Fungus or root rot?
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- Posts: 3
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Fungus or root rot?
I’m panicking. We got this from my brother 20 years ago. Can I save it?
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- Steve Johnson
- Posts: 4557
- Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:44 am
- Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
Re: Fungus or root rot?
A couple of things -- see this first:
viewtopic.php?t=43819
All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Cacti and succulents have different growing requirements, so it's helpful to know that your plant is in fact a succulent. You'll get better advice by posting in the Succulent Growing Help forum. I'm one of the moderators, so I can move your thread over there if you'd like.
viewtopic.php?t=43819
All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Cacti and succulents have different growing requirements, so it's helpful to know that your plant is in fact a succulent. You'll get better advice by posting in the Succulent Growing Help forum. I'm one of the moderators, so I can move your thread over there if you'd like.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2023 5:56 pm
Re: Fungus or root rot?
Yea please… that’d be great. I appreciate it
- Steve Johnson
- Posts: 4557
- Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:44 am
- Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
Re: Fungus or root rot?
Done deal.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
- Steve Johnson
- Posts: 4557
- Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:44 am
- Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
Re: Fungus or root rot?
Just wanted to follow up with you on a couple of things...
Although my expertise is with desert cacti, I do have a fair amount of experience coming from my younger days when I grew cacti and succulents. The two different types of plant have one thing in common -- they need a free-draining mix. You have a great big potful of what appears to be soil and nothing more. That amount of soil takes a long time to dry out after it's watered, and your Euphorbia (I think it's an E. ammak) isn't getting nearly enough drainage and aeration to the roots. I highly recommend that you lean it out with some sort of mineral gravel -- pumice is perfect, although you can go with crushed granite poultry grit, Turface (if you're able to get it), or calcined clay cat litter. For cacti, I generally recommend a 50/50 soil-mineral gravel mix. You may not need to go quite as lean for succulents, but you still need to lean out the mix.
The other thing I noticed -- the pot may be too big for the roots. My guess is that if you unpot the Euphorbia, there won't be much of a root system. "Rule of thumb", size the pot to the roots, not the stem of the plant. Unfortunately I can't make a suggestion on the right pot size you should go with, so hopefully one of our experienced succulent growers can give you some advice on that.
Although my expertise is with desert cacti, I do have a fair amount of experience coming from my younger days when I grew cacti and succulents. The two different types of plant have one thing in common -- they need a free-draining mix. You have a great big potful of what appears to be soil and nothing more. That amount of soil takes a long time to dry out after it's watered, and your Euphorbia (I think it's an E. ammak) isn't getting nearly enough drainage and aeration to the roots. I highly recommend that you lean it out with some sort of mineral gravel -- pumice is perfect, although you can go with crushed granite poultry grit, Turface (if you're able to get it), or calcined clay cat litter. For cacti, I generally recommend a 50/50 soil-mineral gravel mix. You may not need to go quite as lean for succulents, but you still need to lean out the mix.
The other thing I noticed -- the pot may be too big for the roots. My guess is that if you unpot the Euphorbia, there won't be much of a root system. "Rule of thumb", size the pot to the roots, not the stem of the plant. Unfortunately I can't make a suggestion on the right pot size you should go with, so hopefully one of our experienced succulent growers can give you some advice on that.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
- jerrytheplater
- Posts: 1179
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:38 pm
- Location: Bloomingdale, NJ (USDA Zone 6b)
- Contact:
Re: Fungus or root rot?
The pot might be so large to keep the plant from tipping over. If so, you can pot in a smaller pot and then place the smaller pot in a larger pot full of gravel or stones to provide weight.
Jerry Smith
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
- Steve Johnson
- Posts: 4557
- Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:44 am
- Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
Re: Fungus or root rot?
Good idea!jerrytheplater wrote: ↑Tue Jun 13, 2023 2:51 pm The pot might be so large to keep the plant from tipping over. If so, you can pot in a smaller pot and then place the smaller pot in a larger pot full of gravel or stones to provide weight.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)