# Prontech against virus in a plant???



## Erythrone (Jul 2, 2013)

Hello guys!

An orchids grower told a friend of mine that Prontech actually goes inside the plant and kills the virus.

I am sceptical about it.... What do you think?


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## likespaphs (Jul 2, 2013)

i don't believe it
last i heard, they don't know how to kill a virus without killing the host too
it may kill viruses on surfaces (cutting tools, bench tops, etc), but i don't think in the plant itself
then again, i could be wrong...or just outdated


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## Jayfar (Jul 2, 2013)

Not much info on it to be found. The State of New Jersey has it listed on their Department of Environmental Protection pesticide database.

http://www.kellysolutions.com/nj/showproductinfo.asp?Product_Name=PRONTECH&EPA_Id=66784-1

Synonyms for Active Ingredient: BTC 2125, component of (with 069111)
Chemical Name
Alkyl* dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride *(60%C14, 30%C16, 5%C18, 5%C12)
BTC 2125M (Use 2 code nos. 069104 and 069154)
BTC 776
BTC 824

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzalkonium_chloride


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## lepetitmartien (Jul 2, 2013)

It's listed as virucide for external uses in Europe, but not for plants, even externally.


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## DavidCampen (Jul 2, 2013)

likespaphs said:


> last i heard, they don't know how to kill a virus without killing the host too
> it may kill viruses on surfaces (cutting tools, bench tops, etc), but i don't think in the plant itself
> then again, i could be wrong...or just outdated


Sure you can eliminate a virus without killing the host; for both plants and animals.
http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/7/2/161.abstract
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofosbuvir

But quaternary benzyl alkyl ammonium disinfectants won't do it. They are not even effective externally on many types of viruses (viruses that don't have a lipid envelope).

http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/disinfection_sterilization/9_0pceticacidhydropoxide.html
_Results from manufacturers' data sheets and from published scientific literature indicate that the quaternaries sold as hospital disinfectants are generally ... virucidal against lipophilic (enveloped) viruses; they are not ... generally ... virucidal against hydrophilic (nonenveloped) viruses _


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## Chicago Chad (Jul 2, 2013)

David- your wealth of knowledge within science and chemistry is astounding.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jul 2, 2013)

How is this stuff different from RD-20 or Physan? Seems that chlorox would be a lot more effective against viruses.


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## DavidCampen (Jul 3, 2013)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> How is this stuff different from RD-20 or Physan?


It is not.



> Seems that chlorox would be a lot more effective against viruses.


Yes.


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## Chicago Chad (Jul 3, 2013)

David- what are the risks of using Physan on orchids in the recommended dosage? I hear arguments that it can be damaging?


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## DavidCampen (Jul 3, 2013)

I use SA-20 from Southern Ag, it is essentially the same as Physan but less expensive. I buy gallon jugs of the stuff but I only use it peripherally around the plants, I don't deliberately drench plants with it.

I have a spray bottle containing SA-20 diluted to give 400 ppm quats that I sometimes spray on the leaves of plants but not so much as to drench the pot. I use SA-20 diluted to 1000-2000 ppm quats in my pesticide sprayer to wash algae off of my terra cotta pots and some may drip into the pots but I don't deliberately drench the pots. I sometimes add SA-20 to give 1000-2000 ppm quats to the open tank that supplies RO water to my fog system and let the fog system run; the SA-20 containing fog permeates the room and is strong enough that I have to leave or go into a fit of coughing.

SA-20 and Physan-20 are 20% (or 200,000 ppm) quats so for a solution of 400 ppm quats you add 1 part SA-20 to 500 parts of water, for 1000 ppm quats you add 1 part SA-20 to 200 parts of water.


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## Chicago Chad (Jul 3, 2013)

David- you answered a question I have not yet asked. 
I grow in terrariums and use a fogger, running 3X a day. I wanted to run it with a Physan application about once a month, but was worried about the effect on a whole tank of plants. I use it currently for cleaning the tanks and pots, but also try not to get too much on the plants themselves.

If I used a digital TDS meter, will that allow me to measure the amount of Physan appied to the distilled water in the fogger? Or will I have to rely on proper measuring alone for the part to part ratio? I am not familiar with quats.


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## DavidCampen (Jul 3, 2013)

A TDS meter will not measure Physan since Physan is non-ionic. You need some sort of liquid volume measuring device - teaspoon, 1ml disposable plastic transfer pipette etc.


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## Chicago Chad (Jul 3, 2013)

David- Thanks for the help.


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## jtrmd (Jul 3, 2013)

I have drenched my plants with Physan at the recommended dose without any major issues.I have to do it again soon. I have some moldy dead flowers about the stone floor,since I was sloppy on my GH cleanup this past spring.


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## Trithor (Jul 4, 2013)

jtrmd said:


> I have drenched my plants with Physan at the recommended dose without any major issues.I have to do it again soon. I have some moldy dead flowers about the stone floor,since I was sloppy on my GH cleanup this past spring.


Why would you drench your plants with Physan if you have a couple of mouldy dead flowers on the greenhouse floor?


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## cnycharles (Jul 4, 2013)

Well, spores travel everywhere so of you are very particular then this would give you the required excuse to nuclearize everything 
In that situation I think a weak peroxide spray would work just as well or better, since it works better at penetrating dead organic matter. Physan types are said to be great at sterilizing 'clean' surfaces but not as well dirty ones


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jul 4, 2013)

I used to soak all my paphs at transplant time in Physan and rooting hormone. Lately I've taken to simply repotting them with no soaking. So far, no change in success rate. I used to soak pots in Physan, but now I just give them a quick shpritz with chlorox, then rinse.


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