Pot plants dying

[BEVUP]

Hello Green Thumbs

Over the last mth we have lost some of our pot plants

They look fine then suddenly notice that the leaves are gradually drying & shriveling up until the whole tree is consumed

Even the mans Paw Paw tree of 4 mths old has suddenly died ( & this bloke actually has a green thumb 555 )

Any thoughts as it seems it doesnt matter on the species 

I will try & google

 

Thanks all

[drtreelove]

Water management if the first concern. Potted plants need special attention because of minimal soil volume for the root system, and may need daily watering. It depends to a large extent on the type of soil or growing medium used to pot the plants. If the soil doesn't retain moisture and drains out right away after watering, it will be difficult to provide adequate water. 

 

 

[BEVUP]

Thanks

the watering doesn't seem to be to bad as we had to rip one out & soil looked ok & not root bound

We put a different plant back into the same pot & soil but is looking dead now

I think it may be due to a lack of sun as the repoted plant was in a much sunnier position 

[cooked]

Are you using bought in soil or stuff based on your garden soil? Our garden soil is riddled with verticillium, many plants won't grow in it.

Fertiliser? Over generous dosing can do for many plants.

Spraying? Mixed up Roundup with pesticide, or didn't clean out the tank properly?

 

[BEVUP]

We use the soil that is in the red bags from the nurseries 

Only use water & dish washing liquid to spray with

[faraday]

Check the underside of the leaves, it'll be bugs or worms for sure.

 

[chrisinth]

Had a bit of a misinterpretation issue with the OP's title. Couldn't get this image out of my head.......................

 

[drtreelove]

On 12/20/2017 at 6:26 AM, faraday said:

Check the underside of the leaves, it'll be bugs or worms for sure.

 

Unlikely in my opinion based on OP statement that all plants are affected, regardless of species.

 

Here's why: plant pests and fungal diseases are almost always 'species-specific', meaning that a pest or pathogen may go to a specific species of plant, but will not necessarily attack other plant species on the same site. With exceptions of course, like a swarm of locusts that devours anything green and growing in its path. Uniform plant dieback and mortality across multiple species on the same site will usually be caused by an "abiotic disorder", like water deficit/drought stress, soil compaction or grade changes, or chemical poisoning. 

[drtreelove]

On 12/20/2017 at 5:49 AM, cooked said:

Are you using bought in soil or stuff based on your garden soil? Our garden soil is riddled with verticillium, many plants won't grow in it.

Fertiliser? Over generous dosing can do for many plants.

Spraying? Mixed up Roundup with pesticide, or didn't clean out the tank properly?

 

I'm curious friend, How do you identify verticillium in your soil?  

 

Good points to consider on over fertilization and herbicide contamination. I always use dedicated sprayers for different class of chemistry or organics. 

Edited December 27, 2017 by drtreelove

[drtreelove]

On 12/22/2017 at 8:48 AM, chrisinth said:

Had a bit of a misinterpretation issue with the OP's title. Couldn't get this image out of my head.......................

 

 

Yes, when I first saw the subject it crossed my mind that the OP must not be American where "pot" is slang for the plants you have pictured, now a huge commercial, legal market for recreational use in some states. (As if there weren't enough drunks on the road, now they are stoned too.)   I was sure he/she must mean "potted" plants, in containers as opposed to in the ground. 

[drtreelove]

On 12/20/2017 at 6:13 AM, BEVUP said:

We use the soil that is in the red bags from the nurseries 

Only use water & dish washing liquid to spray with

"Soil in the red bags" ?? 

 

Insecticidal soap is a good contact insecticide option, and biodegradable, therefore organic program compatible, if you know what you are doing with it, how to mix it appropriately, how and when to apply.  To use just any dish washing liquid or to use it at high concentration in your tank mix, or to use it for everything whether there is need for pesticide or not, may be less than responsible plant health care management: It can be phytotoxic. Know what you are doing with insecticidal soap, especially if home made. 

 

If  you are using your dishwashing soap solution inappropriately, this could be your primary problem.

Insecticidal Soap.pdf

[cooked]

Guessing of course. I realised that certain plants weren't flourishing and that this wasn't due to nutrient deficiency. For a time I suspected nematodes but it wasn't. The symptoms I got when I was growing Tagetes, normally an easy plant to grow, corresponded only to the dreaded v. wilt. This had always been a possible explanation as to why quite a few other vegetables were sickly over the years.

I played around with manure tea for a week or two after googling  a bit and had some limited success.

The clincher came when talking to older people I was told that 70 years ago nobody in the village had this problem (rice fields before that). For a time they went for a form of 'solarisation', that is, digging over very unevenly and leaving the soil to roast in the sun, no plastic of course. Solarisation is a recommended treatment for verticillium.

 

 

 

[drtreelove]

On 12/27/2017 at 11:27 AM, cooked said:

Guessing of course. I realised that certain plants weren't flourishing and that this wasn't due to nutrient deficiency. For a time I suspected nematodes but it wasn't. The symptoms I got when I was growing Tagetes, normally an easy plant to grow, corresponded only to the dreaded v. wilt. This had always been a possible explanation as to why quite a few other vegetables were sickly over the years.

I played around with manure tea for a week or two after googling  a bit and had some limited success.

The clincher came when talking to older people I was told that 70 years ago nobody in the village had this problem (rice fields before that). For a time they went for a form of 'solarisation', that is, digging over very unevenly and leaving the soil to roast in the sun, no plastic of course. Solarisation is a recommended treatment for verticillium.

 

 

 

Guessing and ruling out other issues by deduction is probably as good a way to assess possible vert infection as others.

 

I asked about diagnosis, because when I've taken soil samples to a plant pathologist, they always have told me that they don't test the soil for vert, but need to culture infected plant tissue in order to get a definitive result. And even then the testing is not always conclusive.  In woody plants, there is a characteristic discoloration of the sapwood that can be observed as probable sign of vert. 

 

My plant pathology professor told us that tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and strawberries were carriers and when you had these growing, you probably had introduced verticillium to the soil; and it would be wise not to try and grow plants in the same soil that are susceptible to vert.

 

There are some new generation biological fungicides that are labeled for suppression, prevention of verticillium, but not necessarily for cure. 

[BEVUP]

On 12/22/2017 at 8:48 AM, chrisinth said:

Had a bit of a misinterpretation issue with the OP's title. Couldn't get this image out of my head.......................

 

Sorry i haven't got back

This is about all I got when Googeling for " Caring for house hold pot plants "

We asked the nurseries & that wasn't much help so we put the plants at the ba of the house where they get more sun

We also got rid of some that are suppose to have flowers

We ended up buying more plants that may & have so far hold up to any bugs or disease 

 

Thanks all

 

I think we ended up with a much better situation - looking good at the moment & the affected plants are still hanging in