Today, I checked a seedling, which is suffering from root rot. I had noticed the root problem already in January but I couldnt do anything about it until today because the plant was dormant, the temperatures were to cool and it was not adequate light available.
I removed all dead roots. This is all, what was left of them.
Will the plant live with tender loving care?
What were the signs in January that you noticed Monika?
I have 2 brugs that have die back even when I cut off the ends to good growth I am thinking they may have root rot. We had such a wet winter.
I repotted the seedling into a much smaller pot, watered it thoroughly and placed the seedling under the glass to let it have more light. The plant will not be watered again before the soil has not dried up. It prevents further rotting and forces the plant to form new roots. Note the difference in pots size before and after.
The first signs are a wilt look, which is followed by the shriveling of the trunk. This seedling had still thick and healthy roots left. He will survive.
Kell, it is important, that the soil dries up otherwise, the rot continues.
This message was edited Mar 18, 2004 3:50 PM
This has happened to a couple of my plants wintered over inside. I haven't checked their roots yet but the symptoms fit. Maybe if get a warm day I can take them out to repot.
Do you water with a fungicide after repotting?
No, I have not. I have used Previcur in the past but was not satisfied with the results. In my opinion, it does better without a fungicide.
Thanks for the tip, Monika about them doing better without the fungicide.
Monika, Thank you, I believe you just solved my Species mystery. The pot might have been too big for it.
Well, I guess that is what I will be doing tonight... re-potting my Species. I hope my Hubby is available for some "togetherness"...lol
This is how I lost my Maja last year from Glory. Susie did her best to help me but I think it was too late as it did not come back.
This has also happened to me. The larger ones I could save but the smaller ones, I could not. I do watch mine carefull but when it rains for a week, it is difficult for them to dry out fast enough especially when the weather is cool. Even in the greenhouse, I have to be careful because there has been weeks of cloudy damp weather and they simply stay too wet.
Thanks Monika for for discussing this with us and telling us the correct way to handle this.
Monika, one of mine is wilting but I think it may be the spider mites. What's the best solution for spider mites on a brug? I have no idea how sensitive these plants are and don't know what to do...
The are not sensitive with the exception of B. versicolor, which originates from the tropic zones of SA.
Did you check your plants for Spider mites? Infestation of Spider mites shows in lighting up of the leaf and tiny yellow or red mites can be seen underneath. Fine webs are often seen on the leaf edges or around the stem. Finally, the leafs will be dropped.
Wilting is often the first sign for root damage. Too wet and/or too cold soil in too large pots are the cause for root rot.
My first check are always the roots. Healthy roots are of white color.
Yes I definitely have spider mites. How can i get rid of them? I've tried spraying Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap but they keep coming back it seems. I don't think i have root rot because new shoots keep popping up but as soon as I can take these outside, I will check the roots. I am VERY new to this, since the fall I got my first cuttings. I really appreciate the help... :)
Monika is in bed now so I'll jump in here. Do you have any kind of insecticide that lists mites as one of the things it will help control? If not, you might need to find a WalMart or some other store, go into the lawn and garden dept. and find something that will work on them. You have to keep after them until they are gone. One spraying won't do it because they have laid eggs. Spider mites like it hot and dry. I found out that putting pots on cement was a great way to get mites. Once I started putting them in the grass and sprayed the grass daily with water, my mite problem has decreased bunches. I sometimes even spray the plants just for the heck of it. In the house....another story. Something else you can do (I've not tried it yet) is soak the plant, if small enough, in 115 degree water for 15 minutes. That is supposed to kill the mites but not the brug.
Thanks Brugie and Monika,
Yes, the spray I have says it kills spider mites. I believe that my problem is that I just need to keep after them until I see no more. I only have small brugs because I've just started and they are all in the house. I've kept the infected ones seperate. I'll keep spraying, I was just afrid of killing my brugs with the mite spray. Is there any danger of this happening? I really appriciate you guys helping me.
Toni
The problem will be that they will become immune to the spray and you will have to use something different for a while and then can go back to what you started with. There is always a catch to everything, I think. Good luck. I hope you get them rounded up. Mites and aphids we can all do without. My greenhouse is full of ladybugs right now, so I'm pretty sure things are clean out there. I did notice that they were trying to get out the door today, so they are probably not getting any food. Guess I better take them some fruit. LOL!
Neem is good for mites and is also an IGR. You have to spray every few days for three weeks to break their cycle unless you use something like Avid and you can wait longer between sprays. Usually only takes two sprayings with Avid and you won't see mites for months. You might also try a few drops of tea tree oil in 8oz water and spray. Be sure when spraying that you get the undersides of the leaves where the mites live.
We had so many lady bugs here last year, they were everywhere! I heard that the Asian ladybugs (the brown ones that bite!) were introduced into North America to get rid of the Spider Mite problem that was causing a reduction in the Honeybee population. Don't know if it's true or not. I was very surprised that I was getting bitten by ladybugs, they weren't very ladylike, lol.
Thank you both for the tips, I'm going to go get Neem or Avid. Wish me luck...
You know my BF the other day said a Ladybug bit him, and I didn't believe him, guess I should have, lol!
I told my boss that one day at work while he was playing around with them and he laughed at me ... he got bit.
okay i know this is going to sound bad and probably mean but how do you get rid of lady bugs?
my sister just bought a house and it is infested with them. i mean infested. i know as a gardener they are really benificial but she cant live with them. i mean they are in the roof the attice the insulation everywhere. you walk in this house and they are flying on the curtains and everything. its awful.
so if anyone has ideas let me know. thanks marie
I have them by the thousands in the fall. This winter I've had one or two every day in the house. Now that it is warming up, they are coming out of hybernation and ping off the ceiling above the lights. The vacuum takes care of them in the house, but outside is going to be bad this year. I bought some expensive concentrate that killed lots of them this last fall, but I didn't get it in time to spray when they first came out. What a mess and they seem to love to get inside the brug blooms.
I bought once australian Lady bugs to fight off mealy bugs on my passifloras. They do bite - finally, I opened the Gh to get rid of them because I was sick to get bitten every time, I went into the Gh.
Monika,thanks for this info.I lost a bunch of rooted cuttings to root rot this winter,and couldn't figure out what it was!
When it comes to riding yourself of spidermites, AVID is a pesticide that is the most effective of any. This is the concensus of atleast 100 friends and gardener's. The amazing part is you only add 1 drop per gallon. Also, do a little research on the breeding cycles of mites. Understanding the life cycles will make all the difference in your battle. No single application can kill all mites and there eggs. I've tried every product out there when I grew indoors and avid blew neem oil away. Neem oil works by suffocation and it also makes it impossible for the mites the shed which kills the aswell.
Goodluck, Jeff
Well, it is a little more than a drop per gallon, according to my label, but not much, 1/4 tsp per gallon is what I use.
Thanks for the info Monika. I got bit by a Lady Bug the other day and I was very surprised. I didn't know they bit
Rootdoctor was collecting them at my house today to take home with him. I think he might wish he hadn't after they start multiplying.
Did any of you have the other kind of lady bug last year, they bite, they are exactly like a lady bug but instead of a deep red they are more of an orange brown color, we had hundres last year, had to sweep them up with a sweeper as they got into the house, they were a real pest.
The orange ladybugs are asian ladybugs I believe. They were imported to help with aphid problems on soybeans. If you have soybean fields near your home you may notice that when the soybeans get going the orange ladybugs disappear..but after they get harvested they come looking for a place to overwinter. They do bite and they also stink when they die or are killed. (they smell like soybeans really) I just throw themoutside or down the toilet or vacumn them up as much as possible. They don't always bite but it is annoying when they do.
