young rooted cutting dying?

[blupit007]

So I was given a rooted cutting of Belle Du Jour from a friend in Arkansas last week.  I got it on the 17Th.  It had roots and looked good when I got it.  It was really wobbly when I got it so I quickly repotted it in a terracotta 4".  I did it carefully I thought.  I had to press firmly once I got the soil in to make it not so wobbly... It now looks droopy, and the stem is wrinkly.  I don't want to kill another Belle!  What can I give to give this girl a fighting chance?  I don't know whether the shipping did it or me repotted it, but it is not happy.

The first photo is when I got it an just repotted it.  All the rest are from today.

[Doll]

You may have broken some of the roots when you pressed down. I would cut off the bigger leaves. Also mist it as often as possible. I have been rooting a lot of cuttings lately. I root them in water and then pot them up. I usually only leave 2 or 3 leaves on them.

[blupit007]

I think I may have pressed down too hard as well.  I have other cuttings going.  They are in a fish tank under a light.  Unfortunately there is no more room in there for this.  Should I put a plastic bag over top of it?  Do you think I broke off important roots and now am starting from scratch?  Do you think it is too late considering the wood is wrinkly?  It is not soft... but wrinkly.  There is one crisp healthy leaf still on.  The rest are not wilted completely, just no pizazz left and are droopy...  How strong a rooter is Belle?

Sorry for the barrage of questions but I just don't want to loose another Belle.  That is the only one I have lost since I started this hobby!

[Doll]

Belle roots very easy, at least for me. I think it will be fine. I would be careful if you put a plastic bag over it. It could lead to mold and fungus. I think misting it would be better.

[blupit007]

So I cut off some of the leaves, and trimmed the others.  I decided that I would make room in the tank for it.  So I took some of the stronger cuttings out of this tank (it has a seed starter heat mat in it) and put it in the one that doesn't have the heat, but is still warm.  So we shall see!  Thanks for the tips.

[Charlie]

Kristen, it's hard to say for sure what is going on but breaking some roots is high on the list. You already got some good advice and what you did will help if the problem is broken roots. I wonder what conditions your friend had it in? If in a high humidity area and you moved it into the dry air of a winter house with central heat that could cause wilting, too. Worst case scenario is fungal disease but if that's the case it will most likely die no matter what you do. Let's assume it is broken roots and go with the cure for that which is what you have already done.

Good luck,

Charlie

[blupit007]

  Thank you Charlie.  I just got home from work and the leaves (even though I cut them in half) are already looking a bit stronger... I'm crossing my fingers.  I think it may be broken roots.  I am watering tomorrow with my fert regimen which has Super Nova in it, so that should help.

  If it is a few broken roots, how long before it is better if left in the tank?  When would I know it is safe to take it out?  I usually look underneath for roots to come out before I remove them, but this one had some already... but I broke them...

[Charlie]

When I have trimmed roots on purpose in order to move a plant into a smaller pot (not often, but sometimes it is needed for some reason) they wilt at first. I move them to shade and mist the leaves several times a day until they no longer wilt. That usually takes 1 to 2 weeks and then they are fine. Based on that my best guess is 2 weeks for yours to develop enough small roots to sustain the plant, assuming that is the problem.

Charlie

[Doll]

I have good results with a product called Actino-Iron. It is a biological fungicide that prevents root rot. I have started mixing it in the soil on all my cuttings.

[blupit007]

Thank you Charlie & Doll.  The root system was not very big, so I probably snapped part of it off.  Enough to make it angry!  So its in the tank.  I will look into this Actino-Iron you speak of.  Thank you!

[farmer d]

Hi Folks,

Great conversation here as I am learning a lot.  Unfortunately I can relate to this topic as I have an Electric Orange 4" I took home from the Oct 30 open house that a week and a half ago just totally wilted overnight. 

It has got to be either the colder nights and the tender age and/or fungus.  It is in a spot that gets a lot of afternoon sunshine and the soil seems to dry nicely but I never let it get dehydrated.

I've done Growth Enhancer, B Vitamin, and mixed in the earthworm castings all this past week...

Is it even worth getting fungicide at this point?

I'll let the picture speak for the state this little guy is in.

Discovered today the my Melon Melange baby also from open house but was a little bigger is now wilting.  Yikes, not two now!  It is the second pic.

I know it is now fungus time so is this just part of hibiscus life?

Farmer D

[blupit007]

Farmer D, where do you live?  It looks like these are in the ground?  I am thinking wilt disease which you should immediately treat.  Charlie has a section on that here  http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/care/wiltdisease.htm  but I may be wrong.  Read up on it and let us know.  Otherwise, it may be cold? 

Charlie help??

[farmer d]

I'm located in Hollywood Ca so the weather is mild in winter.  Coldest night so far has been 40 - not too bad unless you're a young little 4" recent transplant to the ground.

I've been following all the recommended steps under the wilt disease section minus adding fungicide.  Maybe that was the first thing to do?

Reading other articles Charles paints a rather bleak outlook when you have wilt due to fungus.  Lesson here is to leave the 4" babies in the pot and keep indoors during winter until they are stronger and weather conditions are more advantageous.  Even for an easy climate like southern California.

It's really hard to lose just one once you see all the enjoyment you get out of each plant.

[Darkhorse]

I agree with Kristen... looks like wilt disease.  And as you've already mentioned the plants look a bit small to go straight into the ground.  Good luck!  Your EO looks pretty far gone.  I hate losing plants. 

[Doll]

If it was the cold then I would dig them up and bring them inside. You would be surprised how quickly they bounce back if they just got too cold. The small 4 inch plants are much more sensitive to the cold.