@Gitagal...........I mean GETA....
you know I know how to spell your name but Gita, I am getting older and more careless in my typing due to the arthritis in the hands, so you will have to put up with my lack of proof reading and my poor spelling. Please don't stop loving me.......
Now, back to the plants. This was the first year I lost plants to the exact same thing you are showing. I lost the big Petra's Pink, I almost lost the Petra's Salmon, but fortunately I caught that in time and I cut it back and put it in the greenhouse and ignored it for weeks. It lived. I lost my one old fuchsia and it is now in the greenhouse waiting to see if it will survive. I also lost your salmon and my White Christmas....I can't tell you what it is except over watering and the fact that our weather was so different this summer, in the shade these babies got burnt from the sun. I was laid up all summer and have no idea what happened for the month I was unable to walk, but when I found the scale in the greenhouse is when I noticed some of the Holiday Cactus outside were unhappy and I doubted they would survive. A few did, but I lost most of the others. I gave dozens away to a young man who works in a nursery and his mother just told me today they bloomed at Christmas and most of them survived. Your Gita's Red survived and looks good. I really feel it is over watering and humidity and well as the light in the house during these winter months. These plants are almost impossible to kill, and for people like us who have raised hundreds of them to have this happen now is absolutely crazy. We are not alone, I am in a group where they had the same problem and these people are from all over the USA and other countries. The one thing we all have in common is "watering"....so, I am still going with that. I also am watering mine from the bottom now. I can not tell how wet they are by just sticking my finger in the top because this rot seems to be coming up from the bottom. I let them get really dry and then I water them from the saucer and watch them suck it up. They have the little bulbs on the roots that hold water, so it is difficult to know when they are really thirsty by touch. I have not used anything to stop it other than let them dry out on their own. Some people are using alcohol and all sorts of mixtures thinking it may be an insect of some sort. I am not convinced of that since the ones I lost were in the house and in the greenhouse and outside. None were near each other to spread any disease. This is long, I apologize.
As for the HD fruit trees, all I can say is it is not good PR to sell buggy fruit trees and heaven help those poor souls who take those diseased trees into their house with clean other plants. That is one reason I stopped buying from HD and L because every time I did I got mealy bug or white fly, etc. Not worth it since they don't even have name tags on their plants either. I like to know what I am buying.
If you buy from Whittons they are opening for the season March 12th and beginning to ship March 14th. Got an email from Randy and their website has it on now.
