Dactylorhiza - I fear the worst

[mark smyth]

Dactylorhiza that spent the winter in my greenhouse on the floor, and moved out in spike, have showed no symptoms - fingers crossed

[mark smyth]

My four variegated D. fuchsia failed to come up this year  I'm blaming the heat and drought last July

[SteveC2]

Sadly it is not just cultivated dacts which are suffering. In 2013 Gibraltar Point nature reserve near Skegness had the most amazing display of dacts that I have ever seen, way over one hundred thousand plants.  The tidal surge last winter wiped out the population on the freshwater marsh.  Those in the dunes have been struck by fungus.  Samples have been sent for analysis and it will be interesting to see the results.  The chief suspect is not Cladosporum but Ramularia.

[winwen]

My four variegated D. fuchsia failed to come up this year  I'm blaming the heat and drought last July

Did they just fail to come up or have you totally lost them, Mark?

[mark smyth]

failed to come up. Not even a nose came up. I've resisted digging a hole just in case there is something there. I should have shared one or two for insurance

[Graham Catlow]

I thought I would give you an update from last year when I lost my Dactylorhiza to the dreaded black death.
I took Maggies advice and dug up a large group of the infected plants up and removed the new tubers. I then soaked them in a solution of 2% household bleach for 24 hours. Nothing ventured nothing gained
They were then planted into a general purpose compost and I hoped for the best.
I now have a group of what appear to be free of the disease. Has the bleach treatment worked or would the tubers have been disease free when I took them from the old plants?
What ever the answer I am pleased to have saved some.

Photos -
1. last year
2. removed tubers
3. this year

[Maggi Young]

The baby tubers do look nice and clean - and all seems very well now. Don't you love it when a plan comes together?!!

[mark smyth]

Fantastic

[ChrisB]

Maybe I'll try it with a couple of mine. I see new ones appearing elsewhere and they look ok so far, but most of my older ones have gone. Funnily enough the fuchsii that had the best spots of any came up looking ok at first and have flowered but now show signs of the disease. Those are the ones I shall tackle first!

[Tony Willis]

I now have a group of what appear to be free of the disease. Has the bleach treatment worked or would the tubers have been disease free when I took them from the old plants?
What ever the answer I am pleased to have saved some.

Graham

from my experience the new tubers were always diseased and this was obvious just by looking at the dormant growing point which was black. Yours look very healthy and I would say you have sorted the problem.