Which to buy Physan 20 or Phyton 27?

[Morita]

Hello Dennis,

I recently encountered a brown spot on a leaf of a paphipedilum which
rotted the entire leaf within days. At that speed I can only imagine
this is a bacterial infection.

Similarly, a sickly phalaenopsis that lived nearby lost its last two
leaves within one week, in what I can only imagine is "crown rot".
FYI, I always take pains not to wet the crown, but went away for three
weeks and left my plants at the mercy of friends......

The phal has a couple of keikis on a spike despite having no leaves on
the mother plant. This used to be a very large plant..... I removed
it from its pot, inspected the thick roots (looked OK), trimmed the
crown, and re-potted since there is a small bud or baby plant trying
to emerge from the carcass of the old crown. I sprayed thoroughly
with a soapy neem oil concoction. However, I think I need to invest
in a systemic bectericide/fungicide...

Frankly, I do not know what may plants are ailing from....Bacteria?
Virus? Fungi? Other? This brings me back to my original question,
which is the better product to try given this situattion: Physan 20
or Phyton 27?

Would you know where to purchase in San Francisco? I just came back
from Sloat and they did not carry either product......

Thanks for your time and thoughtful answers!

[dennis...@aol.com]

Dear Morita:

I believe that what is damaging your plants is erwinia or pseudomonas.
A bacterial infection in any case. These are fast moving infections
and need to be attended to right away. Keep infected plants away from
plants that appear clean, as splashing water spreads the disease. Cut
off any tissue that shows signs of disease, well into healthy tissue.
I would recommend Phyton 27 as the spray of choice, as it has systemic
action which Physan does not. These infections may start as surface
infections, but they can get into the vascular system so a surface
acting spray will not help much. I have used Physan to control
bacterial infection, but it is not a sure thing.

Fungal infections tend to be slower moving, and usually are "dry" (as
opposed to the bacterial which often leak fluids. Viral infections are
totally different and do not cause rapid leaf loss (they are also
incurable).

I actually do not know of a source for Phyton in SF, but a quick
Google search should help you there. If you can't find it locally you
should be able to order it on the internet and have it within a few
days. SPRAY ALL YOUR PLANTS. Sometimes the infection can go unnoticed
or be asymptomatic for a while and suddenly flare up when conditions
are right.

Sincerely,
Dennis

[Morita Pagan]

Thanks for your quick answer Dennis.  I will quarantine and order Phyton 27 right away.

Cheers!
Morita