Betadine for fungal combat

[DirtMechanic]

Ever since I read about a suggestion for fungally infected soil being cured with a betadine irrigation of 15-30mL of Betadine to 4L of water, I have been trying to read about what the Betadine solution is,what carriers it is transported in, what effects it might have on plants and so forth. For example sometimes doctors prefer an alcohol based solution and others water based so it turns out both are available. It always seems that there is some good reason not to use something like this, so I am looking for that reason.

In the reading I found THIS. In a double blind study, 77% of HPV plantars warts were improved with an iodine cream. Betadine is definitely a cleanser of fungi, and popular in the medical area for its antiseptic properties. I hope it does not turn out to be a systemic as far as plants go. It is used on burn victims as it does not destroy skin mucousal membranes but even then it can be cautioned against. I hope that is due to concentration issues. Interesting area to be sure.

 

[NigelJ]

How about it is indiscriminate and will kill both beneficial and harmful soil organisms. 15-30mL in 4L is pretty dilute and may not have much effect as there is a lot of material in soil for the Iodine to react with.

 

[DirtMechanic]

How about it is indiscriminate and will kill both beneficial and harmful soil organisms. 15-30mL in 4L is pretty dilute and may not have much effect as there is a lot of material in soil for the Iodine to react with.

Yes it will. It appears to be a broad sterilizing agent. But will it hurt the plant? I have found zero on the subject save for one anecdotal post. I mean really, one would think if one person knows about it others do as well, and there should be something out there on the net. Perhaps I am not yet phrasing my search terms properly?

In a garden here, that magical phrase "beneficial organisms" is up against fungi that are straight out killing the plants. And not just any fungi, but those with no cure. I made a post about one that showed up on my okra and squash blooms last year when it rained insufferably and the moisture levels were beyond tropical here. It deformed the fruits at a minimum even when removed by hand, and jellified the plant back to the stem if left alone. It only wanted the tender bits. Its name is Choanephora cucurbitarum.

Some gardeners say plant enough for everybody, including the pathogens, to eat. This is a very organic approach. It is also a fact that some food will survive. You know this because it has not disappeared. However, it sure does make a lot of work for you.

So you see, you are absolutely throwing the beneficial baby out with the bathwater because it became possessed by evil fungal forces. Then you get to make another baby, so to speak. I do not have a problem sterilizing soil and beating back the aggression of mother nature. I would prefer not to of course. Finding that mythical balance is certainly one thing that makes growing plants interesting to me.

 

[NigelJ]

Try searching for Povidone Iodine rather than Betadine. Appears to have been tried in Orchid culture and Chrysanthemum propagation.

 

[DirtMechanic]

That is the one. PI they say in shorthand. Thanks for the compass headings.