so hopefully a more experienced grower will chime in :)
 
huh.. Can you give any information on how you are growing them? Light levels, temperatures, water etc.
I am not so sure it's a fungal problem. It looks like salt(mineral) crusting to me.
 
under fluorescent light, r.o. water, in my room(on the warmer side right now), they are growing in a 100%peat mix.
I misted it to see if it were salt crusting, so far...so good:)
I'll still keep an eye on it though.
 
Weird though if it's RO water. Have you had it tested recently? How long have they been in the mix? Perhaps there is also a problem with too much humidity/insufficient airflow causing fungal problems on the surface of the mix?
When I see a pot crashing for some reason it's generally a good idea to remove a small plug into some fresh mix. The U. longifolia you could probably even wash away most of the old mix by dunking it in a cup of water and potting it into fresh mix. If there is something going on like mineral buildup or some fungal problem due to broken down mix or overly wet mix then a nice pot of fresh mix will do a world of good.

Since they are sitting in water trays, do you occasionally dump the old water and flush the pots? Even good RO water will eventually build up minerals if given enough time in a closed tray.
 
That looks pretty fungusy to me.

First, 100% peat is not what I would suggest for U. longifolia. I am not sure if it is actually classified as epiphytic or not but I grow mine in some ways at though it were. I have mine in a hydroponic mesh pot. It has been a while since I divided it but as I recall I am using a mix of LFS and perlite. I can check for sure when I get home.
I let it sit in a little bit of water sometimes but have found that it seems to do best being top watered fairly frequently rather than sitting in standing water all of the time. In fact, I noticed a U. longifolia I dontated to a public collection died recently. Where was it? Sitting flooded in standing water.

I think Tony Paroubek's suggestion of pulling out a plug and repotting it is a good idea- and in fact probably your best shot at recovery. Naturally, try to grab one with as little fungus as possible. I would try to get as much of the soil off as possible by aggitating it under some water. This will naturally stress the plant (which is already stressed by the fungus). So I would try to get a few plugs just to be safe. I would also try to get a plug or two with very clean looking soil and plant without agitation just to be safe.

I do not know if these work for U. longifolia or not, so proceed with caution. Some anti-fungals which seem to work in other contexts would be some sulpher spray (I buy the dried powder and add to water but you can find pre-mixed sulpher spray in garden centers- just make sure there is nothing nasty in there like copper). That might be worth trying. Another remedy that might be worth a shot is 9 parts water, 1 part milk sprayed on the afflicted area. Again, I have not tried these but they are known to work- at least as a preventative in other plants. I suspect the milk trick might cause problems though given the high mineral concentration in the milk.

Last thought- give them lots of good light. The more energy they have, the better their defense system.

"Hey there, I find that some watered down chamomile tea helps to get rid of fungus/mold problems with my utricularia"
Never heard of that! I will have to try that out. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
So, how is your utri now?
 
So far, they're hanging on.... I took backup divisions in case :D
 
So far, they're hanging on.... I took backup divisions in case :D

That's good to hear. U. longifolia is a great species.
Just wanted to set the record straight- I checked, I actually have mine in what looks like 50/50 peat perlite, the hydro pot is lined with LFS. I have had the best luck with that setup so far.
 
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Another great soil mix i found: 50% orchids mix, 25% perlite and 25% peat moss. Water twice a week if RH% is hight.
Perfectly airy :)
 
  • #12
That also sounds good:D
 
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