botrytis cure?

[wallsg7]

As i understand it botrytis is incurable,save hacking away at your plant.Last winter i had three different sarracenias suffer an attack of botrytis at the same time.Mainly due to my absence from the greenhouse due to a holiday.When i returned to find these plants being attacked i decided to experiment and approach it in several different ways.
With plant 1 i submersed the plant in its entirety underwater as i have read of people escaping this disease by doing so.This does stop the disease from spreading but unfortunately once you return the plant to normal surroundings(even weeks later) the mould magicaly re-appears.
With plant 2,i repeatedly sprayed with several different fungicides.Again,the disease was slowed significantly but still continued on to kill the plant.
With plant 3,i tried a more radical approach remembering something i learned years ago while treating rising damp.Basicaly i used a small blowtorch which incinerated the pitchers and crown,but only on the outside.I held it in place for some time knowing it would burn deeper into the tissues.I then waited and watched for the botrytis to return......it didnt.Not only that but several months later my plant has produced new growth points.
Was i just lucky?,or is this a potential cure for the disease?

[Clint]

I've never been unfortunate and encountered Botrytis but I've always heard to use sulphur. I would not take a blow torch to the rhizome.....

The real question is why did you contract it? Little air flow? Too moist or dark? I keep my Sarracenia on the drier side in winter, remove all dead growth, and it can be a good idea to apply fungicide as a preventative measure.

[pitcherfreak]

JustLikeAPills right botrytis has a lot to do with environment. Indoor growing conditions, particularly damp and cold are very helpful to botrytis, particularly where the temperature fluctuates alot from day to night especially where this causes condensation and dripping from a roof (ie plastic house).

Blow torching would certainly surface sterilize the plant sounds a bit extreme though, Sarras are used to fire though so it might be worth trying further and see what happens. What fungicides have you tried?

All the best

[wallsg7]

I was away from the greenhouse for several weeks so i had to fill the trays with water to ensure they wouldnt dry out.Also i left the door closed which is normaly left open(in case of strong winds).So humidity was high with low light levels and low airflow.In addition the plants which became infected were all plants with a crowded crown.Perhaps it would be wise in future to divide these up before winter sets in?
With regards to the torch i used it was a handheld gas canister type that you buy from diy stores to melt the solder in pipe joints.Nothing too severe.I simply passed it over the rihzome several times.It seems the plant can put up with this sudden intense heat where-as the botrysis cannot.
Also the beauty of this treatment is the plant is not uprooted and hacked to pieces so it recovers more quickly.
The real question i think is was i lucky or will this treatment work every time.

[pitcherfreak]

Since it's not a standard botrytis treatment for plants I doubt anyone can answer that for you for sure unless they've tried it. It is certainly an interesting concept and as botrytis seems mostly to live on or near the surface of plants and Sarra's are naturally "burned off" in the wild it could very well be a very effective treatment for botrytis. Just be careful when you're trialling it not to test it on too many plants you care about and it is probably true that treatment time and maybe moisture content of the soil will effect plant survival.

[wallsg7]

Fortunately for me the plants that got infected where not particularly important.So i was free to experiment.I think if i had a favorite plant become infected in the future i would definately try this method first before digging up and cutting up.

all the best

gary

[Not a Number]

What about beneficial fungi such as Trichoderma or Cladosporium? Has anybody tried these controls?

[wallsg7]

To be honest ive never heard of them as a cure for botrytis.Are they effective?
Until now my understanding was botrytis was incurable unless you were very quick and merciless with a blade.

[Aidan]

Botrytis infections are curable if the appropriate treatments are available. With the withdrawal of Benlate from the market some years ago, there are no longer any curative products available to UK growers. Removal of infected tissue is the only option. Be that by cutting it out or in your case by scorching. Scorching may kill a surface infection, but it would not save a plant where the infection has reached deep within the rhizome. Applying sufficient heat to kill the fungus would also kill the plant.

Increasing numbers of growers are trying Trichoderma, as a preventative. Evidence for its efficacy remains anecdotal at this time.