Trichoderma (& treatment of Botrytis galanthina)

[Great Moravian]

Common snowdrops are self-seeding in my two gardens for decades.
Three years ago, Botrytis galanthina appeared in one and
substantially reduced the stock, in particular of Galanthus elwesii.
Now it appeared in the other garden, again on Galanthus elwesii
and my hybrids. In the books, I found advice to remove the plants
and not cultivate in surroundings. A better advice would be welcome.

[Alan_b]

I am fortunate enough to have been spared botrytis so far.  The advice to remove the plants and not cultivate in the surrounding area has got to be good advice which would apply to any form of infection on any plant.  But if you want to try to cure the affected plants then you have to try to remove them into "quarantine" and you may or may not have somewhere to do this.  And there is no point in quarantining the affected plants unless you have a form of treatment.  In the UK access to fungicides is very limited but maybe somebody else knows of a fungicide you can use that is actually obtainable?

[Lesley Cox]

I don't have this problem but as always, prevention is better than cure and to that end may I suggest the application to the snowdrop areas, of the fungus Trichoderma. This genus has at least 200 species so far described and many are native to New Zealand where work has been done to make products containing the fungus, for various applications. As a granular product or as a water-on product, it totally controls botrytis, phytophthora, assorted damping off fungi, clematis wilt etc. It works by colonising very quickly to the extent that other, harmful fungi simply don't have the room to establish. It is also a parasite on some phytophthora species. As a dowl-shaped plug, it can be inserted into the trunk of a tree such as maple or prunus species and it will totally cure silverleaf (normally a fatal disease), over a period of two years, leaving a healthy tree.

While it started here, I have no doubt it is available through the hort world now and in my estimation is the best thing since - or even before - sliced bread. I use it in one way or another, weekly at least, whether sowing seed, planting out lettuce seedlings, taking cuttings - whatever. The only restriction on its usefulness is that it needs a relatively high percentage of humus matter to be effective, so no use in, say, a tray of cuttings in sand or grit. I would expect that if an area of snowdrops in grass or woodland or pots were to be treated with granules, there would be no problem with botrytis arising. It is also a great root booster and I've been using it very succussfully (granules) to establish tiny seedlings in troughs, the roots penetrating between crevices quickly and deeply so that the little plants are suffering no setbacks even though they are much smaller than I would normally dare plant out, especially in the middle of a NZ summer.

[KentGardener]

Very interesting Lesley  -  I've not heard of this fungus before but will get googling.

[Lesley Cox]

I'm sure you'll find it John, probably under different brand names in different countries.

[Alan_b]

Would this be it, Lesley?

http://www.growell.co.uk/p/0972/Trichoderma-Powder-Tri-003.html

[Maggi Young]

Would this be it, Lesley?

http://www.growell.co.uk/p/0972/Trichoderma-Powder-Tri-003.html

Goodness me... not cheap is it?  Though I see that 10gms should treat 300 pots  so it's not as bad as first glance suggests!

[Alan_b]

Given the cost of some of the rarer snowdrops, if it works it is very cheap indeed!

[art600]

Given the cost of some of the rarer snowdrops, if it works it is very cheap indeed!

I agree and have ordered some on EBay - cheaper postage than the site Alan suggested.

[Alan_b]

I wonder if it would also be effective against Stagonospora curtisii?

[wolfgang vorig]

a good medium  to Botrytis fungus is Pilzfrei SAPROL . (price about 12 €)
Galanthus pour precaution in the autumn already. The same is repeated in the spring.


Pilzfrei SAPROL  from Callaflor
Online - Shop für Pflanzen   www.pflanzotheke.de

kind regards,             Wolfgang

[Hans J]

I can also suggest this fungicid SAPROL -the active is also a kind of fungus : Azoxystrobin
This is not danger for humans - only for fungi
For professional gardeners is also possibly to use ORTIVA
Friend of me who works in botanical gardens use it with great succsess

Hans

[Lesley Cox]

Yes Alan, that's it. I've not seen it in a powder form, but as I said, it seems to have been developed for many different situations. We can easily get the granules (almost like fine ground bran such as would be used to make bran biscuits or muffins), a water on or as a dowl-like plug for trees. (You obviously have to drill the hole for it.) I use the granules most and while it says 1 tspful for each lettuce say, I never use more than a small pinch which is still fully effective so it goes a long way. We can buy it in small foil packets or in much larger commercial quantities.

I love all kinds of Clematis and up to 10 years ago I lost 2 or 3 of every 5 I planted because I'm sure the commercial source had Clematis wilt in their nursery. Since I started using Trichoderma I've not lost even 1 though I've planted about 40. Also getting some to root easily from cuttings which I didn't before.

Because the Trichoderma is a growing organism, it stays in the soil and doesn't need repeat applications yearly or whenever.

I should think it would be well worth trying against the Stagonospora, as a treatment as well as as a prevention. As mentioned above, it cures silverleaf in trees over a couple of years.

[Sean Fox]

As someone who grows a lot of Clematis it's good to know about it's effectiveness against wilt. Do you use it purely as a precautionary measure on your clematis Lesley or do you use it with good effect if wilt affects one of your vines?

[Mavers]

Lesley I only seem to be able to find Trichoderma in powder form in the UK, I believe granules would be more useful.