How to prevent and control soft rot? Fight the battle well when you encounter it in the field

Orchid growers all turn pale at the mention of "soft" rot, and I am the same - the more I fear ghosts, the more I run into them. Since the start of summer this year I have encountered it three timessoft rotdisease. The first time, four seedlings of Fanshao Xishen all died completely. The second time, in May, five seedlings ofCymbidium goeringiiQiushi He: first one new seedling's basal sheath turned black and the leaf base turned yellow. I did not deal with it in time and the infection spread. Later, after surgical treatment, I saved one seedling and it has already sent out a new shoot (see Figure 1). The third time was in early June, a pot offour-seasonorchidDiehua with six old plants and five new plants. At first, one plant from the previous year became diseased and infected two new plants. After discovery, I immediately cut away three plants, then divided the 9 plants into three pots: the front four plants were divided into two plants per pot, and the back five plants went into one pot. It has now been more than 20 days, and so far there is no sign of disease (see Figure 2). My treatment method is: upon discoveringsoft rotdisease, perform surgery immediately, cut away the diseased orchid plants one plant at a time, and keep observing until the cut surface of theorchidpseudobulb wound turns white. If it is somewhat brownish-yellow, it means the pathogen has already infected it and it is very hard to save. After cutting, do not rush to wash it. First drip chloramphenicol eye drops mixed with water at 1:1 onto the pseudobulb (Figure 3), let it dry, then place it in a 5000-fold potassium permanganate solution and soak and wash for one hour (Figure 4). Then take it out, let it dry in the wind, then drip chloramphenicol eye drops onto the pseudobulb again (same ratio as above), replace with clean, moist potting medium and plant it. Place some clean small charcoal pieces beside theorchidpseudobulb, do not water to settle the roots, and according to the weather conditions water again after three to five days. Add Keshade or 1000-fold agricultural streptomycin to the water for the first two waterings. Usually, every few days, drip diluted chloramphenicol eye drops onto the pseudobulb, place it in a cool, ventilated spot to rest quietly, and after half a month move it to normal management.soft rotdisease is said to be preventable but not curable. I am also treating a dead horse as if it were alive, and the methods I used are not universal and are for reference only. Key points to note: 1. When soft rot is discovered, perform surgery promptly; do not feel heartache, and keep cutting until there are no infected plants left. 2. After discovering soft rot, once the pot is turned out, absolutely do not wash first. You must cut away the diseased plants before washing, otherwise the pathogen can easily spread and infect healthy plants. 3. Do not water to settle the roots; plant on the dry side. 4. The original potting medium absolutely must not be used again, even after disinfection do not use it. 5. Pots and tools must be strictly disinfected and cleaned before reuse. 6. Knives and tools must be disinfected once each time they are used, to prevent cross-infection. Author: Zhao Aijun