H. coccineus... what's happening????

two stems have already died, and another one is baisically dead too. i think it is coming up from the bottom of the stem to the top. WHAT DO I DO????? sorry bout the bad pic... i can take another

the bottom

Ugh - I would check the roots. I might be wrong, but that's the first place I would look since it's coming from the bottom. Sorry for you!

yeah i thought about that... i'll put that on tomorrow's to do list. i'm gonna take cutting if it doesn't improve and just root those. any other input?

The other possibility is that a critter was trampling through the garden and broke some branches off near the base, when you go to check the roots see if it looks like the stem is broken or nearly broken right at the soil level or just below, if that's the case then your roots are probably fine. But if the branches seem firmly attached still, then it probably is some sort of root rot or something along those lines. I've had a similar thing happen too when the gophers chew the roots off a plant, but then it's usually the whole plant that mysteriously wilts and dies, I've never seen just a couple of branches go while the rest looks OK.

That's happened to me from too much rain, when hibs were in ground. When transplanted to pots, those that were strong have survived the latest rains. Those that were too weakened, did/are not. Definately root rot?

yeah, but its started before the 8" rains last weekend. could it be the irrigation? the branches that were broken were done by me when they were dead. thanks for the feedback. i'll see tomorrow. what would i do about root rot?

I wasn't talking about the branches that already were broken off, I was talking about the one with the dead looking leaves. If that branch was bent a lot or broken at the base when an animal (or a person!) tromped through the garden and wasn't careful where they're going then it could make one branch die but not the rest. Root rot is more likely since you've lost a number of branches this way, but it's a possibility.

oh i see, that could be if it didn't spread to other branches. if it is root rot, then would i just cut the rotting roots off, and allow less water?

and use hydrogen peroxide to clean the roots as well. but remember, if you trim the roots, trim the top of the plant as well.

ok.. im guessing the hydrgen peroxide wil sterilize the roots? why would i have to cut the top, and how much? what causes root rot?

This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 2:52 PM