Posted by Patrick Sheehy
on 12/29/2011, 1:25 am, in reply to "Re: Dioon edule leaf collapse"
41.135.36.239
Hi. I have just had a similar problem with my 3 meter tall Encephalartos Altensteinii. It was in the final stages of producing 20+ new fronds and literally as I was admiring it the whole centre just collapsed. This has resulted in a rather large gaping whole in the apex and I am concerned that this could become infected. Any ideas please. P.S. This is the first time this has ever happened - the plant appears very healthy and has simultaneously pushed up two large new growths from the base. Thank you
--Previous Message--
: Once it began to flush, I watered no
: less than every other day. The
: plant has rooted into the thick
: layer of composted pine straw from
: the drain holes in the pot so it is
: able to draw moisture from a larger
: area than just the pot. I will tie
: the leaves up as suggested and see
: what happens. Thanks for the
: response.
:
: --Previous Message--
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: One of my 15 gallon Dioon edule
: recently pushed a beautiful flush of
: sixteen leaves. A day after
: admiring its perfectly symmetrical
: crown of leaves, I noticed that the
: leaves were leaning slightly in one
: direction. Upon inspection, it
: appeared that the petiole / caudex
: connections were soft and unable to
: hold the leaves up firmly. I am
: assuming that I may have a root rot
: problem and the plant is unable to
: take up enough water to keep the
: leaves turgid in the heat of the day
: (95-100 degrees). The leaves appear
: normal in the early morning. Two
: days ago I applied a Subdue
: fungicide drench. Can you recommend
: anything else that I should be doing
: to prevent total plant failure?
: Should I consider removing leaves?
:
: How often are you watering the
: plant? I have seen this many times
: when it gets as hot as it is right
: now and the plant doesn't get
: watered but a couple of times a
: week, or less. There are signs that
: tell you that water is the problem.
: Since the leaves look decent in the
: morning, the plant is keeping up
: with what it needs until it gets so
: hot that it can't pump enough water
: into the leaves. You may think there
: could be rot, but unless you have
: seen some on the stem, I would say
: the most likely chance is just that
: you would need to water it more
: often when it is as hot and dry as
: it is.
: Dioon edule usually doesn't have
: this problem all the time, but there
: are quite a few cycad species, like
: Encephalartos whitelockii and E.
: bubalinus that will have theor new
: leaves just drop before they even
: have a chance to harden up. I tie
: the leaves together and support them
: with a stick, or in the case of a
: huge whitelockii, I use a 1/2 inch
: metal conduit. In these cases, once
: they harden up for a month or so,
: they will hold their leaves erect
: and I can take down the support. I'd
: try something like this because
: those leaves can pull away at the
: apex and harm the plant.
:
:
:
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