Author Topic: Red Champagne obituary  (Read 1457 times)

Mike T

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Red Champagne obituary
« on: September 05, 2020, 09:59:52 PM »

After 5 productive years of producing dazzling red fruit of great flavour my red champagne suddenly died. It was vigorous healthy and pumping out fruit a couple of months ago. It died so fast that it didn't have time to drop its leaves and they just withered brown still attached. I am dumbfounded as to why. Nothing different happened with weather,water or fertiliser.

pagnr

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2020, 10:45:06 PM »
That's a great opportunity to pose in cowboy get up next to a tumbleweed.

Mike T

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2020, 10:51:05 PM »
Tried to convince myself its just going through a 'rough patch' but it aint coming back from the botanical 'other side' now.

Elopez2027@aol.com

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2020, 11:39:36 PM »
Something did happen.
Do an autopsy. Look at the roots, stem, soil.
Cremate it, if you can.
Mix up the soil around it and add fertilizer.
Will put you at ease. Happened to me...then I moved on.

Mike T

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2020, 01:11:02 AM »
The investigation is underway and I am digging deep with no stone left unturned. I am yet to unearth any solid leads and I'm hoping it passed away from natural causes.

Millet

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #5 on: September 06, 2020, 01:57:28 PM »
The problem must have been in the root system.

GregW

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2020, 02:53:04 PM »
I have read that rodents such as moles will attack and destroy the roots.

Mike T

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #7 on: September 06, 2020, 05:04:50 PM »
Yes it must involve a sudden and complete root system failure and there is no surface evidence.

Mike T

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #8 on: September 06, 2020, 05:09:55 PM »


definitely not a mole and the marsupial moles are in the desert and carnivores anyway.

Jaboticaba45

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2020, 08:38:45 PM »
Maybe someone poisoned it...?

Mike T

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2020, 06:41:58 AM »
Yes maybe some treachery was involved

Millet

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #11 on: September 17, 2020, 12:14:46 PM »
Probably Tristeza virus.-

Mike T

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2020, 08:00:19 PM »
Autopsy results are inconclusive. The roots are completely intact with no rot visible and root hairs still there. No tristeza symptoms were visible, no drainage or nutrient issues existed and so the sudden finger lime death is due to undetermined causes.


sc4001992

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #13 on: September 21, 2020, 12:39:07 AM »
I have a 5gallon Australian Red finger lime that had similar issue 8wks ago. It was doing well, very green, lots of flowers so I moved it from under my shade tree to give it more direct sun. In about a weeks time the tree completely dried up (wrinkled green leaves) so I thought it was dead. But I just cut off all the smaller branches with leaves still attached and left some skeleton branches. I moved it back into a shaded area and watered it as if it was normal. After 4wks it started to show a few new buds, now all of the small branches that were cut back have new leaves and it looks like it will survive. Funny thing is, one week after my finger lime took a dive, my sumo/shiranui that is in a large 40gallon pot did the exact same thing. Its leaves looked like your tree, all brown but did not fall off. So I did the same thing but I had to cut all the dead branches and there was only 18" of the main trunk left. Now after 6 wks the sumo is actually coming back, saw some green leaves growing out again. Very strange since this sumo has never had a problem and I had it in the same place for about 4 yrs.

citrange

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #14 on: September 21, 2020, 02:43:40 PM »
I think your autopsy may have missed something.
There seem to me to be several areas around the base of the trunk where the bark has cracked or rotted or been damaged.
Some possibly post-mortem, but a good wash in that area to remove remaining soil might help to see it.
I have tried to mark possibly damaged areas with a red line on your photo.
If there is similar damage all around the trunk that would explain the sudden death.



roblack

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Re: Red Champagne obituary
« Reply #15 on: September 21, 2020, 08:05:19 PM »
hard to say, but wondering if it was buried too deep, exposing the trunk to soil and excessive moisture.