Exactly Wes! Thank you:-) It doesn't need to make sense to me because I know why I started this thread. But does it make sense to others? The roots do have 20/20 vision and don't need help, but it is the diseased leaves that need a prescription! Those members left here feeling at blame with the demise of their plants when in was actually a disease problem not brought on by them personally, Privately one did e-mail me and I made her realize it was a fungus issue she was dealing with. Even if she potted it into a well draining mix, she would still loose that plant. Once she treated for fungus, it stopped dying. I did recommend a different supplier who could provide the same plant yet another friend here had lost twice, 'disease' free, and now realizes it was not her mx or watering habits that were at fault, and is very successful with the plant she has always wanted grow. I am a proponent of good cultural habits and excellent mixes as many know, but these are not going to solve a fungus issue that already exists on the leaves of their plants. How to 'avoid' these fungal problems was discussed here in this thread which was very informative and may have opened many eyes to which I am grateful. My goal was to look at plants with leaf issues from a different perspective at times, and to understand it's important to take into consideration 'fungus' as a culprit too. Some to quickly blame the mix although it is true that the mix plays a key role in the vitality of a plant as I have always discussed. Most times, it can be obvious with what's going on with a plant by the tell tale signs above the soil line and many are helped remarkably, especially here, but there are always those minute plants that fall through the cracks with the not so obvious signs, or masked symptoms that can easily be mistaken for something else that I wanted to make every one aware of. Sometimes the most subtle things can cause our plants demise, and no stones should be left unturned. I just wish being here to express one's concerns and suggestions as I have done was not at times mis-interpeted. But I guess that is what comes with the territory and I accept that part in trying to help others here. Stush, thank you for your wonderful and kind words. Hoping all is well these days for you. Woodnative...Thank you for all that insight. It just goes to show you that one has to be aware of the fact that every time leaves show us signs of distress, it could be just about anything. I am glad we are aware of this now. Rhizo! You are so right! None of them plants for me this year. In fact, I will be buying the Guinea ones that don't get affected at all. I will also be growing plants less effected my disease or get the from a nursery that stands behind their product and doesn't make me feel like I am the one at fault for loosing plants to a disease which they sold to me in the first place and hopefully others have gained insight here. Mike This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Fri, Dec 28, 12 at 8:28

Definitely looks like drought stress. Were those areas dark green before they turned brown. TTTF gets very dark when it is drought stressed, then it will turn brown shortly thereafter. It looks like the grass on the edges of the brown spots are dark green. Do the blades in those areas look folded up and thin? If so, that's drought stress. You would be well advised to water the area ASAP. Hitting it with shampoo before watering might help water get into those areas faster, as it looks like they might have some hydrophobic soil. Fungal diseases usually start out as rings or circles, sometimes accompanied with fungal mycellium. Then the blades collapse and die, and if conditions are right spread outward. If I remember correctly you live in Westchester county, and the weather in your area hasn't been that conducive to fungal diseases yet.

Thanks for the quick responses! :) I haven't been able to spot any critters on the leaves(? fronds? branches? not so sure about terminology here!) so far. The cactus pictured is an Epiphyllum - I just did some research and identified it. Whatever is going on with it is also affecting my Euphorbia milii - there are little brown spots and holes appearing on some of the lower leaves. I water them sparingly with room temperature water and allow it to run through. They're located close to a window in my kitchen... I don't think it's too drafty there but I could be wrong. There are more pics of the problem in the link. Thank you for responding!

Canes that blacken from the top down may have a fungal infection called canker. You can see if it is canker for sure by looking at the margin between the green part of the cane and the black part. There will be a narrow reddish area. You need to cut off any black area down to green healthy cane. Disinfect your pruners with Listerine between cuts so as to avoid spreading the infection. This disease can come from any number of causes--it may not be anything that you did. However, a weakened rose is more vulnerable to this than a strong, healthy rose. Is the affected rose in a poor location (not enough sun and water)? Or is it a less vigorous cultivar? Crowded too much with other plants? Did you have a particularly cold or heavily wet winter in your area? Any of these might be a cause...