View Full Version : Goldfinger With Black Leaves Please Help!
andy17
07-13-2013, 02:50 PM
Hey guys,
I had posted several weeks ago about leaf streaking on my Goldfinger. The newest leaves thankfully show little if any streaking now. However, the oldest leaves on the plant have developed black spot/streaks that eventually elongated and merged. Entire sections of the leaves have turned black/brown and crispy. Seemed to get much worse in all the rain. I am withholding fertilizer, and have moved it to a cooler, less sunny spot with much less water (it's been getting tons of water). I'm still really concerned this is a virus. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks!
sunfish
07-13-2013, 03:53 PM
If it is getting to much water I would move it.
bananimal
07-13-2013, 05:47 PM
Andy --- first thing --- pull it out of that cloth bag and throw it away. Trim off all the oldest leaves that look bad. Bareroot it by hose and trim off any blackened roots. Soak the corm and roots in Superthrive for a few hours and repot it in a new 3 gal pot with a good quality potting mix - not garden soil. Add pearlite to the mix. Fert with half a cup of a granular fert that has a med-low-high N-P-K ratio. Water it good and no more till you feel the pot weighs lighter. Move it to a location further back under that patio overhang but where it will still see full sun but not get rained on. This is important.
Hey guys,
I had posted several weeks ago about leaf streaking on my Goldfinger. The newest leaves thankfully show little if any streaking now. However, the oldest leaves on the plant have developed black spot/streaks that eventually elongated and merged. Entire sections of the leaves have turned black/brown and crispy. Seemed to get much worse in all the rain. I am withholding fertilizer, and have moved it to a cooler, less sunny spot with much less water (it's been getting tons of water). I'm still really concerned this is a virus. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks!
andy17
07-13-2013, 06:46 PM
Andy --- first thing --- pull it out of that cloth bag and throw it away. Trim off all the oldest leaves that look bad. Bareroot it by hose and trim off any blackened roots. Soak the corm and roots in Superthrive for a few hours and repot it in a new 3 gal pot with a good quality potting mix - not garden soil. Add pearlite to the mix. Fert with half a cup of a granular fert that has a med-low-high N-P-K ratio. Water it good and no more till you feel the pot weighs lighter. Move it to a location further back under that patio overhang but where it will still see full sun but not get rained on. This is important.
Thanks bananimal--this is super helpful. Hopefully, it's just a combination of bad cultural practices and too much moisture. I'm definitely going to do this. So you don't think its Banana Streak Virus (that would be great if it isn't)? Also, if mold/mildew/rot has started to harm the plant, can it still be saved by removing rotted tissue and repotting in a good pot + soil? Or does it infect the entire plant? Thanks again!
sunfish
07-13-2013, 09:56 PM
I see mold on the patio mold on the plant bag and mold on the leaves
bananimal
07-14-2013, 07:12 AM
Thanks bananimal--this is super helpful. Hopefully, it's just a combination of bad cultural practices and too much moisture. I'm definitely going to do this. So you don't think its Banana Streak Virus (that would be great if it isn't)? Also, if mold/mildew/rot has started to harm the plant, can it still be saved by removing rotted tissue and repotting in a good pot + soil? Or does it infect the entire plant? Thanks again!
Cloth bags will stay wet and kill off plants with too much rain and cool weather. Even a naner as aggressive as FHIA 1, Goldfinger.
If you see rotten, mushy tissue in the corm area dig it all out. I use a teaspoon if it goes deep. Trim off any blackened soft roots too. As long as there is hard white corm it will send out new roots.
Cloth bags have their place but I never transplant anything to one unless it is vigorously growing and never in winter cool. And the bag size is just a little bigger than the rootball.
Kostas
07-14-2013, 07:45 AM
That is some kind of bug,leaf fungus or cultural related problem. Check your growing conditions and watering habits.
andy17
07-14-2013, 09:29 AM
Thanks Kostas and bananimal, this is very helpful. I'm really glad to know its a cultural issue and not a virus. Had I not seen yellow streaking I wouldn't have been nearly as concerned with BSV, but in conjunction with the black leaves it worried me some. Ill get it transplanted to a much better set up. Thanks again!
Kostas
07-14-2013, 10:02 AM
Do you maybe wet its leafs when its leafs when watering it? If you are doing that and the water doesnt dry up soon enough,or the sun hits the leafs immediately after,then that could be the issue you are seeing. Had it happen on some small bananas of mine in the past. Nothing too serious,just needs the wetting stopped if thats the case.
sunfish
07-14-2013, 12:04 PM
Your welcome
andy17
07-14-2013, 12:42 PM
Your welcome
Thanks sunfish! I'm sorry I missed your last post. I really appreciate your help with this. I've been concerned about the mildew and mold growing on the pot and patio for sometime and I actually contacted the container manufacturer about it, which they never replied back. With so much mold and water everywhere as you've said, it's very likely this was the source of the problem. Thanks!
andy17
07-14-2013, 12:52 PM
Do you maybe wet its leafs when its leafs when watering it? If you are doing that and the water doesnt dry up soon enough,or the sun hits the leafs immediately after,then that could be the issue you are seeing. Had it happen on some small bananas of mine in the past. Nothing too serious,just needs the wetting stopped if thats the case.
That's a good point! I have an in ground sprinkler that waters the plant every morning at 8 am right as the sun is coming up. The plant with the pot is too tall for all the leaves to get sprayed, but the lowest leaves are low enough and they are wet every morning. That's very interesting--I didn't even think about that. What were the symptoms that your plants showed?
Kostas
07-14-2013, 03:19 PM
Thats the source of your problems then,both the leafs rotting alive and the mold on the pot. If the sprinklers are on more frequently than once every 3-4 days,which i bet they are,its difficult to correctly meet this plant's needs at that spot. Better move it somewhere you can control the water it receives so that its not watered more frequently than it wants to or somewhere with a lot more sun and air movement as then maybe its water needs will rise enough to not get bothered by the sprinklers if you dont water it any more yourself.
The symptoms of my plants were exactly what you are seeing,black markings on the areas staying wet too long and water soaked areas that were dying back like on your oldest leafs. Some more severe,some less. They can indicate rot problems in the soil too though and these can bring the plant down fast if the culture isnt fixed fast and soil stays too wet too long.
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