Welcome back to another episode of Lost In the Farmers Market, This post is late but it’s going to contain more information and attaches to newly filmed episodes of the YouTube series. So as promised, today’s main feature is how to treat a succulent that has suffered frost damage and is exhibiting signs of necrosis and/or how to treat rot in the early stages.
Our ‘patient in this case is one of my Sunset Aloes (scientific name Aloe dorotheae). For those who are unfamiliar with the species Sunset aloes are named for the normally yellow-green color of their foliage which turns orange and reddish with exposure to full sun. They end up looking like a living sunset by the middle of summer. You can Google images of this and boy are they something, it's a color that looks out of place in the world of succulents but it is the real deal! The flowers of this Aloe are pink or sometimes pink-red and are borne on tall spikes that can rise up to two feet over the foliage. Sunset Aloes are amazingly dramatic and an underrated must-have for any succulent collection because they are largely disease free, with the exception of root rot. There is also the potential for their gel being medicinal just like Aloe Vera (Sci-name Aloe barbadensis miller) which is absolutely awesome.
The specimen above was supposed to be sold during the houseplant sale months (December to February) but it developed what might have been frost damage or simple necrosis via rot. Root and stem rot is often caused by a bacterium called Phytopthora, which represents it self in very differing ways depending on the effected plant. In rhododendrons entire branches wilt and die off and eventually the entire plant collapses because Phytopthora blocks and destroys the plant's vascular systems. In succulents Phytopthora can attack the roors turning them to brown mush then work it's way of the stem or can attack individual leaves and work it's way into the main stem ending your prized succulent or cactus right quick. Phytopthora does not play around, it can destroy a cluster of prized succulents in a pot within a few days if conditions are just right. The best way to think of Pytopthora or stem/root rot is that it is like Ebola, but for plants. Few plants ever survive it but there are ways to make this happen. I have a greenhouse so I can do things the average homeowner cannot but the following guide is something you can do as a gardener with no real special tools needed.
The first step is to identify where the rot and necrosis is located. In the case of this Sunset aloe you can see that three leaves have brown-ish gray areas in the otherwise bright green succulent. Using a simple 2" pocket knife I do point out where the problem is, and with that we move on to the next stage.
As you can see, I cut out the affected leaves down to healthy tissue. Now before I start cutting the knife is sterilized with Hydrogen Peroxide. Normally I would use 70% rubbing alcohol but that's understandably hard to get at the moment. Between each cut, I re-sterilize the blade, dry it with a new clean viva towel and make my cuts as cleanly as is possible. The removal of three leaves has unfortunately made this succulent unsaleable so it will get added to my collection after I am sure of it's recovery.
This next step is something the succulent books might not talk about. I use rooting hormone in powdered form to dress the wounds. I do this because rooting hormone is mostly inert talcum powder, which can be used to forcibly desiccate the wounds allowing this Aloe to close them off faster. Also the desiccating effect can prevent further transmission of Phytopthora, which increases the chances of survival. The brush used is a chemical brush that you can buy cheaply in the plumbing section of Blowes or Home Despot.
This plant will sit in open air for two weeks and will not be watered at all to see if the treatment takes. Then it will be gently repotted and kept in my personal succulent collection in the growing tray in the office. I won't know if it is out of the woods for a few weeks but heres to hoping for the best. With that said root rot is no joke, it's often the death knell of a succulent and you even have to sterilize the pot a dead succulent was in to avoid transmitting it to a new succulent in the same pot. a simple 1:10 bleach to water solution and a 5 minute soak will kill off the pathogens and restore pots that formerly held sick succulents back to normal.
Here is an unrelated picture from the market in February, a Honey Bee clearly approves of my succulents and hung out for a while. The best part about this is I have never gotten this good of a picture of a Honey Bee before and it was taken with a cell phone camera no less.
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but by booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. Also, as of the start of 2019, my booth can now process credit or debit cards thanks to the acquisition of s a Square reader so your payment options have doubled. With that said, if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic vegetables, herbs and fruiting shrubs come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the Hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
This Week's Market List:
Soup Kit - Parsnip ($6.00)
Soup Kit - Turnip ($6.00)
Just Onions ($3.00, 1lb)
Just Parsnips ($4.00-5.00, 1lb or more)
Garlic Bulbs - Jerimiah's Heirloom ($1.00)
Spring Veggies: ($3.00 each)
Parris Island Romaine Lettuce
Cherokee Lettuce
Cimarron Lettuce
Lolo Rosso Lettuce
Black Magic Dinosaur Kale
Red Russian Kale
February house plant collection (Prices vary, $4.00-8.00)
Devil's Backbone
Sausage Spurge
Sansevieria boncellensis - Starfish Sansevieria
Aloe 'Sunset'
Aloe 'Checkerboard'
Aloe 'Walmsley's Bronze'
Gasteria fusopunctata - Ox-tongue
Haworthia cooperi var. obtusa
Haworthia 'Fat Albert' (Last one in stock)
Haworthia tesselata
Haworthia ‘Savannah’
Haworthia 'West Jogo'
Mistletoe Cactus, 'Drunkards Dream'
Check it out folks a Plant Showcase Double-header!
Gasteria fuscopunctata – Ox Tongue
Gasteria is a group of plants closely related to the Aloes and the Haworthia groups and they originate from South Africa. The name Gasteria comes from the Latin word Gaster which means stomach and this is due to the stomach shaped flowers. Common names for these succulents are Ox-tongue, Cow-tongue, Lawyer’s Tongue, and less commonly Mother-in-law’s-tongue. Compared to Aloe and Haworthia, Gasteria are the most likely to be mistaken for being plastic and they are the slowest growing of the three. Despite the slow rate of growth Gasteria are known for producing offsets without being induced and are for the most part immune to neglect. What makes them unique is their dark green strap-like leaves that have banding or dots on them that kind of resemble Snake plants (Sanseveria) without actually being snake plants. In cross section the leaves can be rounded, elliptical, U-shaped or sometimes a weird geometric shape (G. bicolor) that defies classification. Gasteria are so closely related to the Aloes and Haworthias that crossbreeds do exist and are commonly called Gasteraloes or Hawortherias. This plant does well with watering once a month, in basic potting soil. It will need re-potting every two to three years and much like Haworthias, Gasterias are pet-safe. The real appeal is the cool foliage and then, the scent-free flowers which tend to appear between February and April. The one thing you should never do with a Gasteria is allow it to be exposed to frost, they are potentially hardy up to zone 9, but can be disfigured by frost or exposure to temperatures below 40 degrees.
Haworthia ' Savannah'
Savannah is a unique breed of Haworthia from south Africa that is noted for its silvery-green leaves and sometimes is mistaken for an aloe. It should be protected from exceptionally strong sunlight as it's leaves will turn reddish which may be unappealing to some. Generally, it is grown in bright but indirect sunlight and you only need to water it when the soil is dry to the touch below the surface. You can provide it with a weak fertilizer in the warm months every two weeks to ensure reasonable growth. This succulent should be re-potted once every 1-2 years in a pot no larger than 2" larger than the old one if grown by itself. This Haworthia's big chunky leaves make quite the impression in a succulent collection and it's quite striking when paired with a dark-colored pot. Some growers have suggested that the little bumps on the leaves resemble braille, and indeed who knows what story the plant would tell if someone knew how to read the leaves.
We have a new place to share information and work on groovy sustainable stuff! You can look for Sustainable Neighbors in our own Nextdoor.com group under the name “Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville”. You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join but it is a private group so feel free to request to join us if you are signed up on the Nextdoor.com site.
https://nextdoor.com/g/ybvdm226x/?is=nav_bar
Unfortunately, Covid-19 is still mucking up the works in terms of meeting in person. The good news is that Sustainable Neighbors does have a Discord Server. You can request access through our Meetup.com page or you can request access via our Nextdoor.com group. The meetup.com page is below for anyone looking to join us.
https://www.meetup.com/SustainableNeighbors/
Since our meetings have an open-door policy you don’t need to buy anything or maintain any sort of attendance standard, you can come on in and join the meetings. When this Covid-19 mess calms down we may be able to resume normal in-person meetings. If not, you can always send me questions through this blog or visit the farmer’s market. This is the fourth LITFM post of 2021; stay tuned for our next post on or about the 5th of March. Don’t forget to check out of YouTube videos at LITFM-Garden Shorts.
