A fungicide safe for use indoor use

[gneumatics]

So I am planning on using a fungicide for an indoor area which will have pretty high humidity due to the use of a humidifier however I am a bit worried about the toxicity of the products. I currently have copper fungicide but was wondering if anybody was aware of a safer product for indoor use available within Australia? Cheers...

… G

Edited April 19, 2012 by gneumatics

[Sallubrious]

Have you identified any particular fungus/symptoms or are you planning a pre-emptive strike ?

[applesnail]

Neem works to an extent and is effective for powdery mildew, rust and black spot:-

http://www.plasmanee...ildew-cure.html

Edited April 19, 2012 by applesnail

[gneumatics]

SallyD to the rescue again ;)

Pre-emptive. Everybody who has suggested a humidifier so far has forewarned "use a fungicide on the walls and plants once a month!", so I'm planning on doing just that.

There seems to be a few 'organic fungicides' on the market but who knows if this means 'safe' as well.

Applesnail: Can you expand on what you mean by 'to an extent'? Will once a month spraying do the job of keeping fungus away you reckon?

From my research so far I'm planning to use lime sulfur on the walls only of the 2ft x 2ft x 2ft area (as it burns evergreens apparently if used directly on the leaves) and something else on the plants themselves, perhaps Neem if it turns out to be effective enough?

Link to lime sulfur product

http://www.yates.com...pray-fungicide/

... G

Edited April 19, 2012 by gneumatics

[applesnail]

neem is quite effective depending on what the problem is, id be looking into building a plant immunity and natural defence up...pythium and fusarium are quite common in indoor environments there are products like these to help build up a plants defence:-

http://www.ebay.com....=item3356eeb80e

and products that deal with directly fusarium and pythium

http://www.ebay.com....=item2eb028e7f5

http://www.basementl...duct_Code=FFPYO

http://www.ebay.com....=item1c21877a98

other more commercial chemical solutions are the copper and sulphurs or mancozeb/ fongarid etc sometimes one has to fight with chemicals in order to win the war!when natural solutions dont work..i did read something about milk as a natural fungicide:-

http://www.abc.net.a...ies/s948323.htm

friendly citrus sprays are said to help kill mould etc also..but i cant find a product that is available...

Edited April 19, 2012 by applesnail

[gneumatics]

Nice info Applesnail

Where do you get your supply of Neem in victoria?

[sethomopod]

mancozeb, if used correctly, will work... needs a low ph to be active.. 5 is good... add some vinegar..

You must use what you mix .. Dont keep a solution for later..

you have to alternate fungicides or it will become less effective..

[gneumatics]

sethomopod: Is it safe for indoor use though? especially when a humidifier might be causing it to become air-born (no idea if this is possible, just being cautious).

Applesnail: I'm liking the idea of neem oil more and more the more I read. I'm intending to get a %100 concentrate in a 1 litre size (around $40 with postage) and mixing it with baking soda. I'm guessing I will have to spray the plants and walls more often (once fortnightly instead of monthly) though as apparently it breaks down a lot quicker then chemical based fungicides.

[applesnail]

ventilation air flow is probably the most effective fungicide prevention one can use for indoor environments!

neem sources:-

http://glandorehydro.com/Azamax.html

http://www.enviromar...estcontrol.html

I have no experience with humidifiers so unfortunately i cannot have any input there sorry gneumatics!

this is the citrus spray for plants i was thinking of for disinfecting grow rooms..you can get thru that discount hydro shop on the above ebay links but you may have to call them...

http://www.hollandfo...itroshield.html

Edited April 19, 2012 by applesnail

[Sallubrious]

For the walls and the growing environment a quick wipe down with dilute tea tree oil will kill most fungal pathogens.

I've used it on plants mixed with neem to get rid of spidermites too. Don't ask the dilution I used though I just sploshed a bit in some water and it worked OK

http://eurekaoils.com.au/product/Tea-Tree-Oil

Like applesnail said the envirnment is what's going to cause you most of the problems, I'd only use the humidifier until the plants are established and showing signs of growth and then wean them off it.

The plants will generate their own humidity so you really shouldn't need a humidifier. A mist spray a few times a day should be enough.

Use your better judgement though, if you see signs of browing leaves you'll have to increase the humidity.

[gneumatics]

Is there a reason I shouldn't just use bleach to throughly clean the room every month or so? Cheaper and I'd imagine a lot more effective then neem too. Or wouldn't my plants like that very much?

... G

[sethomopod]

sethomopod: Is it safe for indoor use though?

 

Without PPE.. No it's not safe at all.. Mancozeb has been known to cause cancer in humans..

I would use mancozeb as an absolute last choice...

Just elaborated on it because I use it commercially pretty often..

[gneumatics]

Ok, so I've been put onto a product called Greencure, see the link...

http://www.greencure.net/

Sounds safe but not too sure about effectiveness. Apparently the way it works is by sucking water out of the air which starves the fungus. I'm just a bit concerned that this may mean the poor psychotria's don't get the humidity they are after. Anybody had any experience?

[Darklight]

Are you doing the wall and floor surfaces? Or just the plants?

If it's the walls and floors etc the Citrus spray someone mentioned earlier might be good, just try it on one wall/ floor area first

There used to be an amazing pine tar product called something like No More Mould which was excellent for such jobs, you could work in an area safely soon after application and IME no impact on plants. I can't find it these days, but if you can track down a similar product- test it first to make sure it's OK with your species in cultivation.

Best solution for pathogen problems is good forward planning during setup stages. Overcrowding or keeping highly stressed ( and sick ) individuals in with your babies makes all plants more susceptible.

The idea is to maintain airflow, airflow, airflow. In the absence of that, not only does the chance of contamination increase, it's also harder to get rid of. There is a minor tradeoff between airflow and maintaining humdity, but it's easeir to sort out than repeatedly killing batches of plants by overcrowding

[RyanVolle]

maybe make one homemade?

i used this for my investigatory project in biology (it's a project, kinda like a science fair, assigned to us by our teacher, but we get to look for a project of our own and not the making part yet)

Onions, water, soap, and a sprayer.

Chop the onions; a half will do for a smaller sprayer.

Add a lot (jk just enough soap that it's bubbly *bubble bubble*)

add the onion to the solution and spray away