Stem browning?

[bifster]

I made a big uh oh.  My plant has a gnat problem, and while I've been waiting for my mosquito dunk to come in, I've just been spraying random gnats with some diluted soapy water.  They're always in the soil, so I'm not spraying the leaves or anything.  However, without thinking earlier on in the week, I sprayed a gnat that was sitting in the middle of the main stem.  Instantly it turned brown.  Now, it's still brown, but the the browning hasn't traveled, it's not mushy, and all the leaves are still doing perfectly fine.  Is this browning okay, or will this eventually start to eat my plant up?  Has anyone had a similar experience?

[bifster]

Topic revival--please help you guys!  Has this not happened to anyone here before?

[Sea Mac]

No, I haven't ever soaped any plants.



I have no advice for you, Sorry.

[bifster]

Oh man, I'm worried I screwed up bad.  Maybe you could help me with this; there are pictures of the browning on my grow log (http://www.salviasource.org/forum/grow-logs/first-salvia-plant!/0/), do you think she'll be alright or should I cut the top off and try to root a cutting, that way she won't completely die out?  The browning looks bad, but the whole rest of the plant looks very healthy....

[k2ybugger]

i would say let it go, see if it doesn't die

[Plantman-age]

I posted before about mites and other small bugs and the use of coffee grounds as a pesticide.  I am reading alot about other small bug problems and browning stems from soap or other chemicals to rid them. I would not do that. I would find what is sold to be safe for plants such as crycilium mist or something i think it is called but i am not sure. Its like a spray that is safe and it is made from plants to suffocate the bugs. Its sometimes better  just to keep an eye on the condition and kill the small bugs if you can rather than spraying the plant(s) with anything. I seemed to have gotten rid of a bug problem by killing them when i could see them, and i stirred the top inch of soil or so and all around the plant with a strong toothpick while adding in dry coffee grounds over a few days time and they were gone. (You may choose to do so also) > I kept the soil as dry as possible and added in dry coffee grounds because the bugs really hate it and it is also good for the plant(s) as a booster from what i know. If you want to keep the soil dry and the plant moist you can use a dry absorbant cloth, cut a slice to the center and cut a small hole out to fit around the size of your stem and then mist the plant while the absorbant cloth is covering the soil. Leave it there for a while to catch drips. Those are just a few ideas i wanted to post and good luck

[Sea Mac]

Welcome to the forum Plantman-age!

[bifster]

Yeah, I think I actually read your post about using dry coffee grounds and was seriously considering doing that!  I got the mosquito dunks and am using them now, and it looks like the gnats have possibly gone already!  But now I know for the future NOT to ever use soapy water again, and I've learned my lesson.  I feel terrible for my Sylvia that I had to learn the hard way...

[Jupe]

edit..oh duh.. SORRY.....I just reread and.I see you sprayed it with soap.....figures...soap is bad for leaves, never heard it hurting stems, but maybe when you wiped it off, it made it worse..(see below)

Doesn't surprise me though....salvias are sensitive plants, and test sprays are a good idea, starting with half strengths on leaves, before going to full strength.  Many large leaved shade plants can't tolerate soap products no matter what, and oils are used.

Ok heres my original post, which is good advice anyways!!!


could have been from handling stem, when square edges of stem are damaged, integrity of stem is compromised, and this problem can ensue....always handle those corners with utmost caution, especially with fresh cuttings in the kitchen or garden, as mucho germs abound in those areas....use sterile tools, and rinse between cuts etc if you can.

leaves and nodes above that browning section will die soon, (unless there are any connective strips of green tissue??) so if there are any nodes above, better take a  cutting now.....cause these sorts of things never reverse themselves

usually stems do that from the top down, without  green above, its quite natural with cuttings and trasplants, newgrowth will sprout from below......so its odd to see it in the middle, (which is  why I  think you accidentally damaged the edges...there are some virus;s which do this, but they rarely hit salivas.....black rot is soft and gushy, and can hit with damage like that as well, but plant just falls right over.....