Whitman Farms is selling a new gooseberry cultivar named Jeanne which seems very promising.Following is a discription of the plant: The Agricultural Research Service announces the naming and release of a disease and pest resistant, high quality, dark-red, dessert gooseberry cultivar, JEANNE. Ribes uva-crispa L. cv. JEANNE is a late-ripening, dark red, dessert gooseberry with an unknown mixed European/American gooseberry pedigree. This plant was tested under the selection number O. T. 126, CRIB 11, ad PI 555830, which was donated to the USDA ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in 1981 from the Ribes collection maintained in collaboration between USDA and Oregon State University, Department of Horticulture, in Corvallis, Oregon. JEANNE should be suitable for commercial gooseberry production or home plantings. Flowers and Fruit In Corvallis, Oregon, JEANNE is a late blooming, late-ripening, dark red gooseberry. In most years, first leaf occurs in late March, full bloom occurs mid- to late-April, seven days to two weeks later than 'Malling Invicta' or 'Captivator'. The flowers are Plant JEANNE has an upright growth habit with some sprawling lower branches. Plants grow to a moderate size of about 1m x 1 m. The leaves are glossy green in spring and summer. Some branches have an occasional single spine per node. The spines are about 0.9 cm. Fruit Quality The fruit taste is full and sweet, improved over 'Captivator'. Fruit quality measurements for mid-July 2005 are as follows: pH = 3.3, titratable acidity = 1.85 g citric acid/100g berries, and oBrix =16.6, total anthocyanins = 19.7 mg/100g berries (expressed as cyanidin-3-glucoside), total phenolics = 128.4 mg/100g berries (expressed as gallic acid equivalents). Disease and Insect Resistance The leaves and fruits of JEANNE are highly resistant to powdery mildew, caused by Sphaerotheca mors-uva (Schwein). Berk. & Curt. In 1995, JEANNE was rated 1 (1 = most resistant, 9 = most susceptible) to mildew on both shoots and fruits, while 'Captivator' was rated 2 on both; 'Malling Invicta' was rated 2 for shoot mildew and 3 for fruit mildew; 'Careless' was rated 8 for shoot mildew and 9 for fruit mildew. Over the years JEANNE has remained at rating 1 for shoot and fruit mildew in Corvallis. The leaves of JEANNE are also highly resistant to white pine blister rust, caused by Cronartium ribicola Fisher. Between 1995 and 2005, no uredia formed on JEANNE under natural infection in Corvallis, Oregon. A few uredia formed on leaves of this plant after artificial inoculation in the field with 20,000 spores/ml. In Corvallis, damage from aphids or defoliation from sawflies (Pachynematus spp.) was less severe on JEANNE than in other European gooseberries. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 JEANNE was rated 1 (least affected) for sawflies, while other gooseberries, such as 'Jubilee Careless', were rated 9 (severe defoliation). .Black leaf spot, caused by Drepanopeziza ribis (Kleb.) Hohn, is visible on some leaves in summer, but does not appear to cause plant damage. Propagation JEANNE can be propagated by hardwood cuttings taken after 1000 hours of chilling has been received, or by softwood cuttings taken after bloom is finished when new growth snaps when bent sharply. The rooting percentage of cuttings is usually improved from liquid application of auxin. JEANNE was named in honor of the late Ms. Cheryl Jeanne Gunning, who worked in the tissue culture laboratory of the Corvallis Repository from 1981 to 1985. Genetic material of this release is deposited in the National Plant Germplasm System, USDA ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Corvallis, Oregon, where it will be available for research purposes, including development and commercialization of new cultivars. Limited quantities of JEANNE cuttings or rooted plants are available from: Curator, USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository, 33447 Peoria Road, Corvallis, OR 97333-2521. The Agricultural Research Service does not have plants for commercial sale.

I didn’t know I needed a new thread. I can do that....plant hardiness 7b, and we probably got into the teens with windchill a night or two. Very wet winter and spring. Spring is also colder than usual. Just now hitting 80 for the first time this year. None of my plants have leaves now (maybe one or two leaves here or there on one plant) all have green stalks and some obviously damaged with brown stems.

Just checked the stem/tuber. Mushy and gone. Originally I had the plant in an orchid bark (finer grade)/ African violet/ Perlite type mix. Rather quick draining. Everything was fine if I was able to water the thing daily. But daily watering does not fit my hectic schedule and also having to do that with over 100 other plants, forget it. I'm going insane. I tried to mix it in something similar minus the orchid bark and cut back on the perlite. It still dried up even in that mix, so I went to revive it. I likely overwatered it in reviving it. The plant was badly wilted before I watered. It seems like I am having a huge bout of root and crown rot with my African Violets as well. Perhaps there happened to be some kind of pathogen or contamination with the soil I used. After all some of it was a few months old Schultz type mixes. It seems I have horrible luck with schultz soil mixes. I don't know when I'll learn. It's the only stuff I can find locally and can obtain. That is unless I wish to pay high shipping costs and order online. Possiblities: - Overwatering in attempt to rehydrate dried caked soil? - plant was already dried up beyond saving??? - Not enough aeration in soil mix? - high salinity in soil mix and hard water causing burn? - I am beginning to strongly suspect the last one being a problem. I'm noticing a number of plants being girdled by orange stuff even if I don't fertilize. I suspect high mineral content in the city tap water is also harming my plants. That said: the Begonia is dead. ;( Leaves taken are still limp. Only one is showing life but rot took half of it, This post was edited by fieldofflowers on Fri, May 23, 14 at 4:50

Am I understanding correctly that you did a full repot, which includes removing all existing grow media, root pruning, and a change of medium? If yes, and especially considering a highly stressed plant will have little in the way of natural defense against insect herbivory and pathogens, your priorities should be to ensure the grow medium is damp/moist - about as damp as a well-wrung out sponge, not wet or soggy, the plant is warm (21-26c), and it gets plenty of light. Resist the urge to water until a wooden "tell" inserted deep into the pot bottom comes out barely moist. More on using a "tell": Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. I'll link you to two short pieces I wrote that provide 1) An Overview of Good Growing Practices, and 2) an Specific Overview of Long Term Care of Ficus in Containers. Hopefully it's not too little, too late. If you have other questions you think I might be able to answer, please don't hesitate. I have at least 40 containerized Ficus covering at least a dozen species or cultivars. Al