I agree this one is weird. This is not like my other cactus or succulents, which is why I call it out.

I like your idea of some kind of water absorbent fungus. How do I get a definitive diagnosis of that, and how would one treat that? Should I mix an antifungal with water and water the plant with that?

I spoke to the manager of a local nursery about this problem, and his opinion is worth sharing. He thinks that a surface "slime" that does not transition to a root rot is often bacterial rather than fungal. He did not sell an antibacterial treatment, but he said to research a general purpose chemical like "Physan". Does anyone here think that Physan would be safe to use on a Euphorbia White Ghost?

The problem with bacteria is going to be that any antibiotic is very specific to the bacteria species, and without a culture you are not going to get certainty on this.

Try colloidal silver for bacteria...some people make it which is ok for plants but not human consumption!!! I don't know how to make it...just saying. You can get it at he health food store I used it instead of antibiotics.

When I read the "too deep" part my first thought was that you can't plant this one too deep. In fact I thought that would be a good remedy for the situation...except for the slime.

I elevated the plant a few inches and supported it with stakes. I photographed the area in question which barely shows in this photo, but you can clearly see that it is all black. I have no experience with this type and I do not know what the normal coloration is. The texture of that black area is fuzzy, wet, and if you apply pressure and wipe something is coming off of it that might actually be some skin of the plant.

Something is definitely rotting. That part is supposed to be brown and wooden. I dont see brown or wood.

@milevskistefan Okay, my hunt for the disease name is on. :)

You'll need to cut all of that off u til you get to clean tissues.

If it were mine, I'd make cuttings of the lowest branches and cut the base/stem to just above the second branch from the bottom on the left side of the photo.

Once you cut it, allow it to dry on a shelf for at least a week. Others may say less time but with these types of Euphorbias, I like to be sure it's a closed wound before putting it in contact with any medium.

Pour peroxide on the white ghost and let it dry and callous.Then replant in a mostly perlite mix with some potting soils.If it was me,I would then try to keep it indoors next to a warm window. Plants like this will re- root much better indoors...then later acclimate to summers outdoors.

They grow slow outdoors even in summer here. But,they grow.

@stanofh You are saying pour 100% hydrogen peroxide undiluted onto the surface of the base and the roots? That's not going to uptake into the plant and kill it? Do I wash that off after I pour it on?

I like the idea of trying to nurse this back in 100% pumice or perlite. That medium will dry quickly and maybe will be a less hospitable environment for the disease.

Just use the diluted stuff sold at stores and its fine.

Trying to get that to re root in our climate? Would take all summer and maybe not much of a root system at that. I've learned that in cases of fat plants and Plumeria?..much better to root indoors. Even faster yet,if you use a heating pad. but,indoor nights usually suffice.

@stanofh I want to use this plant as a test case. I am still hoping to get a diagnosis of what this critter is, and if it is a superficial infection I am still hoping for a miracle recovery. I don't want to cut it to save it. I want to try to dry out that infection and see if I can nurse it back. It's not root rot yet. The core of the plant is hard to the touch in that black area.

@stanofh Okay, so you are saying pour a hydrogen peroxide product such as this one all over the base and root system, and leave it there to evaporate on its own? How soon after that treatment should/can I water the plant?

Westes, hydrogen peroxide quickly oxidizes into plain water when exposed to the light/air.

@laticauda so I can pour hydrogen peroxide directly into gritty mix, and that will completely metabolize to water and oxygen (superoxide) and not leave any residual trace in the soil?

The mix isn't infected..just the base of the stem. That's all you can do. maybe after it drys add some rooting powder.

Well,bleach is fine for tools and pots to disinfect. I would be careful on live plants. Peroxide is very- perfectly safe.

Ive diluted an already diluted bathroom cleaning product- just 3 times stronger that the stuff i water my seedlings with. And my seedlings are fungus free and thriving.

@milevskistefan I did not follow you. Are you saying you are watering your plants with hydrogen peroxide on a regular basis?

Nope. While i did add peroxide to the old seedlings' trays, it was to remove mold and moss. And i use a very very diluted (1 spray per 1 litter bottle) bathroom cleaning product to water my new seedlings(and they began germinating). But it was only a thrice thing- they werent wet enough to germinate, and had to ensure the soil stayed sterile(mostly).

If I remove the White Ghost from any soil to see if I can dry out the base, how long can I leave the roots totally dry and not covered with any soil?

Just treat,plant in a sterile mix and DONT remove to check how things are. You wait until it looks like its either grown or you see roots out of the pot.

If you HAVE to see roots? Then plant in 100% perlite,check it out a few weeks later...then, put in a 60% or so of perlite and potting/cactus soils if its got roots.

@stanofh I will go with pumice but the same idea.... So I should remove the plant from the soil with the roots intact, plant into pure pumice, never water the plant for a month?

Okay, time to admit defeat on preserving the original plant. I removed it from gritty mix and the roots do not feel healthy. They are all squishy and some of them feel hollowed out. So I guess at this point I should just cut up two inches from the base and start over from scratch.

I cut off the base of the White Ghost, and it was dried out and woody, totally dead material. Here is a photo of the plant after cutting up the base a few times. I encounter now a hollow section that does not look like rot, but I guess this is the start of rot, potentially?

Should I keep cutting until I encounter a completely white and flat surface that emits sap all over?

Run water over any Euphorb to stop the sap bleeding. Now wait a week or so..and dust with rooting hormone and..try again.

@stanofh well if I am going to cut it again there is no reason to wait for the first cut to heal?