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Cacti & Succulents

Adenium seedlings dying off

13 years ago

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to grow some adenium from seed, and in my three attempts thus far, I've had fairly good germination rates. So far, each batch has lived until it reaches about two inches high with a spindly caudex and two sets of leaves. The three different attempts are all roughly the same size, since the latest have had the most sun and are catching up.

Basically, I've been losing seedlings like crazy. For some reason, all of a sudden the caudex collapses at the bottom near the roots while the rest is healthy. I missed watering the past few days when it has been in the 100s, but other seedlings have died at other times. Any ideas why this might be? I'll post pictures tomorrow when I can take them.

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Comments (5)

bwolfsohn
13 years ago
nDay,

Could be a fungus.. could be lack of water..

I suggest watering the seedlings with a hydrogen peroxide solution.. that will help if it's fungus..

Use it at the ratio of 1/3 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 1 gallon of water.

However, if it's been over 100 and you haven't watered for a few days, then not watering for a few days with the peroxide solution won't help either..

seedling soil MUST remain moist.. they don't have enough reserves stored up to survive a death march like that..

Brian
Shack in the Back Growers
binlin
13 years ago
If the seedlings look perfectly fine but suddenly topple over at the base then it sounds like damping off.

You can see a picture of seedlings killed by it here:
http://www.tropicanursery.com/adenium/seeds.htm

Also you might consider giving your seedlings more light if they're 2 inches tall but only have 2 sets of leaves. The ones I germinated under grow lights had 3 sets of leaves before reaching 1.5 inches in height. I moved them outdoors into full sun around a month after they germinated and they've been bulking up and showing some dramatic increase in caudex size for the last week or so.
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Thanks everyone for the replies! A good thing--the caudex feels normal, not soft. I unpotted the plant and the roots are rotten. :( Even though the surface was a bit dry, the rest of the soil underneath was sopping wet. Recently it's been very humid where I live, and yes, I checked the cachepot and there's a puddle of water in the saucer. Because of the shape of the cachepot, the water's not directly touching the plastic pot, but still. So today I removed much of the soil and dead roots, and it has some good roots left (I guess they're good roots). I planted it in soil mixed with a lot of sand and grit, in a clay pot with no cachepot this time. I hope I didn't stress the plant too badly by repotting? I seriously should've done more research and taken better care of my plant. I will also flush it occasionally.
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From what you state that you are in the tropics and you have them under a roof structure, still getting sunlight. They should be receiving at minimum 8 hrs. of good sunlight every day or more. Extreme heat can be shaded such as you mention during the hottest part of the day. With you probably having good amount of humidity, this well be good. Roof structure will help the plants not getting too much rain if you are receiving much rain. I am thinking that the yellowing leaves are more from the soil. You may need to add some very porous material such as Lava rock, coconut husks (1/2" size). The clay pots can be an issue, especially if living in a very dry, hot area. If the you experience yellowing leaves and yet the plants caudex/stems are in relatively good condition. I would check for better porosity of soil and pests. Rick
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lady_ee
13 years ago
This site night help?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tropica Nursery
rjj1
13 years ago
Without some good information, it's just a guessing game. Are you using a mix that drains as fast as you can pour water on? If not, MIGHT be a fungus.

You have to water seedlings. They can't go bone dry on a consistent basis and be happy.

Ole Grumpy Gills
nday
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for all of your replies. It looks like damping off. Guess I'll have to start anew...

They were in direct outdoor sunlight for most of the day, so more light really wasn't an option. I don't quite know why they grew so spindly.

I know that they can't go dry, but I was gone for a few days and couldn't water. I didn't expect the heatwave and thought they'd be ok.

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