View Full Version : New Dwarf Cavendish finally leafing....BUT!
Moonshiner
04-21-2009, 10:32 PM
Ok...so the little guy's first new leaf since being planted finally unfurled on Saturday, looking real nice. Another leaf is right behind it, seems ok. Problem is a 2x3" section of the top right half of the leaf has started to turn brown and dry up. The rest looks fine right now.
Too much water maybe? I have waited every third day to water, putting in 2 quarts into the 22' pot, about 1/3 to 1/4 of which drains out the bottom very slowly over 12 hours or so. I also just gave it it's first fertilizer on Sunday, at the printed rate. Of course it's been unseasonably freaking hot the last 3 days, but too much sun shouldn't be a problem?
Any ideas? Too dark for a picture right now.
just j
04-22-2009, 07:02 AM
the sun i would say but not sure a picture would help
LilRaverBoi
04-22-2009, 11:44 AM
Young plants are sometimes sensitive to fertilizer. It's possible that it was given too high of a dosage and that is causing the leaves to burn back a bit. Over-watering could also do it (or under-watering). It's probably best to make sure the soil dries out between each watering. My advice is to not go by a schedule for watering...feel the soil each day and base it on that (might even want to poke your finger deeper to see if it's just dry on the surface). Let the plant tell you what it needs.
I ended up with some potting soil that doesn't drain well at all and I waited around 2 weeks after a moderate watering (no where NEAR saturated by any means) and it was still a bit moist at the bottom. Like I said...feel the soil to let it tell you when to water.
Moonshiner
04-22-2009, 12:15 PM
I'm going to back off the watering like you said. I have been using this soil for a while and it drains fairly well.The fertilizer was applied at a little less than the printed rate, but may have been a bit of a shock. Checked this morning and the burn hasn't gotten any worse. Hopefully it'll be ok. The last 3 days were very hot, brutally sunny days much too early in the season.
pics:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16797&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16797)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16798&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16798)
I burned a plumeria pretty good when having just set outdoors for the season gave it a high dose of fertilizer on a brutally hot day. This could be what happened to you as well.
LilRaverBoi
04-22-2009, 12:23 PM
Yeah, good call, Bob...totally could be sunburn. I forgot that option. Maybe try to have it shaded during the hot part of the day till it becomes accustomed to the direct sunlight.
And what's all that white? It almost looks variegated, but i don't think that's the case. Is that just dead parts on the leaves?
john_ny
04-22-2009, 12:53 PM
And what's all that white? It almost looks variegated, but i don't think that's the case. Is that just dead parts on the leaves?
I have found that when leaves get sunburned, they turn white, not brown, just like the white parts on the leaves in the pix. I would say that the brown spot could be from over or under watering, fertilizer burn, or simply that something hit the p-stem, while the leaf was rolled up inside, thus physically bruising it.
Moonshiner
04-22-2009, 01:30 PM
Yeah, good call, Bob...totally could be sunburn. I forgot that option. Maybe try to have it shaded during the hot part of the day till it becomes accustomed to the direct sunlight.
And what's all that white? It almost looks variegated, but i don't think that's the case. Is that just dead parts on the leaves?
All of the white is sunburn from when it was initially potted up. I had it in partial shade for over a week, gradually moving it out into full sun about 3 weeks ago. But it burned up the leaves anyway. They have not gotten any worse over the last few weeks, and the new leaves look great except for that spot.
I will keep an eye on it and watch the next leaf, which is coming up at a pretty good pace.
just j
04-22-2009, 01:53 PM
sun burn
sirmoebly
04-22-2009, 01:58 PM
That pot looks to big for that plant, DC don't like wet feet...Looks like root rot... It doesn't matter how well it drains... You would be surprised on how small of pots they like to live in...Take a look in my gallery at mine.... IF you don't want to repot, stop watering until the soil really dries out (easyer said than done). But if you are like me & water to much, small pots tend to work better. good luck.......
Moonshiner
04-22-2009, 03:58 PM
I'll pull the mulch off and let it dry out for a few days. Perhaps no mulch is the key.
Moonshiner
04-26-2009, 12:40 AM
Soil as been drying out nicely, and was definitely too wet down at the bottom, although the top 1-2 inches were fine. However, mysteriously enough, this very young plant with a very limited root system has already started to send up a pup! The tiniest little bit of growth is just starting to poke through the soil.
Any thoughts on that?
btw, I called the nursery a while back and griped about the condition of the plant when it first arrived. They are sending me a new one, which I will plant in a smaller pot per Moe's suggestion. It continues........
LilRaverBoi
04-26-2009, 01:16 AM
Yeah, I tend to over-water too...get too anxious!! I let my naners go for about 2 weeks recently without watering them and had no issues (believe it or not). They're in really huge pots for how big the plants are and the soil I planted them in ended up being very poorly draining :( Tried to let them dry out to the bottom just so they didn't rot. They're doing great though, no worries.
Patty in Wisc
04-28-2009, 06:56 PM
I told several of my friends about my "stick trick". I put a dowel or stick (unpainted) all the way to bottom of pot. Pull the stick out to see how wet or dry it is & then leave it in pot for next check.
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