TOPIC: Fungicide

Agree us small time growers are looking for the wildest look for the most money. Big growers want hugh roots every 3-4 years. I did not see where it was all organic I may have missed that.

Any fungicide application takes you out of the wild or wild sim category when you sell.

My ginseng that is of seed bearing age produce green berries; but they never make it to maturity. I need some advice about how to prevent my pods from gradually disappearing as the fall approaches each year. Does anyone know of an organic fungicide for blight that destroys my potential ginseng berry crop. The pods develop a white filmy residue each year and the pods fail to produce berries for me. If there is a natural remedy for this, I would appreciate some advice.
Thanks!

Hard to say for sure without pictures. I think I'd go with a copper and maybe copper/ridomil mix. The ridomil is systemic and should help if the plants are infected. If its blight (alternaria) the copper should fix that. But, you can't spray them back to back. Only 3 applications of ridomil per year, and you need to change fraq groups from one spray to the next.

BCastle, why only 3 applications per year? You are referring to the growing season, correct? What do you mean by changing the groups from one spray to the next? Do you have to treat with fungicide every year until harvest or can you treat for the first few years till they are older and stronger? If you treat with chemicals wouldn't the roots be considered woodsgrown. With the conditions seng needs, I don't see how any could hardly survive without treatment. Shade, damp conditions. You would have to treat with something or loose most of the plants. Is this a correct assumption?

My ginseng that is of seed bearing age produce green berries; but they never make it to maturity. I need some advice about how to prevent my pods from gradually disappearing as the fall approaches each year. Does anyone know of an organic fungicide for blight that destroys my potential ginseng berry crop. The pods develop a white filmy residue each year and the pods fail to produce berries for me. If there is a natural remedy for this, I would appreciate some advice.

This is something that needs to be talked about soon on the board. I see this in my ginseng and I see it in the wild as well. Hill and I talked about it last year and he said that it caused some damage to his berry crop. He thinks it is an insect and I don't know if it's an insect that I'm seeing or a fungus. I just know there is a lot of it. This can take a whole berry crop out and may damage the life span of the plant. Let's hear some input.

Hugh
This is what it looks like on a plant only much heavier.

garethNjessica wrote:

BCastle, why only 3 applications per year? You are referring to the growing season, correct?

Yes, growing season. Because if for no other reason, that is what the labeling indicates is the maximum application rate. Always follow the label directions.

What do you mean by changing the groups from one spray to the next?

More importantly, changing from one fraq group to another with each spray. Fraq group refers to the mode or mechanism of action. It is assumed that a certain percentage of fungal organisms are naturally resistant (immune) to certain modes of action. So, if you spray those that are resistant to that mode of action will survive and multiply passing on their immunity. If you keep using the same spray or one with the same mode of action, pretty soon the fungal organism you have will be completely immune to that mode of action and you lose the effectiveness of that spray all together. However, if you change the modes of action every spray, you greatly increase the chances that you will kill all of the organisms which are resistant to the first mode of action. Simple rule, always change sprays and fraq groups each spray.

Do you have to treat with fungicide every year until harvest or can you treat for the first few years till they are older and stronger? If you treat with chemicals wouldn't the roots be considered woodsgrown.

In my experience, you do not have to treat with fungicides at all. However, in a woodsgrown setting, you will have many more plants if you do, particularly the first few years. I agree, I think if you spray we are now talking about woodsgrown (even though some of the state administrators are not that strict). It is my understanding -depending on the certifying agency- that you can spray ginseng up to 3 years prior to harvest and still obtain a certified organic designation (which I don't think is right mind you...but that is my understanding at this point).

With the conditions seng needs, I don't see how any could hardly survive without treatment. Shade, damp conditions. You would have to treat with something or loose most of the plants. Is this a correct assumption?

Well, it all depends on specific conditions. If there is little air flow, the leaves can't dry off and disease has an easier pathway to inoculate the plant. Likewise, spacing is a big deal without spraying. This gets very complicated and far over my head when we go down that path. We start having to consider micro-nutrients and microorganisms and their symbiosis to ginseng along with the effects of monoculture.

However, we do know that ginseng naturally survives in these conditions without fungicides. Look at the differences in what we do and how ginseng grows naturally. When you find ginseng, look around and make detailed note of the conditions. I don't know about others here, but for me I can feel the correct conditions. It is hard to describe, but I know it when I'm there. The trick is to mimic those conditions as much as possible. One of the big ones for me is airflow. I trim limbs up over my head all the way down a hillside if I'm going to plant wild sim. Not so I can walk easily, but to increase airflow up the hill to keep the leaves dried off after rain or heavy dew.

Hugh,

That almost looks like botrytis to me. There are a number of products which will attack botrytis, but few of them are also effective on alternaria. Which, it is possible that this is alternaria also, but I've not seen it with the fuzzy look that way. If it is botrytis, that would explain why you have been unable to stop it thus far. Try Chlorothalonil (Bravo) or Pyrimethanil (Scala SC). Scala is also labeled for alternaria.

Hugh it looks like plant lice aka.grey aphid Sang ocd.

sangocd,

I think there is a good possibility that it could be an insect and it may be the Gray Aphid. I'm anxious for Hillhopper to join in and give his thoughts about this problem. I'm going to show another picture that I took last season and how I tried to deal with it. When I would see a plant stem starting to get the white fuzzy material on it underneath the berry pod, I would take my fingers and wipe up and down the stem until it all came off. Many times it would just come back in a few days and I would have to repeat the whole thing over.

Hugh