I have a Chinese Fern that has been very happy. I repotted it and moved it to a new location. I noticed a couple of dropped leaves but what concerns me more is the spots in the middle of my leaves. I have yellow and brown/black spots appearing in the middle of my leaves. It has only occurredo n the lower, older leaves. I will post a couple of pictures.
Another picture:
One more picture:
I can think of many conditions that might bring about the symptoms pictured. Over/under-watering, a high level of soluble salts in the soil, nutritional deficiencies, sudden decrease in light intensity or photo-period, temperature extremes, tight roots (rootbound), ammonium toxicity related to cold soils if it was outdoors, insects (mites) ...... all are suspects until you narrow things down.
After eliminating insects as the cause, and going only by odds, I would first suspect over-watering and/or an accumulation of salts in the soil. If you can eliminate those as possibilities, then I would look to other issues, but more input will be needed if you want to narrow things down.
Something to consider: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1065021/
Al
Got your e-mail.
First: Were you able to eliminate insects and over/under-watering as a possible source of the problem? When you water, do you flush the soil thoroughly and then wait until the soil is quite dry before watering again? In a bonsai workshop I participated in that was put on by John Naka (a bonsai master and one of the men largely responsible for popularizing bonsai in the West) one of the participants asked, "How often should I water my juniper, Mr. Naka?" To which he replied in accented English with a most serious face, "Wait until plant become completely dry, then water day before." I still don't know if that was his brand of humor at work or if he was totally serious. Nonetheless, the advice is proper for a huge % of plants.
What are you using for soil? When was the last repot/ or potting up? Is it possible the plant is over-potted and thus over-watered?
Was the plant outdoors until very recently; and is there a chance it might have been exposed to a sudden chill? Chill injury can occur at temps as high as 45* if the temp drop is fast enough.
Are you fertilizing regularly? with what? what rates?
These questions approach the problem from the process of identifying the issue(s) and eliminating it/them, but there is also another approach, which consists of forgetting that process and going to the basics - starting from scratch and simply making sure cultural conditions are as perfect as you can make them by getting the plant into a very good soil (most important) and getting you on track by getting your plants in good light, and establishing a fertilizer program and good watering habits that will ensure good growth and vitality for all your plants.
Al
Al,
Soil - I followed your advice on the soil mixture of peat, fir bark, chicken grit and turface. I have slowly transplanted all of my plants to the potting mixture.
Environment - I have always kept this plant inside however I recently repotted and moved it to another room. The CF was getting too large for the room it was in (east window). I moved it to the LR approximately 10 foot from a south window. It is possible that it catches drafts in the LR.
Insect/Disease - It is possible that it could be insect. All the plants that were brought inside for the winter have been sprayed and or watered with Neem. I have not seen any evidence of insects other than gnats.
Fertilizer - I withheld the fertilizer beginning in October.
Water - I have been watering with bottled water or water from the faucet that is at least a couple of days old. I have changed the watering schedule because I changed the soil. With the new soil, I water usually about once a week.
Usually, I see changes in the edge of the leaf but this problem seems to start in the middle of the leaf. What do you think? I did move the CF back to the original location.
This message was edited Nov 17, 2010 12:05 PM
Tell me more about the neem product you watered with. Was it pure, cold-pressed neem oil or another product approved for use as a soil drench? The plant had been happy prior to the neem product application?
Al
The Neem is in concentrated form mixed with water as a spray or soil drench. Neem has not been used on this plant, only the plants I brought in from outside. None of the plants brought in for the winter have been in contact with this plant.
The Chinese Fern started to decline when is was transplanted. After transplanting it I also moved t to a new location of the house. It would get a lot more sun in this location during the summer months. The CF is not directly in front of the window, it's maybe 10 foot away.
I looked a little closer at the pictures. From the last you posted, I'm left with the impression that the plant might be over-potted and thus the soil remaining wet for an extended period. That is supported by the fact that you mention you combined peat, fir bark, Turface and granite, but the gritty mix has no peat. Peat is actually quite counterproductive in the gritty mix. I screen equal parts of
Turface MVP
crushed granite (grower size or #2 cherrystone)
pine or fir bark in 1/8-1/4
over insect screen to eliminate all fine particles before mixing. The result looks like this:
.... so I'm thinking you're probably dealing with the effects of over-watering - one of the root and/or crown rots.
Will you share how you made the soil (the recipe you settled on) and d-mail or post a picture that gives a better look at the relationship between plant/pot sizes?
Al
I don't know why I added peat. I read your post a long time ago. I gathered all the ingredients, mixed a huge batch and recently mixed another batch from memory. I'm not sure where the peat came from. I am working until 7 pm tomorrow. I will take a picture and post it as soon as I make it hiome.
Thanks Al
