Juli, I'm a bit surprised that you've made a connection between your constant rain & a black mold that is killing your Vandas and Phalaenopsis. Both these genera grow fine in Singapore, where it is always hot, and the rain also keeps on falling, day in and day out, every week, and every month of the year. Most Vandas and Phals actually LIKE this sort of weather !!
May I suggest the following: a) If the plants are in pots, lose the pots. Grow them bare-root, especially the Vandas. b) If at all possible, move them to a windier position. Most hot-tropical Vandas and Phalaenopsis can take any amount of water, as long as there is good air-movement. Poor air-movement rapidly leads to fungal disease. c) Reduce the shade. If you started out with the correct shade for a seasonal climate with 6 bright, dry months, and your climate has changed to always overcast and cloudy, then you now have too much shade. d) Reduce the wet by installing a clear plastic roof over your plants. This will allow you to control the amount of water they get. Remember to reduce any shade netting to compensate for light that the plastic absorbs. If all else fails: (e) Replace any Vandas with parents from seasonally-dry regions (eg V. coerulea, V. coerulescens, V. tessellata) with plants better adapted to ever-wet conditions (look for high percentage parentage from Indonesian and Philippine species). Do the same for Phalaenopsis. Cheers, Peter O'Byrne >NOW I need info on a systemic fungicide that will work on Pythium. This >black mold is killing my Vandas as it has killed many of my Phalaenopsis. >All because of the constat rain that keeps falling, in this country that used >to have two SEASONS: six months wet and six months dry. _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
