Pachypodium lameri trouble

[fiji jim]

Can anyone give me some advice here.

I have some damaged Pachys and they start to rot.

One has three stems that branch at ground level and only one is damaged at the top ans is rotting. I attempted to cure it with fungicide and H2O2 but nothing helped.

If I cut off the damaged trunk at the base or junction with the other stems; will they heal that cut area or is there something that I can use to seal the cut ?

Others that have had damage have been single stem plants like the one in the pis and they invariably die.

Who knows ?

jim

[Gonzer]

I treat them the same as Plumeria, cutting all rotted parts away till healthy tissue is exposed. Not a 100% solution but it often works. Lamerii and brevicaule are probably the most susceptible species prone to rot IMO. Re-growth is slow. Give it a shot Jim.

[fiji jim]

Thanks Greg,

Here we never go without rain for long and I feel  that is part of the problem for pachys that become wounded. Plumeria just heal real fast and have no problems but I have lost every pachy that received any kind of wound. I have one that is in a pot and a small new growth on top of one stem was broken off during a windy period when a nearby heliconia leaf became pierced by a thorn and tore off the thorn and green new tip. Only a small wound but enough to start the rot.

So I will try again to save that one by moving it to shelter from any rain and cutting off that whole stem and hope that the other two make it.

Does anyone have any ideas about sealing the cut ?

[BigFrond]

Yeah, I would cut it like Gonzer said.  One of mine suffered this malady over the Great Freeze of 2007.  Too bad mine rotted near the base and could not be fix(cold weather plus wet soil).

[Al in Kona]

If it is really rotting in a bad way, I'd probably try cut away all that you can and put a fungicide on the fresh cut and keep it covered so rain doesn't hit it for some time so as to let it dry or callous over.  Hope you can save it.  I have a few different Pachys growing which I'll show on a new thread.

[ron@springhammock]

I agree with cutting out the rot...might want to consider pulling it out of the gound and in a pot in a sheltered, sunny, area until the wound hardens.  It's hard to kill with lack of H20, but easy with to much.

[fiji jim]

For interest sake I thought to keep other Pachypodium growers informed on the progress of one of my rotten plants. Previously I have lost everyone that had rot but had only cut the stem shorter rather than removing it altogether.

This pic is a before surgery shot

[fiji jim]

Now the cut that removed the whole affected stem.

[fiji jim]

Then the cut was pasted with Copperoxychloride powder and it will be kept out of the rain.

the two good stems both have tiny new green growths on their tips. No watering for this one for some time.

[Kris]

Dear Jim  

it seems that plant has been exposed to wet cool climate.shift the place,so you get only sunlight and no rain water !

or else the rest will also go in the same way...

and by the way even iam a fan of this madagascar cactus varities...and your palnt looks very beautiful.how old is it and was it raised from the seeds ?

love,

Kris  

[fiji jim]

Hi Kris,

That one was raised from seed planted in late 2004.

Here we can't get much at all that we don't have to start from seed ourselves.

These plants seem to grow really fast here but sometimes just start to rot as there is too much rain sometimes during their dormant times.

I never water them when they do not have foliage but the ones outside get rain of course.

They would do better in a climate like you have.

[Kris]

Dear Jim  

thanks for the suggestions but i have tried it and they rotted in the germination stage it self....since i was a novice in seed germination process then !

thanks & love,

Kris