Never Use Iodine Tincture to Treat Diseased Orchids

I suffered heavy losses using iodine tincture to treat orchid diseases. For example, in 1994 I purchased three plants of white-floweredCymbidium kanranalbum, and because the leaf stalks had black spots that could not be cut away, after planting I dipped a brush in iodine tincture and applied it to the affected areas, twice a day, for 5 consecutive days. The disease was immediately brought under control, but several months later all of them withered and died. In 1996 I purchased 4 plants of Dharma, 2 of which had black spots on the leaf stalks, and again I treated them with iodine tincture and the diseased plants withered and died. In 1997 I purchased 2 plants of Jinhe, which also died from iodine tincture. For mid- to low-gradeorchidswith black spots on the leaf stalks, I never use iodine tincture, and they grow well, which is enough to prove that theorchidsthat died from iodine tincture all showed the same symptoms. First the area where the medicine was applied became brittle and broke at the slightest touch, then the pseudobulbs rotted and the whole plant withered and died; even the vigorous clustered plants, although not treated with the medicine, also dropped all their leaves. The reason is that although iodine tincture has strong sterilizing power, it also has strong penetrating power, passing through the tissues straight to the pseudobulbs. Even people can die from alcohol poisoning, let aloneorchid plants? (Lao Tie)