Good pictures. The reason your soil is hydrophobic (does not absorb water readily) is because you use Mancozeb and Banner Max on it repeatedly. Good soil needs healthy fungi and you're killing them every time you treat for rust. If you are going to treat the rust with chemicals, you should come back as soon as the rust goes away and treat the entire yard with compost at a rate of 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. The compost has all the beneficial fungi and bacteria that healthy soil needs. That should restore your soil so that it absorbs water again. It might even cure you of rust next year. Do you normally use fungicides later on in the season? If so be sure to follow up with compost at the same rate. That rate should look like a light dusting. That is only 1/3 of an inch so ALL the grass should be visible after you apply. I sweep it in with a push broom to get it off the grass blades. Down in Brazil researchers found that rust and red thread could be treated with ordinary milk. Spray it on at 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Usually they dilute it in water to get that. If you use an Ortho sprayer, set it to 3 ounces per gallon and fill it with milk. It takes about 3 weeks but that usually gets it without damaging the other fungi in the soil. In fact milk is an organic fertilizer, but I don't know anyone using it routinely. I used it on African violets for awhile.

Hello dylanangel, I'm not sure, but it looks like your plant may have root rot. (crown rot). This happens usually when we water too much or it gets stressed from not watering then we water too much and from being in pots that are too big, and also when we plant in too heavy soil, or combination of all the above. Put a healthy leaf down just as carol222 suggested. (Just in case) Pull off unhealthy collapsed leaves and debris. Dump the plant out of the pot (looks like at one time it had more than one crown.) Cut away dirt and roots from other crown, so you are working with whats left of the 'good' part. Inspect the roots of the part you're trying save. If they are dead, brown or mushy, remove. Inspect the neck ( the big stem of of plant. Scrape decay away from stem and see if it is still green. If you have some healthy roots and neck seems firm - repot. I'd go much smaller than even 4" pot. You have taken off leaves and roots, you are potting down. I'd plant in 2 1/2" - No larger than 3" pot. Plant with the 1-1-1-mix like snappyguy said. Make it lightly moist. Then put the whole thing into a baggie. This will give your plant enough humidity to survive and develop new roots. I would wait to fertilize. In a couple weeks if it perks up open baggie for day or two to let it acclimate, then take out and lightly water. The next time it needs water then fertilize. You could also do same as above except after you inspect the stem slice all the roots off and some of the stem. You will be left with small stub of stem with remaining leaves. Pot that in your moist soil less light mix then bag it. Leave in baggie for a month and it will grow new roots. Oh, and while you are checking out those roots, look for white webbing from soil mealy bugs. Mealy bugs look like small white grains of rice. But, we won't go there unless we have to. Any way this is just what I'd try and do. More experienced growers will be here to help you out. Good luck, Mac

Maryo - Old leaves? Young leaves? How long ago did you repot it? Can you make a pic? If it is one and only one plant - you are doing the right thing - root the leaf and dispose of the old plant. Most possibly something wrong with the conditions - too cold, too much fertilizer in a soil, Ph gone out of the desirable range etc. And this plant is just the most sensitive. You can leach it, repot it in a fresh soil and baby it a bit, but usually it takes forever to grow out of the damaged look. If you post the pics - I am sure somebody will come up with a better diagnosis. Irina

Velleta I have another thought.....There was a thread on the AV forum about "rust". Have you tried gently "brushing" or washing it off with mild soap? Is it removable? If it is, it just may be (geeze I am trying to remember what orange crust meant) fertilizer salts? And if this is true,,, then you will have to "rinse" out the soil. Do you water from the top or from the bottom? Do you have drainage in the pot? Could your mix be a little "heavy"? Just guessing here. Let me know. Maybe I can find that thread or with any luck someone else will jump in and help! Rosie