The Tropical Fruit Forum

Quote from: Standardbloke on May 27, 2019, 07:18:05 PM

Quote from: Daintree on May 27, 2019, 07:12:39 PM

Quote from: Bo on May 26, 2019, 11:04:11 PM

The times this happened to me in the past, the cutting died.  I have cut the cutting to get rid of the rot and replanted with success.  A pic may help

Thanks Bo, here is a picture. What is confusing me is that it is still growing, and when I tug on it, it is very well anchored in the pot. You can see the spot on the left where the brown skin is just tearing off. But the core is solid.

Cut and re-root?
Bury it?
Just leave it be?

Carolyn

That's unusual. The base has rotted in a way suggestive of water damage, but your mix appears to be free draining. What's most likely going to happen is that the rotted area will peel away leaving the wooden central core exposed. If it were mine, I'd let this happen. The newer growth will continue to grow regardless. When this gets larger, say two lengths and has hardened off, cut these, and replant them discarding the rotten base segment entirely. Edit: I personally do not rate cosmic charlie. I strongly suggest getting another variety.

Not sure of the right answer.   But if the soft area is dry and not spreading you can get a larger pot take out the plant and bury it up to the healthy tissue.  All I hand done in the past is cut to healthy tissue and replant but it’s up to you. Too bad your not close or you could get some new cuttings

Bo I have done what you're suggesting in the past with mixed results. Ultimately it's better to take the younger cuttings and plant those for several reasons. Firstly, re-rooting a cutting with a rotted base, even after cutting this segment off, leaves the plant vulnerable to infections and insect (especially whitefly larvae) damage. Secondly, it can be difficult to determine if the core is itself damaged, and if it is, when you replant the cutting, you will get the same issue or worse again. Also, the more surface area you have exposed to wet soil, the higher the risk of problems you will get. Think about how much more exposed surface area you will have with a snipped, triangulate stem vs the thin point of a cutting.

Thirdly, and this is the most important--there is no advantage to starting over with the rotted cutting, because the new growth will massively outpace the old growth. Massively. I'm estimating, but in my experience, by a factor of roughly 3x. Young growth roots faster, and growths faster, than old growth. On every criteria, it is better to replant from new growth rather than replant a damaged cutting. The main thing you want to do first is peel/rub off the rotten flesh completely, and wash the exposed core. If you leave it on, it will turn black, then moldy, and the mold will eat through the core beneath causing the stem to snap. Remove the death, let the new growth get to two lengths, harden off, then cut this and plant it. Trust me.

Just my two cents. Again, Cosmic charlie is not a great variety. The fruit are small, and the Brix rating is low. If you're in America you will have access to the best of the best. It's definitely worth picking up a condor or similar.

Picked this guy yesterday. Seller is in WA (Australia).

Fruit appear to be absolutely enormous. Have to be pushing 1kg. My guess is that it's some kind of Guatamalensis Hybrid owing to the pronounced spines. Can't really see if there's any colour on the buds. The cutting I recieved is increadibly dense, hard and heavy...it's going to have serious weight at adulthood. Like a megalanthus, but heavier. Pretty sure it's not a standard Guat. Seller kind of just lets it do its thing. Hasn't ever tipped, given nutrients or anything. It's self poly and a red. Seems to be doing pretty well given its stuck in the ground and growing rampant on a fence. Hoping for good things with some care and attention!

Came across this on Gumtree ZA. Supposedly a hybrid between a Hylocereus and a Gymno sp of some description. Pretty fugly. I wonder how the fruit will turn out, or if it ever will?