UH OH, we've got a major problem. GIRDLE STEM ROT. HELP!

I posted a question about that branch that completely died off after cutting a yellowing fan leaf too early nd causing a mold to take hold. The leaf fed to the stalk and has now done this ** SEE PIC.

A. Will it survive for a month if I put it in the intensive care unit.
B. What is the best antifungal.
C. Is debridement a good choice in moderation?
D. Will Alcohol swabs work?

Originally Posted by nanaimosco
apparently he helped a yellowing fan leaf by cutting it off. That in turn shocked the branch into thinking it wasn't going to get enough light. The same thing happened to him on another plant too, so this is now proven in my books. Message: Don't Fuck with Fan Leafs.



good moral, bad story.
if the leaf was already yellow, the plant it about to shed it eneways (brocket99 anyone? )
what im guessing happened is where he cut the off the leaf, mould moved in.
when the mould has a circle around a stem it cuts off nutrient supply. believe me, i know.
"

sorry man, its probably fucked.
i use 1 part milk to 9 parts water as an antifungal spray.
once the mold has a ring around the mainstem, it will stop nutrients from traveling up the stem, and the plant is virtually dead.
its worth a try though. mix up a milk spray and use that after swabbing the entire region with alcohol.
good luck, i have a plant with mold halfway around the stem and im in the same boat. mold is a WHORE.

also, dolomite lime will keep the PH balanced and provide calcium, which will help prevent this type of thing from happening.
another thing to look into is Potassium Silicate, it strengthens cell walls, making it harder for the mold to penetrate.

do you have any pics of the whole plant? how is it doing? is it yellowing hardcore?

the plant is wonderful, healthy green, but its growth has slowed in comparison to a sister plant with no disease.

I have removed as much of the fungus as I could and cleansed it with alcohol. It is very localized. The roots dont seem to be affected as it is green on the stalk below the infected area.

Here is a pic taken a few minutes agoView attachment 1749198

i highly recommend using a diluted milk spray, it slows the fungus down quite significantly.
Milk is a useful fungicide in the garden, and is more effective than standard chemical brands.
Researchers believe the potassium phosphate in milk boosts a plant's immune system to fight the fungi.
Where most organic gardeners use a baking soda, soap and oil solution, milk may be substituted to combat the unwanted fungus.
Preparing a Milk Solution and Spraying Schedule
The correct dilution and spraying schedule for garden plants depends on the situation and takes some trial and error.
A milk fungicide solution can range from 1 part milk to 9 parts water, to a strong, milk-only solution. A 1:1 dilution may work for a week, but a 1:8 solution requires spraying every 3 or 4 days.
Skim milk may work better than whole milk, as the higher fat milk may clog a sprayer; even reconstituted powdered milk works.
Uses for Milk Fungicide
Milk was originally used in the garden to treat powdery mildew on squash plants. It is now also commonly used on flowers such as rudebekia (Black-eyed Susans) and Begonias to cure powdery mildew.
Milk has also been used to cure Botrytis on a Cyclamen houseplant. This was applied full strength every morning (leftover breakfast milk). Rotten leaves were picked away and the plant pulled through with no more Botrytis.
Black spots and rust on roses can be controlled but not cured with milk. Fortunately, milk can prevent the spread of these fungi to other plants and new leaves. This can be very useful when bringing home a plant from the nursery and finding a black spot.
"
looks like a nice bushy plant too.
i have heard that Molasses helps plants fight off disease, probably due to the range of Micronutrients in it, i use 1 TSP per Gallon.

upon closer inspection it seems an entire branch is wilting. The branch is the one off the base at the affected area. I sure hope we can head this off quick. The other plant seems to be healing a bit, or at least not progressing as fast. I will keep you posted

we pulled the 18 inch branch off, it was rotten at the node, and the branch was hollow inside

After I cleaned it and scraped off the mold and dead tissue (Debridement) and we applied some neem oil.

it doesn't look ant worse right now, I will keep you posted

She is still alive and thriving. NO mold this morning, even wiht heavy dew. Looks like neem oil is the ticket

I find that direct sunlight on the rot/mold kills it. Can you tilt the plant so the sun is directly on that rotting area, cut off lower suckers, scrap away an inch of soil from stem base and when you water only the outer pot ,not the middle. If raining for long period,bring it indoor

*BUDS said:

I find that direct sunlight on the rot/mold kills it. Can you tilt the plant so the sun is directly on that rotting area, cut off lower suckers, scrap away an inch of soil from stem base and when you water only the outer pot ,not the middle. If raining for long period,bring it indoor

Click to expand...

When you mentioned the sunlight notion it made me think about the long wave hand held UV lights I would use in the lab when examining chemo illuminescent stanined agarose gels. (DNA type work)

Sunlight = Drying, but also a wide spectrum of UV light.

UV Light = Causes Thyamine dimers within DNA and hence the potential for mutation to occur on the cellular level. (Think of it as cancer) BTW : UV light is a sterilization method aswell

If you felt like buying one of those hand held long wave UV lights instead of the sun light, I think both would be more efficient than topical applicants.

Example : http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/fsproductdetail?storeId=10652&productId=650760&catalogId=29104&matchedCatNo=1199242&endecaSearchQuery=%23store%3DScientific%23N%3D0%23rpp%3D15&fromSearch=1&searchKey=waves||wave||long&highlightProductsItemsFlag=Y

Your a smart man, and it seems so am I. I have been doing just that for the past few days to sun bleach that mold. Tilting it was the key for sure. Great minds think alike. The diseased area is not spreading.

We will bring them in, in the event of heavy rains.

Thanks dude,

Still happy, no mold. Still applying neem oil un diluted directly to affected area every couple days.

nanaimosco said:

Still happy, no mold. Still applying neem oil un diluted directly to affected area every couple days.

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Thats GREAT bro. Im glad everything is getting back to order.

I just found a spider MITE ! The battle has begun...

I Lost a 6 inch pop corn bud branch at the bottom to the grey mold. I tore it out of the socket from the node on the main 24 inch branch just as I did previously with the other 24 inch branch that came right off.

I had no alcohol so I cleaned the small area with Windex on a paper towel then cleaned that off, then covered it with raw Neem oil. That branch it came from appears unaffected. The previously affected area are calloused off mostly. THe nodes are strong and I haven't seen other outbreaks yet.

Obviously the mold is systemic at this point, and its going to be a control the outbreak type situation. Its almost like AIDS. Its there and it is trying to get you, but with new meds and good care, people live a full life. Look at Magic Johnson.

Now keep it in the sun and hope for the best.

Lost a smaller branch to amputation again. I felt it was best to do it early and not risk losing the entire 24 inch branch. I will let you all know how that main branch faired and post a few new pics later in the week.

I feel bad for the plant.
Hacking off limb by limb!

Fuck, atleast you're battling it, and not letting it get the best of you.
I've learned lots in this thread, gracias for having this problem lol.

What about cutting the lower branches off and repotting with 6 extra inches of soil to get that weak part under so it is not supporting the weight of the plant?

Good idea, but its not weak at that infected area, it just looks bad because I scrubbed the hell out of it with alcohol, and its been bleached by the sun as well. It may very well eventually just succumb to this "falling over disease" . I am prepared to fight till the end.

Like I said before, the area is pretty much isolated. But 6 inch suckers are becoming infected so it is obviously systemic now.

QUESTION: What about watering\flushing with Neem oil and water

And for the record we've lost just 1 branch, and one little one of the side of a big one.

When you pull on the plant and make it flex it doesn't flex at the scar, its held firmly by a massive root system.

This plant is over 4 months old, it has a fighting chance from what I have read. Young plants die fairly fast.

Vocabulary for this issue:

Hemp Canker (more info than you need) --> http://www.scribd.com/doc/52880514/10/HEMP-CANKER
Girdle stem rot

nanaimosco said:

Still happy, no mold. Still applying neem oil un diluted directly to affected area every couple days.

Click to expand...

A simple, sensible approach. Very nice............