Thanks for the info cuddlyotter! I do have it in a pot with a drainage hole. Noted on the water hold off until more growth appears. I think I read somewhere that some people put there new bulbs in plain water to revive it so maybe I was thinking that when I first watered it. When I bought it, it already had a lot of good looking intact roots. I pulled off the dead/dry ones leaving just the plump white ones. I guess I just got a bit of gardener envy when I see posts where people are getting an inch of growth a day and my poor guy hasn't even seen a centimeter in a week! ha I have another question for you if you don't mind pertaining to lighting. I live in a East facing house blocked in on the North/South sides by equally as tall houses and my West window is currently still blocked by major tree foliage (darn things leaves are still full and green!) So until my lighting situation get's better is it okay to put it under artificial lighting? I currently have it on my kitchen countertop under the overhang of my cabinets that have recessed lighting underneath them. So currently it's about 10 inches away from the light source. Is this okay? Thanks so much for your help! ces797

Thanks for the information. Its good to know that its just fungi and can be dealt with. I'll be sure to loosen the top soil in all the affected pots. I feel much better now. The rain also brought out the little caterpillar looking worms. They are voracious eaters. I found them before they did too much damage. I sprayed the palms with volk oil, and that seems to have taken care of that problem. As far as what I'm going to do with the palms, I'll probably sell most of them. It all started with my just wanting to see if I could germinate a few seeds I gathered from a tree in my front yard. I thought it would be nice to have some smaller palms in decorative pots which could later be planted in the yard. I had heard that it was difficult to germinate the seeds and that it was a lengthy process. With that information, my expectations weren't too high and would have been happy just to be able to have a few germinate. I was in for a surprise. When 70 plus germinated, I decided to plant them all in little plastic cups not knowing if they would all actually mature into plants. Well, to my surprise they did.....lol. I guess somewhere along the way I developed an "emotional attachment" to them and felt a responsibility to nurture them along and watch them develop to their full potential. I think they'll continue to do great if the hurricanes stay away. I've also branched out and have a crop of about 40 sagos now. I love gardening and my little "crops" provide me with a lot of enjoyment. Thanks again for the information of the fungi!

Many thanks. And, yes I agree. Looking at the heuch has me wondering about space limitation and I'm definitely lamenting the caladium as an addition. The Dr. was planted so that the crown was at least 2 - 3 inches below the soil line for winter protection. I just can't get over the fact that the new growth that peaked its head from that crown just flopped so quickly and I have no idea why the other buds on the old wood have failed to respond to the warmer weather. I just can't give up hope, even if it looks bad. I've had good results from moo poo or alfalfa tea bags when dealing with roses on their last leg. Perhaps it'll help heal the damage I may have caused. But if by the end of June there's no significant change, I'm afraid that may be it. Given that it is in a container and the fact that we had a harsh winter in DC, I'm wondering if the below freezing temps may have weakened it. If this doesn't work out and I'm really hoping it does, I refuse to give up on the Dr. b/c it's just such a beautiful clem and will plant another one in a container all on its own. Perhaps I'll do that next to this one just to offset what I've lost.

Last fall I planted a very small cryptomeria radicans next to three big ones. The small one was on sale and was brown all over (see photo). I have used and trusted the nursery I bought it from for years, and they told me that it was not diseased, just outgrowing its pot and probably underwatered. Well, I planted it and its new growth is OK. The brown remains. Problem is the nearby cryps have shown some brown, especially at the leader/new growth. The trees receive adequate water and are planted properly. After doing some research, the safest course of action seemed to be to remove the problematic leader, provide a gentle fertilizer (I am not a fan of fertilizer as I believe that trees do just fine on their own when planted properly in proper location and soil), and wait. I used Tree Tone at recommended rate and removed leader and any browned tips with clean and sharp loppers. But I am concerned that the small tree I planted was, in fact, diseased, and now it will spread further/again to the other trees. I have taken a photo of the small tree, the leader, and a close up of some unique damage to the leader. Could someone diagnose what this might be and whether a copper fungicide is indicated? Also, should I remove the small tree? I need some help here. Getting nervous...... Thanks John SMALL TREE: new growth seems ok Leader of tree next door, brown everywhere Close up of leader Photo of big tree after dead leader trim