New and Unread Tree-Mails
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 MrGarak Feb 26, 2021 11:59 AM CST |
| They're not doing well and I'm too stupid to figure out how to grow them so I'm getting rid of them. They all have fungus and will die from it, so fair warning. I killed the big one (well both were in the same container) because the fungus was just too pervasive and there's no way it would have survived. I got tired of constantly finding spots that always end up in rot and node destruction so I gave up trying. A local nursery said once it has fungus there's nothing you can do. Which explains why copper fungicide has had no effect on the small ones. The stuff is as useless as rooting hormone. Maybe moreso. If you want them message me. I'm hesitant because I don't know if they all have copper or sunstroke fungus and I don't want to spread it to gardens that deserve to exist. I've wasted a lot of money watching them die slowly, and I couldn't even root cuttings from the larger mature plants. Weather isn't a factor because I know a guy who roots them all year in his garage. He had several root over winter. So I accept that I'm incapable and I give up. Whether or not someone takes them they're going to die eventually. So the risk is yours. |
MrGarak Feb 26, 2021 3:40 PM CST |
| Photos so you know what you're getting into. Halley's Comet Covered in fungus, changing colors to get lighter, generally not looking good    Two Palloras Both have fungus, one has more insect damage than the other. Both look like hell.     Sugar Dragon Supposedly aggressive grower, never grew much. Has fungus and a weird color for some reason.  Condor Definitely dying. COVERED in fungus and insect damage. Not a healthy color by any means. Also spit due to the big rainstorm last month. I give it a zero chance of survival.      Megalanthus Looks decent I guess. Hasn't grown and never will. Could be used as an ornamental cactus.   |
MrGarak Feb 26, 2021 3:46 PM CST |
| It stopped loading my photos, but you get the idea. They all look basically the same. Ax, Shayna, American Beauty, Purple Haze and Dark Star are more or less the same. I don't know why they're advertised as low maintenance fruit plants. They're EXTREMELY high maintenance and hard to keep alive even in the supposedly best conditions. They need greenhouses. Period. They can't live outside long term. |
Name: Bob The Kau Desert, Hawaii (Zone 12a)  OrchidBob Mar 3, 2021 9:15 PM CST |
| Trash Can. Get rid of the sick plants. A wise friend once asked: Are you running a hospital? Or do you want a healthy collection? Many diseases will jump from plant to plant. So keeping a sick or bug infested plant around is just asking for trouble. Don't even compost it... straight to the dump with it.  |
MrGarak Mar 5, 2021 7:38 PM CST |
| It was a MASSIVE scale infestation. I tore them apart and found these hard little black things inside, some deep in the flesh. I picked them out one by one at the highest segments. I then treated the exposed flesh with undiluted peroxide to draw the rest out. It worked within a few minutes. I should have taken a picture of them. Some were so huge I could see the suckers sticking out as they popped out. My hope is that it will grow new branches that I can have someone else root for me. I cut the tip off the paloras because they're both growing new branches. The megalanthis looks fine overall. I was reading that cactus scale is hard to treat for because they burrow into the skin when they're tiny and as they grow they are covered with the waxy stuff that keeps the moisture in the plant. This basically shields it from chemical treatments. The fungus the others have is a bust. Copper fungicide has been completely useless. Same with the general topical and systemic insecticides. On the bright side I know it wasn't my fault and there was nothing I could do short of growing them inside. Being accused of not following instructions hasn't helped. I already killed the Vietnam Whites because of his prevalent the fungus and white scale was. Anyway I have some pics that show bad some of these are. I think some varieties are more susceptible than others. I know I suck at this so I won't be trying again. No one here wants me to and I'm tired of wasting money. I just don't understand why NO ONE else has ever had scale on their draginfruits. I swear every single other person I've spoken to about it thinks I'm retarded and I'm doing something wrong. I've never heard of scale like this on Dragon fruit before. But...no one believes me or cares. So I'm done.        |
Name: TK Ontario, Canada (Zone 6b)         Macrocentra Mar 5, 2021 8:10 PM CST |
| With all due respect... If you're taking our lack of responses as "not caring"... it's likely because most of your posts regarding this situation come across as very negative and non-receptive to any help we even could give. If I recall... you had started a thread not too long ago about these same plants, and when responses and advice were given, if anything, you shut them down, while continuing to shut yourself down. It's difficult to really suggest anything or help someone who's coming across like they have no interest in continuing to try themselves, and are beating themselves up so hard over it. I for one, would offer suggestions, but I personally haven't grown dragonfruits before, so I can't offer any useful insight. HOWEVER, in my honest opinion... The photos you had posted before of the same plants, looked like they had small blemishes, likely from weather or the environment, and weren't anything major to be concerned about at the time. I believe others had said similar things, Baja being one of them, and Baja knows WAY more about cactus and succulent care than I do. I personally believe it's always worth continuing to try, and if all else fails, take it as a lesson to learn from. I also wouldn't have been applying so many treatments to these plants without figuring out what exactly the issue was, or if there IS an issue. Applying so many chemicals is going to stress your poor plants further. Over all... if this is angering you and making you beat yourself up as much as it appears from your choice of language in your posts... maybe gardening isn't quite the hobby for you? OR, if I'm wrong... one suggestion I could make is, didn't you mention in the last thread that you had a neighbor successfully growing dragonfruits? Why not talk to them and get their thoughts? It sounded like you have someone nearby who's having success with the same plants in your climate, so they could maybe offer some tips or tricks. Most gardeners are quite happy to pass on their knowledge.  |
MrGarak Mar 5, 2021 11:26 PM CST |
| He gave them to me because he got tired of them. He didn't elaborate. But I think I understand. I assumed they were basicakly typical succulents and low maintenance. I was wrong. |
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