...my Green Jade Vine.
I am not certain exactly what happened, but there has developed a problem with the trunk of the vine. Even if you don;t have experience with STRONGOLYDON or jade vines, your personal hands on experience in general with a similar problem might make the difference.
This is a very old vine. About 10 years. I noticed a couple weeks ago that the trunk at the base of the vine, which had a diameter of about 8 or so inches, had some fissures in it. These worsened and split, and the trunk inside was spongy and rotting! Its pretty severe. It hasn't gone all the way through, and the vine above the place is still quite healthy and overall the vine is putting out new growth and looks normal. But I am afraid it is going to die at this defective spot unless I can somehow intervene.
What I did may sound silly, but I couldn;t think of anything else to do in the short term...I tried to gently clean as much 'bad' material away as I could, and I sprinkled rooting hormone all over the cavity that was left, packed it with DRY sphagnum (thinking that moist or wet moss would cause more rot) and I wrapped it in a plastic sleeve kind of like an air layering sleeve to see if maybe some new roots would form and I could them bury the trunk in soil up to that point.
I don;t know what caused this rot. I suspect possibly it may be cold damage...this vine is very near the sliding greenhouse door and when it got to 17F this winter it may have taken a draughty hit of cold air.
If worse comes to worse and it looks like it may die back, I will take many cuttings are try to re-root one, and I have 2 spare rooted and growing cuttings from last season so I can start over. But I'd really like to save this one as it is bloom sized and has bloomed for 3-4 years now.
Open to any thoughts
Need suggestions to salvage...
I might suggest the use of cinnamon extract or powder due to it antimicrobial compound (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) but with your application of rooting hormone I just don't know. The Spag. moss has its own antimicrobial compounds so that sounds good.
Sorry thats the best I've got unless you want to go the route of Kocide, etc.
Scott
Hey Scott I thought of that, because I thought it would be beneficial to apply some sort of fungicide/antimicrobial, but I have made it a long term policy here at my place not to use any herbicides, pesticides or fungicides. But I forgot to mention it in my post. Thanks for mentioning it for everyone who might read. I liberally applied it, VERY liberally, the first day after I applied the Moss/growth hormone bandage and then reapplied the moss.
I have used cinnamon for many years on orchids when I divide them, and on all sorts of other plants in place of fungicide. It works very well. Plus you get the nice smell, LOL.
I guess only time will tell, as the summer goes on I am going to take several cuttings to root, just in case.
can you expand on the use of cinnamon as a fungicide? ( if you don't mind a minor hijack of your thread?)
Cinnamon has been used since ancient times as a medicinal. Scientific research exists that proves that in humans, cinnamon can reduce blood glucose levels, reduce LDL cholesterol, has been shown to be very effective in curing yeast infections due to Candida that are drug resistant, is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and is high in Iron and calcium.
I am not sure exactly how it started being used on plants, but orchid growers have sworn by it for years as a natural fungicide.
I eat cinnamon every day in conjunction with Kefir, hemp seeds and chia seeds. I combine all these with Fiber One cereal and its delicious and extremely healthy.
mjsponies
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118950156/abstract
This is just a quick link to a study done using cinnamon and clove as fungicides. Keep up a google chase to find more.
Scott
Thank You ! I'm very interested in anything that will help keep from having to use "chemicals" as we grow to attract butterflies, hummer's and bee's as well as our veggie's.
I don't have any experience with jade vine (I wish I did!) but I was reading in the newsletter about some disease that attacks lilacs when they get old and it sounds like the same thing.
I think you've given it a good chance with your treatment, another idea might be to add the powder but then leave the wound open to the air so it dries well (if the humidity isn't too high).
Check the area around the base of the vine, have there been any changes in the soil? More damp, or plants growing up around it?
Could it be that the vine is nearing the end of it's natural life span?
Good luck, I know it must be tearing you up to have problems with a plant this old and big!
I will have to research that lilac connection, Lakeside. I have absolutely no idea if these vines have an actual lifespan. I am growing the Mucuna pruriens, which is a cousin to this vine, as well as Mucuna bennettii and the Black Jade vine, Mucuna nigricans. M. pruriens seems to function as an annual. It sets seeds very easily, and the whole vine died back this winter, and came back from the seeds. The other two are not bloom size yet, although the M. benettii is 3 years old and should start to bloom soon.
The area gets the same moisture as usual, I haven;t done anything different, the only thing is it is so near the door, and there are draughts in winter even though I try to seal that door with plastic and bubble wrap. This winter was so awful it may have just gotten too cold.
It might not be so bad, except I removed my other huge looming green jade, because it was taking over everything. I thought I would always have this one, LOL I guess you should never take anything for granted.
Here's the article http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/928/ but I guess it isn't much help, just mentions lilac borer. Sorry.
I'll be crossing my fingers for you...
We had a medium size oak tree ( about 25 -30 foot ) that developed a mushroom growing out of it at the bottom.. My husband and I decided to treat it with a 50 -50 bleach and water. We reapplied every 6 months or so. It didn't get any worst , but it didn't get any better. The tree looked just fine from a distance. After about 6 years of doing this we went ahead and removed it fearing a hurricane may bring it down on the house. For your jade vine , it may just do the trick.