Rotting stem, possible mold or mildew as well

[MarkExpress]

Hey guys!
I made a mistake by not joining this forum to ask for advice earlier in the year. I made one huge mistake, only one, in my garden. Everything else worked out well, until the last 3 weeks. I applied a sticky substance to the bottom of my stems to prevent beetle borers from climbing up and digging inside the plants. Now, I am facing a bigger problem.

Three weeks later, I removed the non-toxic substance, but it seems that it has gone inside the stem, and now the stem is showing signs of rot, attracting mold and/or mildew. Plants wilt and die, obviously due to lack of water uptake through the stem. Stem does not expand growth in the affected spot, starts to look brown or black on outside.

Is there any way to save the stem that has been compromised? I tried scraping as much as I could off, then applying rooting gel and covering with soil. It had limited success.

Thanks,
Mark.

 

[MarkExpress]

I tried looking up older threads, and noticed something about Oxidate. But the biggest problem I am facing right now is stem rot, and I am sure its not botritis or other disease. Although the stems may become vulnerable and exposed to it later on, especially in wet and chilly September and October.

 

[Capulator]

do you have fungus gnats? I bet you do... does the rotty stem smell like sewage?

You can use straight 3% H2o2 from the pharmacy. squirt it all over the wounded area every day for a week.

 

[MarkExpress]

Nope, haven't seen any fungus gnats at all. I will try that method, but I noticed an occasional build-up of white substance on the parts of the stem that show signs of deterioration. Looks like either mold or mildew. Its wet and soft. Regular removal of it does not make it go away. Does not matter if its dry weather or wet, although recent rain made rot more obvious and worse. I attached some pictures from a week ago. Yesterday they look slightly worse. I could lose about 90% of my small crop to this :\ already lost 50%

 

[Mississip Hip]

try putting straight from the bottle liquid kelp on a Q-tip and swab the area. I use this to fix split stems and it is amazing.

If you got them....mixing in a dash of Caps bennies couldn't hurt. His foliar eats the FUCK out of mold.

 

[MarkExpress]

try putting straight from the bottle liquid kelp on a Q-tip and swab the area. I use this to fix split stems and it is amazing.

If you got them....mixing in a dash of Caps bennies couldn't hurt. His foliar eats the FUCK out of mold.

Hey, thanks for the advice, will try that as soon as possible. So far I tried every other possible method, and the only thing that partially worked is application of antibacterial soap (diluted with water) on the stem. It decreased mold/fungus re-appearance by at least 50%, but the rot still ends up killing the stem by cutting off circulation to some plants and they wilt away.

 

[dorjewright]

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If you got them....mixing in a dash of Caps bennies couldn't hurt. His foliar eats the FUCK out of mold.​

​

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I'll second this method.​

[/quote]

 

[Mississip Hip]

I forgot about this thread....:oops:

did anything work homie? You fix it?.....I hope so!

 

[MarkExpress]

There's some good news. I figured out that scrubbing the stem is a bad idea. Any removal of foreign or dead material from the stem has to be as minimal as possible so this way it doesn't cause more damage. It only weakens the stem and invites rot and infection. Most effective solution: I used a 1-litre spray bottle to apply the following mix to the stem once every 3-4 days: 3% hydrogen peroxide and about 20-30 ml of non-toxic liquid antibacterial soap. At the same time I watered the plants more frequently, in order to boost their growth (growth of the stem). Two weeks later, losses have been minimal, plants that died were the ones that probably were in advanced stages of rotting or the ones that got knocked over by the winds.

Overall losses so far are 50%, not too bad, but I learned many lessons this year. There are so many hazards in my location, you guys wouldn't believe it. Very sandy area, so some plants are getting cooked in 90 F temperatures and get partially covered in sand. Sandstorms are frequent (strong winds), I also have armies of aphids, ants, spiders, spider mites, grasshoppers and beetle stem borers to deal with. Not to mention high airplane and boat traffic :) but I planted them very very carefully. Couple of my ladies are almost 10 feet tall, and its only first week of August.

 

[baba G]

Welcome to the great outdoors!!:D

 

[baba G]

you forgot racoons, deer, hunters, snakes, gophers & worms...lol
Wish you the best on getting those plants to fruition:)