One of the Amorphophallus ???

I have the same problem with the base of my basil. Im not sure what it is either, and im a little worried. However, I do know a little about harvesting it. If it has slowed, it may be because you aren't pinching at the right spot. You may actually be pinching off the growing point. There are several points on one plant, which means it isn't going to kill it, but it will *slow* it. You can search youtube for a video on how to prune, bc a visual helps! Look at the stem, and notice how every node has two leaves on each side. If it were pinched at one of those points when it was younger, it would have made two new branches/stalks on each side of the main stem. Now, look at the tops, and make sure you are only cutting the stem off at a point right above these tiny little leaves, which will be the new growth of stalks. Basically, you will only be cutting off the top 4 leaves. You can also cut your leaves off the stem, as long as you are removing the older leaf, not the new growth at the junction. Hope we can both figure out what is wrong with our roots!!

Hello, janellw. Can you post pictures of the black leaves on the shrub and a close up of the leaves (front and back)? Then post another picture of the brown spots on the stems? Root rot can produce brown spots on the stems although more obvious symptoms would include continuous wilting regardless of how much water you provide. Excessive watering and-or soil that drains poorly can help develop this problem. There are other types of fungal infections -in addition to root rot- that could cause black-ish leaves such as anthracnose. It could also be a case of powdery mildew where the leaves do not turn exactly black but maybe dark gray or purple-ish sometimes. The pictures may help us see what you see. When you have fungal issues, the best thing you can do is make the environment difficult for the fungi to continue spreading. Sometimes Mother Nature does that when high summer temperatures and low humidity arrive. Other times, you need to control soil moisture better. The best way to proceed is to use the finger method so you know when it is ok to water. On a daily basis, insert a finger into the soil to a depth of 4" every morning. If the soil feels dry or almost dry then add 1 gallon of water. If the soil feels moist, do not water. If the soil feels wet, determine why and take appropriate steps to prevent that if necessary. Do this every morning for two weeks. Every time that you water, make a note on a wall calendar. After two weeks, revisit the information on the wall calendar and determine how often you had to water. Say, every 2 days? every 3 days? Etc. Then set your sprinkler to give the hydrangea 1 gallon of water on that same frequency. If the temperatures change 10-15 degrees and stay there, recheck for two more weeks using the finger method. Good sanitation techniques can also help. These are things like never watering the leaves but watering the soil only. Water the plants early in the morning. Discard in the trash all plant debris under the hydrangeas. Because this is an ongoing multi-year problem, replace the mulch with new mulch (3-4") and -in the fall- throw the dried out blooms and leaves in the trash. Allow some separation between shrubs to improve air flow. In large plants, open up areas (by pruning) so sun and air get deeper into the shrub. See the link below for additional information on hydrangea diseases. If you cannot post pictures, feel free to take leaf samples to a plant nursery or Agric Extension Service for analysis (place the leaves in a sealed transparent bag). Does that help you? Luis Here is a link that might be useful: Hydrangea Diseases

I repotted because it came from Lowe’s and our store over waters everything. There was a black mark on the stem when I bought it and two of the leaves were pale green so I figured new soil was best. I only water when it’s dried out. Using dowel method. I watered until came out the bottom when I repotted and once after, then relative watered when it shouldn’t have been. So three times since it’s been repotted. I wondered if the pot was too big. The only reason I didn’t downsize was because I didn’t have a smaller planter that was the right size. With covid, there was no planters available anywhere local. I repotted in same and hoped for the best. It could probably stand more light. It’s by my side door, north east light. Going to have to move it soon anyhow because of cold drafts. HC that’s beautiful. I saw that in some of begonia pics you posted. Truthfully I don’t have the space for the type of plant. Once I came to terms with that I was hoping to fix the plant up happy and pass it along to a friend.