I just noticed this discoloration on one of my rhipsalis's and when it gets on the tip of a stem that stem will break really easily.If you try to bend it the stem will just pop off this usually occurs at the ends of stems.I have also notice an Epi that was rooted around this time last year also has this same discoloration.

Please does anyone know if it's normal or what it is & hopefully what i can do.I have thought about using a peroxide/water mist on them.First i will have to find the table of ratio of water to peroxide & which plants.
Epi


Rhipsalis




I appreciate any help with this thank you !!!!

Hydrogen peroxide has one extra unstable atom of Oxygen which when mixed in water just raises the Oxygen available in the water and nothing harmful as such.
I put a tablespoon of 40% Hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water, then sprinkle and water the plants with it. Also raises the free Oxygen available to the roots.
Don't know what your exact question is but that should guide a bit.
Regards,
Arif.

I have read that the peroxide/water mixture is also used for killing some fungus,mold etc... problems on plants,i read an article on it, i just need to look for it.It gave different mixture ratio's for different plants & problems.

First i need to identify what is going on with them 2 plants.You see the white place's on the stems,it almost looks like just scarring but it just showed up one day & has spread.Then i noticed it on one of my Epi's.

Have you ever seen anything that looks like the white places on parts of the stems on any of your plants? I don't know if you have many house plants never heard you speak of them.I haven't been on the house plant forum lately either. but both of these are house plants but i do put them out in the spring.The Rhip. is a good size HB and the Epi was a leaf propagation from the beginning of last year.

Arif,Do you have any idea's or ever seen anything like this before?
this is the entire Rhipsalis plant,i will look to see if i have a picture of the other plant but i doubt i have one of it by itself.

This is the only picture i could find of the whole plant,it's the one in the green & white ceramic strawberry pot. I will look for another.



If anyone has any idea what's wrong with my plants i do appreciate any advice or opinions i can get to help!!! thank you

Pure Oxygen is bacteriostatic and anti fungal. I have seen those kind of marks plus you are showing it as a hanging pot in full blush of green. First I thought they were friction marks but then I see it on your other pots. Also those marks are now calloused which to me at least says whatever happened is past.
Give them your tried and tested strength of dowsing with hydrogen peroxide, no harm plus the roots also will be happy in oxygenated soil. I don't know what the percentage strength of it you have because there are two available. One is a weak one for washing minor wounds another is 40% which ladies use to do wonderful things with their hair don't ask me what and why. I use the 40%.
I have indoor plants, just never got around to showing them. Palms also start showing those kind of marks plus something else which I don't remember off hand, must be that Liana Stefflaria. Indoors is a unnatural harsh environment for plants. Cooking fats, steam, tobacco smoke, perfumes the list is never ending. These fats, either cooking or what we breath out(Ever wonder what that film on the window panes is which you clean with great difficulty ) choke the fine pores of plants which leads to tissue death. I don't know what you will do with that hanging one but the rest you can put out in the rain for a good wash and then can be brought back in.
Regards,
Arif.

Ken at rhipsalis.com calls this "gray crud" which shows up on rhipsalis. Ken, Derek and I have exchanged some emails about it a while back but come to no firm conclusions. I think that there are some things that might be possible.

1) This appears commonly on rhipsalis, typically older stems. Over time, it becomes thicker and almost bark-like on older plants. In some cases, this may be normal growth of the plant as the stem ages or a response to stress.

2) It also may be mineral buildup from spraying with other than distilled or rain water. Rhipsalis (mostly) grow in highly-humid environments. We mist them to compensate, but the water used to mist contains minerals which can build up over time. When the plants grow outdoors, the rain can flush some of this away. The whole plant needs to be watered with very soft water to prevent mineral buildup. This is very difficult to do indoors, unless one has a greenhouse. Ken and I have experimented with our plants. For me, I seem to be able to reduce or prevent much of this by withholding misting during the winter and during the summer, I drench the entire plant when watering with the hose (using a gentle shower or mist setting). During the winter, I will occasionally put a few of the more stressed plants in the shower for a thorough, but gentle, shower with tepid water. The plants like this, but I dislike dealing with the mess it creates, so don't do it unless I feel a strong need. If misting over time is the cause, then that would also explain why this is more common on older stems.

3) Bacterial or fungal growth is also possible. I have tried swabbing affected areas with pure peroxide from a bottle. It did not seem to have an damaging effects to the plants. I could not determine if that stopped the progression of the crud because I had also adopted the practice of no longer misting my Rhipsalis.

This experimentation began last year. I find it interesting to note that my Rhipsalis have not been as healthy this year as in the past. I think this is because of the dry air indoors and not misting this winter. Next winter I am going to try putting plastic bags around some of the ones that did not do so good this winter.

Not misting has seemed to reduce the gray crude propagation. However, drier plants mean a less comfortable environment for bacteria and fungi, as well as less plant growth, so nothing is conclusive about the cause, just something to try to reduce the crud increasing.

So, if the gray crud is a problem and you have been misting, switch to misting with clean rain water or distilled water. Alternatively, periodically give the plants a longer term shower rather than just misting.

BTW, I've learned this winter that brown crud on Rhipsalis can be caused by exposure to too much light. Some Rhipsalis turn red when exposed to bright light. Some of the ones that I have that get a lot of light and do not turn red have developed areas of brown crud under bright artificial fluorescent light. This includes R. sulcata. (low humidity, bright light and not a lot of water)

Hope this discussion helps. I can't say for sure what causes the gray crud, but try the suggestion above and see if it helps. Let us know if it works for you.

-t

Calcium carbonate buildup due to misting, interesting. I like the idea, Jelindas plants are showing these at the lowest point from which misting, condensation should drip. Putting them in rain, rain water is acidic and yes it will dissolve the carbonates but that area tissue is dead and I don't think it will show green again.
This calcium carbonate buildup has nothing to do with succulents. Happens to other plants also. I checked and some of my plants that I shifted in for winter are also showing these marks. does not seem to do much harm.
Regards,
Arif.

Twit,you are correct about it being on mostly the older larger stems that hang with all the new growth on the bottom.I do mist,i haven't had any problems with my Sulcata!! But my big old man which i have adopted calling him since not sure exactly who he is.I seen a picture of one that looked a lot like mine and one of the common names was "old mans beard"has a good many of these crude places and the first one i noticed is the thickest. I also think you may be on to something with the build up because every place is only on one side of the stem,side facing out and the stem's all seem unaffected by it.The stem with the worst pace is growing great and has already gotten so much new growth this year.I also put all of my HB's in this shower to give a good watering and also great way to dust the leaves.I put up an extra shower curtain bar & hang a few from it at a time.The Hoya's & Rhip's really seem to like it.I will take your advice on misting with distilled water,i let my water sit out 3 days before using but i guess that isn't enough.

I was worried about your 3rd. theory!!! But i believe you have something with the build up.I have another picture of the oldest spot.It reminds me of an old clay pot that has so much build up on it that you can scrape it off with a knife.Starts out light & smooth and then in time this is what you end up with.

My R. Sulcata turned a pretty red mostly on the newer growth during the summer.I keep it in bright shade,it seemed to sunburn easily when in to much sun.It did get more sun right as the sun was going down.

Jelinda, I do actually think that what we see is probably a combination of all three mechanisms. Your sulcata is very nice. My Rhipsalis never look so nice due, in part, to the low humidity conditions over the winter. Keep showering your Rhips, they do love it.