Sick Girls Please Help

[rogue farmer]

I'm new to the site and neophyte outdoor grower. Hopefully you guys can help me out.

The first picture shows the serious wilt issue I have going on with only one plant. All are in above grown planters with the same soil and on the same watering feeding schedule. I left for the weekend and came home to find this girl hanging half of her limbs low. Water issue was my first thought so I check the moisture level and found it normal. I let things go for the night and reassessed the next morning. Thing were worse. Again I checked the moisture level. It as pretty dry so ruled out over watering and gave her a drink and a treatment of Actinovate with the thought that a fungus is the issue. Watering didn't seem to bring things back after a few hours so I'm a bit stressed. Any thoughts??

Soon after dealing with mis wilty I found this girl with discolored limb and the tips of new growth dying. What is going on here?? Again an isolated problem in a garden of plants with all the same inputs. Is this a lockout issue? I've been feeding heavily, have I over done it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PButter]

Pictures aren't coming up for me...

 

[rogue farmer]

Here they are again hopefully I did things right this time. The first is my wilting issue the second two are the yellowing issue.

 

[caregiverken]

The plant in the 1st photo looks like it needs water :confused:
The yellowing is strange
Do you have a microscope? o_O

 

[Dunge]

If that plant in the first pic does not need water you must have a critter eating the roots from below like maybe a goffer or similar rodent.plant in the background looks great by the way.

I like this. The lower part of the pic shows veg from another branch that does not show wilt.
More concerning are those dying tops.
That looks to be going bad fast.
Can't think what it can be other than bugs.

 

[ponyo]

top might might be root rot from nematodes.
bottom pics are harder to pinpoint. possibly a fungus?

 

[Seamaiden]

I think you've got a disease or something like that going on there, brother, especially based on the appearance of the new growth in that one picture.

Inspect the main trunk, you want to see whether or not she's been girdled (mice will girdle looking for water). If she's been girdled, she's definitely a goner I am very, very sorry to say.

Wiggle that main trunk, hard. If it's loose it means she's not well rooted and if she's not well rooted at that size, something is wrong. If you pour some H2O2 onto the trunk or near the roots and see excessive foaming, then it may be a fungal pathogen, which is really what I'm landing on right now.

 

[rogue farmer]

I think you've got a disease or something like that going on there, brother, especially based on the appearance of the new growth in that one picture.

Inspect the main trunk, you want to see whether or not she's been girdled (mice will girdle looking for water). If she's been girdled, she's definitely a goner I am very, very sorry to say.

Wiggle that main trunk, hard. If it's loose it means she's not well rooted and if she's not well rooted at that size, something is wrong. If you pour some H2O2 onto the trunk or near the roots and see excessive foaming, then it may be a fungal pathogen, which is really what I'm landing on right now.

Thank you.

I inspected and noted no evidence of any rodents. Both plants are much worse today, though it isolated to specific branches and has not spread throughout either plant. I watered the whole garden heavily yesterday thinking it might be a water stress situation. I was gone for three days and had the plants watered for me once while I was gone. I'm questioning the quality of that work since all was fine before I left. I hoped they would bounce back but haven't. I had one other branch on a third plant that looked weak prior to watering but looks fine today. My experience has had the plant typical recover within 24 hours but perhaps they simply sacrificed branches due to low water.

I suspected a fungus as well and have done one treatment with no effect. I tried the H2O2 and saw no visible foam. Both plants are firmly rooted. I plan on waiting another day then removing the damaged/dead branches. Hopefully I don't see it spread.

 

[SunGrown]

Here they are again hopefully I did things right this time. The first is my wilting issue the second two are the yellowing issue. View attachment 429988 View attachment 429985 View attachment 429986

That looks pretty bad, I am sorry you are dealing with this

Gopher damage was a suspected thing when I first looked, but you are in pots, so no

Have you scoped the leaf and tip tissue yet? With the highest power scope you have, just to be sure it isn't bugs?

 

[Canappa]

You leave for three days and they where fine, make me to think that someone did not water them or water them enough. Just pushed to the point of no return. Do you have security cameras running. Look to see if they watered them? What ever the case it killed it in 3days no water and heat can kill a plant like this. Good luck hope things turn around for you
..

 

[carBon.14]

looks dehydrated, badly. either complete lack of watering, or an inability to uptake water due to root damage.

 

[bongobongo]

IMO that looks like underwatering issue bad

 

[SunGrown]

IMO that looks like underwatering issue bad

me too, but wouldn't it be nearly impossible to under water that bad??

Or his friend that took care of them hates him or was jealous and used round up?

It has happened more than you would want to believe.

Not saying that is what happened, but I don't see how you would have such large plants and then not water them correctly, that would be a rookie mistake

 

[bongobongo]

I'm thinking homeboy never watered... Or put like a gallon on them. They wilted and the crazy yellowing is from salt built up.... Or dying off from no water.


But I could be wrong. I've never had plants that big, but the first pic is a tall tale sign of underwatering is what I thought. I'd flush the ladies


I know for a fact I've underwatered and after the leaves come back up they would die and fall off. My guess from salts

 

[SunGrown]

I'm thinking homeboy never watered... Or put like a gallon on them. They wilted and the crazy yellowing is from salt built up.... Or dying off from no water.


But I could be wrong. I've never had plants that big, but the first pic is a tall tale sign of underwatering is what I thought. I'd flush the ladies


I know for a fact I've underwatered and after the leaves come back up they would die and fall off. My guess from salts

probably more likely than his friend hated him and poisoned the crop, but he must dislike him a little if he didn't take care of those big girls. I would be super pissed and likely cut ties.

 

[bongobongo]

Ya... So much can go wrong with those ladies at that size I feel :o

 

[SunGrown]

Ya... So much can go wrong with those ladies at that size I feel :eek:

A lot can go wrong with any plant, it just sucks more when they are big, trust me on that :confused:

 

[entropy99]

There's a good chance the soil has gone hydrophobic. Many commercial mixes, especially those based on composted pine bark, end up totally hydrophobic if allowed to dry out. I suspect that this is what may have happened. Underwatering let the soil become hydrophobic, then even when it was watered, 95% of it became runoff instead of getting taken up by the plant. End result: a very unhappy girl.

 

[Dunge]

probably more likely than his friend hated him and poisoned the crop, but he must dislike him a little if he didn't take care of those big girls. I would be super pissed and likely cut ties.

I'm glad I don't have your stories running round my brain.
We are talking about that wilt shot right?
Look in the bottom of the frame and note the healthy leaf.
This must be a hydraulic problem with that stem.
Wana bet.

 

[rogue farmer]

Thanks for all the input. I'm sure the problem was with the watering. I blew it trusting who I did for my weekend away. Expensive weekend. Aside from the lost limbs, three total, I've managed to stabilize things in the effected plants. The rest of the garden looks great. I think the soil is ok I built it from animal compost and other raw organic materials and it appears to be holding all the water I put into it. I've never seen a plant go this fast from under watering but most of my experience is indoor. I'm still a "rookie" at plants this large and have tons to learn. Thanks again. I'll post some updated pictures once I can focus from the tears....