| 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" | |
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Sternkaktus
Number of posts : 31 Location : Far North QLD Registration date : 2015-03-26
| Subject: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Sun Oct 25, 2015 11:37 am | |
| Hello everyone. I've got 2 problems.
Problem A) Over night something has chewed a considerable chunk out of one of my cacti. I found a picture on the internet where a slug had done similar damage but mine are kept indoors. So, no slugs here. Any idea?
Problem B) The reddish hard areas. It appeared on one cactus shortly after I bought it and it is a nudum so I though this would probably be just sun-damage. So I gave him a bit of shade. The affected area did get bigger but and now I see dots on some of the other cacti that stood close to it. I am quite concerned about that one now. Any idea?
I tried to upload 3 pictures but got the message: Uploaded file is not valid: exceeded attachment maxsize (0 kB). Help admin :-) | |
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SneakyCuttlefish Moderator
Number of posts : 705 Location : FNQ Registration date : 2012-12-11
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:54 am | |
| Hi SternKaktus.
Pictures need to be no bigger than 800 x 800 pixels. Normally camera photo's are enormous. You will have to re-size them before uploading.
I have had issues in the past with caterpillars and mice eating cacti. I also once had a nasty big native cockroach come into my garage and eat a few fresh seedlings under a light. Could any of these be a possibility? | |
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Sternkaktus
Number of posts : 31 Location : Far North QLD Registration date : 2015-03-26
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:56 pm | |
| I got it. Thank you SneakyCuttlefish! The chewed off bit & some spots too. The damage I thought to be sun damage but seems to be spreading. Fungus? Yes, roaches is possible. I am in far north QLD so Roaches are sort of unbeatable. That would be really bad. It would probably not be able to keep the cacti save. Maybe I could spray the cacti regularly with an insecticide? This damage won't grow back I assume? Any idea about the reddish brown patches? Thanks! | |
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Q-cactus
Number of posts : 6 Location : North Brisbane Registration date : 2015-07-22
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Mon Oct 26, 2015 3:42 pm | |
| Yes to the roaches and crickets. I had 200 copiapoa cinerascens seedlings. Every single one was nibbled, as your photo shows. Small holes, but deep. I have used crown 225SL, aternating with Rogor to fix the issue. The rust is a epidermal fungal infection. It will spread if not treated. The Myriostigma may survive, but it won't be pretty. I have had the same disease here north of Brisbane. In my case it was caused by plants being left outside during a cold wet winter. All the damage was on the southern face of the plant, away from the sun.
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SneakyCuttlefish Moderator
Number of posts : 705 Location : FNQ Registration date : 2012-12-11
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Mon Oct 26, 2015 8:23 pm | |
| Very interesting Q-cactus. I have noticed this on plants in others collections from time to time. How do you recommend treating it as friend is currently battling a severe out break on his astro's?
Sternkaktus, the chew marks will eventually grow out. It will take time and look a bit sad for a while but considering the astro is young, one could expect the damage to tuck under it before the cactus reaches the age where it will want to elongate. | |
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Sternkaktus
Number of posts : 31 Location : Far North QLD Registration date : 2015-03-26
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:33 am | |
| Thank you Q-cactus & SneakyCuttlefish!
Problem A I'll look into those insecticides. Meanwhile I have purchase some new cockroach bait. The Myriostigma are around 6cm across (still young enough?) and the hole is the size of a pea.
Problem B I bought a fungicide called Mancozeb Plus. I wonder how long and how often I will have to use this now. Also, do I need to treat cacti that show no symptoms too? It leaves brownish/grey stains on the cacti :-( which looks particularly ugly on the astros with lots of white. | |
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SneakyCuttlefish Moderator
Number of posts : 705 Location : FNQ Registration date : 2012-12-11
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Wed Oct 28, 2015 10:01 pm | |
| I have found fungal infections to be very tricky to treat. Sadly there is almost no official literature on the subject and any that is readily available is, in most cases, just hear-say. Fungal infections are hard to treat because the kind of fungus, mode of infection and severity of infection can vary so widely that any individual chemical may or may not work.
I deal with these issues through 2 methods. The first is to just bin the source of infection.
Second is to science it. Start treating it and record the dosage and chemical used. Then just keep uping the dose or try other chems or combinations. But be sure to record your efforts because you may need to repeat the process for other plants.
Sorry I can't be of more help but I have lost a lot of cacti to fungal infections that seasonally spring up then disappear without a trace. Most of which I have never been able to identify or treat. | |
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Q-cactus
Number of posts : 6 Location : North Brisbane Registration date : 2015-07-22
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:22 am | |
| HI Sternkactus. the problem with treating funus infection, is targeting the right chemical to the attacking fungus. Many fungal treatments target a specific fungal type or group, and there are simply hundreds to potentially deal with. So as Sneaky cuttlefish stated, you will need to experiment a little to find what works. Mancozeb is a good broard spectrum treatment, but I found poor results on this particular rust fungus. I also tried fongarid, which is a systemic funguside . This appeared to stop the spread on infected plants. But as it turned out, the best remedy of all was simple, to house plants better, with more light, less exposure to damp and better ventilation. And don't all succulent growers agree with that!!! I have not seen another attack this year as a result. Q-cactus | |
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Sternkaktus
Number of posts : 31 Location : Far North QLD Registration date : 2015-03-26
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:55 pm | |
| Update on my little nudum Astrophytum myriostigma: It's been 7 months now. Although I was not too hopeful, I could not get myself to bin him. I kept him in single confinement and regularly sprayed Mancozeb plus Sulphur all over him (2.5g/500ml). I did that for quite a long time but saw no changes to the affected area (not increasing, not decreasing) but he seemed to be growing and fine besides that. Today I picked him up determined to cut the affected area out. When carefully scraping from the side I was however able to sort of peel dead epidermis off with healthy looking tissue underneath. And yes, comparing the pictures I can see that he has grown too. Happy | |
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SneakyCuttlefish Moderator
Number of posts : 705 Location : FNQ Registration date : 2012-12-11
| Subject: Re: 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" Sat Jun 04, 2016 5:03 pm | |
| That's good to hear. You will find that this scaring will grow out in a season or two and hopefully you will have a perfect astro again. | |
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| 2 Problems: Sun? Rust? and "a big chunk eate" | |
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