Necrotic patch on main stem is spreading; branches wilt and die :(

Hi everybody. This is my first post here. I've looked around to see if anyone had had the same issue and haven't been able to find anything.

I noticed about a week and a half ago that one of the lower branches of one of my plants looked withery--the leaves all drooped and wilted like they do when you needed to water sooner. At first I thought that was what had happened--I'd skipped a day of watering, and I once lost an entire particularly thirsty plant this way.

I saw today, though, that another branch has gone and another is on it's way. I'm pretty sure this plant is a girl, so I would of course love to save it, but I have no idea what's going on and I haven't been able to find information about what might be causing this.

Here are some photos. Does anyone know what this is and how I can treat it? Thanks <3

It looks like an insect has bored its way into your stalk. Your first step might be to try to catch it with a sticky strip. Then, you'll have to step up to poisons or find a way to suffocate the insect.

Of course, I might be wrong. Hold out hope that someone will come along with a better answer.

Good luck.

Thanks Stoobie. I'll investigate that.

Maybe underwatering and low nutes have cause cell death in the phloem and xylem transport systems and this could just be what happens to a plant that can't uptake much water due to damaged roots. If the roots completly dried out then this could be your problem, lack of water means the plant starts to dry up, first the base of the stem followed by the rest of the plant, if it has the ability to grow more roots it should come back to life eventually but is a long drawn out process.

Try reviving an dried out plant, very hard to do. Peace

It looks like you are useing a hydro system. If so, how often does the sytem run and for how long. What are you feeding them? What soil are you useing. More info on the conditions would be very helpful.

I have look through all your photos now. I have never had a plant look that way, and have the stock of the plant turn yellow before. I have hadm the rest of the plant look the way you do. See, you have given little to no information on the conditions. But my first thought is that you are under feeding your plants and they are starving for nitrogen. This is why you have whole leafs that are turning a yellow color with no brown marks or shrivelling. Give us more infrormation and I am sure this can be figured out. But at this point, anyones guess is as good as the next without more info.

Could this maybe be some kind of fungus? See how it is messing with the main stock of the plant in the middle where the branches connect?

Does any of the plants have more then one of these yellowing spot on the main stock? Like one down low, then another one half way up the stock?

I am seeing a nitro def. Not sure how or why though. But that is what I see.

Give more info, it will really help.

Sulfur (S) - Resembles nitrogen deficiency in that older leaves become yellowish green and the stems become thin, hard, and woody. Some plants show colorful orange and red tints rather than yellowing. The stems, although hard and woody, increase in length but not in diameter.

Hey Lord dangly bits, thanks as i too thought underwatered and lack of ferts, stem is seriously drying out there by the looks of it but hell that was just a guess. Thanks bro.

As for sulfur, plausible but i would not think it would cause this toi this extent but you might have hit on somthing as it looks like a lack of ferts too, i just think it is linked to poor watering methods as he seems to suggest.

Oh well, another sick plant, wow!lol! Peace

Morning y'all. Thanks for helping me out with this.

Lord Dangly Bits said:

It looks like you are useing a hydro system. If so, how often does the sytem run and for how long. What are you feeding them? What soil are you useing. More info on the conditions would be very helpful.

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This is a container garden on a rooftop terrace. The soil is the high-quality indoor outdoor stuff; much of it is fresh this year and the recycled soil from previous years is mixed with compost or vermicompost to refresh it.

I tend to rotate fertilizers--these started out with Osmocote and I've been periodically dosing them with one called Hemoglosan, which is made from pig's blood, and vermicompost.

I give them a good spraying down every night with the hose, but occasionally I miss a night, and now that they get full summer sun all day every day they can droop a little if I have.

I have used a little bit of cypermethrin for pest control, but I'm very sparing with it.

Lord Dangly Bits said:

Could this maybe be some kind of fungus? See how it is messing with the main stock of the plant in the middle where the branches connect?

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Yes, I think it's probably some kind of fungus or similar; another branch is going today. Here are some new photos--see how it's creeping and growing up the main stalk? :'(

Kingrow1, Marlboro47, these plants are a little spindly, but it's because of how I had them arranged in this corner for the first couple months. They're filling in now. They probably want a little dose of fertilizer but I don't think they're too deficient in anything.

None of the other plants have this problem, and I've never seen it before.

theres a worm in that plant. not sure if anything will save it.but maybe a syring and some neem oil will kill the worm. i see this often on wild plants. and when i was younger i would break them open a us the worm to catch trout. fly landed and layed a egg in there. i really dont think theres anything you can do. maybe cut the stem up higher and root gel on it wrap it and try getting roots above the infected area.

never reuse old soil...thats my 2 cents

The*Mad*Hatter said:

never reuse old soil...thats my 2 cents

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Organic soil can be reused no problems though.

shizz said:

theres a worm in that plant. not sure if anything will save it.but maybe a syring and some neem oil will kill the worm. i see this often on wild plants. and when i was younger i would break them open a us the worm to catch trout. fly landed and layed a egg in there. i really dont think theres anything you can do. maybe cut the stem up higher and root gel on it wrap it and try getting roots above the infected area.

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I'm going to try that, I think. The syringe and neem oil. This is totally plausible.

The*Mad*Hatter said:

never reuse old soil...thats my 2 cents

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Oh come. All soil is old soil ;P

i have this problem in my wild grow on one plant still dont know what it is but i took a load of soil with fish blood and bonemeal bat poo lime seaweed plant food and a week later its much better if u find what it is pm please many thanks happy growing

Sure there is a worm in there, flies make worms but they turn into flies quite quickly, maybe a catapilla but you would see a hole, do you have pest that live in plant stems in your area? Peace

pseudonymous said:

Hi everybody. This is my first post here. I've looked around to see if anyone had had the same issue and haven't been able to find anything.

I noticed about a week and a half ago that one of the lower branches of one of my plants looked withery--the leaves all drooped and wilted like they do when you needed to water sooner. At first I thought that was what had happened--I'd skipped a day of watering, and I once lost an entire particularly thirsty plant this way.

I saw today, though, that another branch has gone and another is on it's way. I'm pretty sure this plant is a girl, so I would of course love to save it, but I have no idea what's going on and I haven't been able to find information about what might be causing this.

Here are some photos. Does anyone know what this is and how I can treat it? Thanks <3

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Did you happen to have solved the issue or discover what may be the problem? I have the same issue on a plant that I just found however I do know that I have an insects by the name of root aphids and I am almost certain that they are the reason for this, I have had similar issues occur with other plants but none have actually killed any branches. I noticed the same dead spots on your branch and I am curious about that as I have seen that too. Please respond and let me know what your findings were? Did you destroy the plant and if you did, did you happen to examine the root structure of the plant?