Wilt Disease Recovery?

[Darkhorse]

Hi all,

  This is Haute Couture, and I would've bet back in December that it was a goner.  I had 5 or 6 plants wilt badly this winter.  They're all long gone except HC.  It almost seems as if it is attempting to start growing again.  I was thinking of spraying it with Supernova as any growth seems stalled.  You can see the new green leaves, though, and buds it has been hanging onto since last fall.

  The most astonishing aspect of this potential recovery is that Haute Couture was ousted from the greenhouse beginning in early January.  I removed all of my wilty, near-dead plants to make room for others that were suffering through low light inside.  They all sat outside in my yard for the rest of the winter.  Despite wilt disease and lows at, below, and near freezing for several months, this plant isn't quite dead yet.

  Has anyone encountered this? 

J

[farmer d]

Hi Jordan,

I'm so glad to see that one of your wilters made it!!!  I hate when they start down that road of slow death.  I don't even bother spraying them either but...

One product that I have been using recently and has made a difference when it comes to wilt disease is Actinovate.  It's a fungicide for organic gardens and it has saved several plants for me including a Tahitian Princess that was going downhill so slowly over time and just seemed destined to not make it.  Within a week of treating it I was amazed how nicely it recovered.  

I know Charlie has also recommended this product for fungus disease as well.  I can say so far I am really impressed with the results.

Here is a link about the product:
http://www.naturalindustries.com/retail/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=3

Farmer D

[Darkhorse]

Darren, thanks so much!  I will very likely be giving that a try.  I'm curious to know whether inorganic fertilizer will kill the beneficial microorganisms, though.

[Charlie]

Look at it this way - science has tried hard to come up with chemical treatments directly aimed at killing microorganisms that are plant pathogens - those that cause problems in plants - with limited success outside the test tube. If substances designed to kill unwanted microorganisms have a hard time doing so in real life situations, how likely is it that the minerals plants need for growth are going to kill off all the microorganisms that benefit plants?

In some situations beneficial microorganisms may be suppressed in the presence of essential minerals (inorganic fertilizer) but don't worry about them being killed off at a level that will negatively affect your hibiscus. In my experience this argument is propaganda used by the organic industry that doesn't hold up in real life situations. All you have to do is compare the results growing hibiscus without inorganic fertilizers to the results growing with fertilizers and you can draw your own conclusions.

I do believe in maintaining a healthy, living soil for the plants to grow in and one of the ways to do this is to use products like Actinovate or worm castings or others that are available. But, if I had to choose between doing this or using fertilizers the fertilizer would win hands down. I base this purely on the results I have seen growing hibiscus.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

As a rule communities of bacteria present in soil will change their community structure based on which nutrients are available to them.  If there is excess nitrogen being applied you will likely see increases in nitrifying and denitrifying species of bacteria.  If you get increases in these species which use nitrogen, increases in metabolism could potentially decrease the air to media ratio in a pot situation.  

The main disadvantage to using salt based fertilizers (inorganics) is not so much the bacterial communities being affected, but rather the fungal communities (mycorhizae).  These fungi which associate with roots do not "like" the salts used in inorganic fertilizers. If you look at inoculating agents with mycorhizae in them often state that they should not be used with fertilizers high in salts.  

Each person must find what nutrients fit their growing conditions and augment their own "fertilizer formula" to match this.  For example I grow my plants in an indoor environment, under T 5 lights, at a constant 72 degrees and 45-55% humidity.  I add more magnesium and sulfur (Epsom salts) to balance out the application of potassium muriate and offset the lower light in an indoor situation.  I also do not want my plants growing huge too fast, so I have decreased the amount of nitrogen in my mix.  I also inoculate all my new plants with mycorhizae and a few bacillus species and so far have had good results using this route.  This however may not work for everyone, I would conduct your own experiments and report back what you find    

[Darkhorse]

Thanks Chris and Charlie.  I will give Actinovate a try.  I really should've looked into this BEFORE winter.  Ah, live and learn I guess.  I still haven't perfected the six months between October 15 and April 15.