Trichoderma (& treatment of Botrytis galanthina)

[Alan_b]

Maggi, maybe you should also change the title because this has become a discussion on the use of Trichoderma?

[Maggi Young]

Maggi, maybe you should also change the title because this has become a discussion on the use of Trichoderma?

Good thinking!

[Maggi Young]

Renaming this thread to: Trichoderma  (& treatment of Botrytis galanthina)

[Great Moravian]

You can try the following for interesting general information if it works for you
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03614.x/pdf

[Heinie]

I have been using the fungi spores Trichoderma harzianum for the past 5 plus years with huge success. This product is for the control of many root diseases and for plant growth stimulation. It controls diseases like Botrytis, Fusarium, Pythium etc. I buy this powdered product in a 450 gram pack for R74.00 in Cape Town. I grow Clivias which are prone to root rot if the roots are too wet and Trichoderma harzianum has looked after this part of the plants for me. I add the product on a monthly basis to the fertilizer when I feed the plants. I wrote an article on another forum about three years ago and have copied the article below for those who are interested. This was the complete article at the time.

On the 24 November 2006 I noticed a clivia plant that fell over towards the side of the pot amongst other clivias under large trees. A clivia plant that does not grow vertical anywhere in my yard or in the shade house is very easily noticed because I never tolerate a clivia plant to lean over towards a side because I simply do not like them growing horizontally and it looks untidy. I push them upright and support the plant at the base.

The plant and pot was removed from the others and was completely loose in the growing medium. I suspected Fusarium root rot but once the plant was removed from the pot the result was far worse than just root rot. There were 6 affected roots left and the bottom of the Pseudo stem was badly rotten away. I washed the soil off the plant in a corner of the yard on a sandy patch where no other growth of any kind is. I removed all the mushy roots and washed the plant in a SporeKill solution by brushing the stem with a old tooth brush. I then applied neat Bravo to the affected parts. The plant had 2 suckers with 4 and 6 leaves each. Their few roots were also starting to be affected by the Fusarium rot. There were so few roots that I decided to pot this plant into a 20cm pot which was much to big to accommodate the few roots of this mother plant with two suckers. The potting medium was fairly dry. I then watered the plant with Root Plus by BCP which consists of spores of carefully selected strains of the natural soil-borne fungi Trichoderma harzianum and Paecilomyces lilacinus and once a month thereafter. I also watered the plant with Microbial Biostart on a weekly basis. I continued this treatment for 3 months and then only watered the plant every 2 weeks because I mix a Haifa controlled release fertilizer into my growing medium.

I noticed that the roots were growing over the top of the 20cm pot yesterday. When I removed the plant peg and noticed my note about the Fusarium treatment. I looked up the plant stats on my database where I collected the history of 24 November 2006. I removed the plant from the pot and there was hardly a cup full of growing medium left in the pot. I washed the masses of healthy white roots and left it on the lawn in the rain overnight. I re-potted the plant into a 30cm pot because I did not remove the original 2 suckers which now have 8 and 9 leaves each. There are another 3 suckers appearing as well. Here is a photo of what the Pseudo stem looks like today with the previous damage clearly visible.



This is the root ball today.



This photo compares the 20cm pot from which the plant was removed yesterday and the re-potted plant in a 30cm pot to have sufficient space for the new suckers as well for the next 2 or 3 years and will look forward to experience a specimen plant pot with at least 3 umbels next year and perhaps 7 umbels in 2 years time.

[majallison]

I'm wondering if Trichoderma would be helpful with chipping or twinscaling bulbs ~ I'd really like to avoid using conventional fungicides. Does anyone have experience of using Trichoderma in this kind of propagation?

[Lesley Cox]

Can't help with that one but well worth a go I should imagine, even on a trial-on-a-few basis at first.

Anne, what is hard for some people to get their heads around is that Trichoderma IS a fungus and not a fungicide. It would therefore seem likely that a fungicide should be avoided. It may be a leap of faith but in my case, I rarely use/used a fungicide anyway, it being one of those "when I get around to it" situations. I have not ever seen any sign - and actively looking - of any fungus disease or infestation, on any plant I've treated or planted with Trichoderma, including seedlings which for years have previously damped off regularly.

[annew]

Thanks, Lesley. That was the conclusion I'd come to. I was also wondering what Malcolm said above, and this was the leap of faith I was considering.

[Lesley Cox]

Along similar lines, I knew a gardener (late) who sprayed his Pinguiculas with insecticide and was upset when they died. He couldn't see that an insect-digesting plant wouldn't welcome its food source being killed and chemically at that.

[Heinie]

Malcolm,
You can use Trichoderma with splitting of bulbs by dipping the pieces into Trichoderma for a few seconds. I split one of my Hippeastrum bulbs into 4 pieces last week as an experiment. This is a first time for me and I left the pieces for about 5 minutes in the Trichoderma solution while the pots and growing medium was prepared. I planted the 4 pieces in one pot and watered the medium with Trichoderma as well and placed a clear plastic over the pot. There is no sign of rotting material to be seen yet.

I found the mother bulb of one of my Ledeboria bulbs rotten a few months ago. There was only a very tiny piece of the basal plate left. I cleaned the basal plate and surroundings with a tooth brush and water. I took a chance to save the bulb although there were many smaller bulbs in the pot that grew on the mother bulb. I placed the bulb in growing medium with a lot of sand and watered the bulb with a Trichoderma solution every 6 or 7 days. The bulb continued to make new leaves and after two months I removed the bulb and it had a huge root ball from that tiny piece of basal plate. Pardon the long reply but it is important that you know how good a product this is.

Lesley,
There are certain fungicides and insecticides that work well with Trichoderma. I will try to find my list but two of the products I know works with Trichoderma because I use it is Confidor, Kohinor and Merit (Imidacloprid) and Bravo (Chlorothalonil). The only requirement is that the pesticide and fungicide be applied one week apart of Trichoderma.

[annew]

I think I shall have to give this a try; a controlled experiment with something I have a lot of. Also might try it for chipping a particular bulb which fails every time despite the fungicide I use.  Thank you to everybody for your experiences.

[annew]

I just ordered 10g from ebay, then realised I could have had 250g for only 5x more money!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANNA-Actrivator-250g-HYDROPONIC-TRICHODERMA-/370432352314?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item563f7d203a#ht_500wt_922

[Heinie]

Anne,
That Ebay item is hugely over priced if I look at what we pay here for a 450 gram pack at R74 which is just over £6 for double the amount.

[annew]

Even worse considering it is £12 for 10g!

[majallison]

Well, I've paid my £12 & as I'm not planning on a commercial operation using Trichoderma, that should be ok in the first instance.  I'm going to have a go twinscaling Nerines & will let y'all know how I get on.