please help my mother is slowly dying

[falconcobra]

Mothers in Perlite are flat out lasting 6 months without a root trim to stay healthy. Don't get me wrong perlite is awesome stuff and what I use for bonsai mums, root's love it and grow through it quickly, but, this in itself is the problem.

Don't be afraid to trim the roots.

If there are some brown roots you can go a few different ways - Hydrogen Peroxide or some bacteria like Bio-bugs or natural enzymes like Cannazyme. If you really want you can use all 3, one after the other.

Dunk the whole root ball in a strong sanitising solution mix of H202 (Hy San or Oxy Plus) and water, let it sit and fizz for an hour or so, then dunk the rootball in straight pH water a few times to clean the freshly fizzed (I'm sure that's the tech term) roots and H202 mix from the rootball.

Dunk it a few times.

Repot the plant and use the Cannazyme at the recommended rate, it is supposed to convert dead root matter back into useable nutrient via natural bacterial/microbe activity using natural enzymes. AU60 from Nu-Life will do similar.

If you want to go the next step and have a healthy plant nearby you can introduce healthy bacteria by collecting some run-off and pouring into the re-potted plant as long as it's not too high in EC or alternatively purchase some bacteria like Power Active from Nu-Life. Mostly I think the Cannazyne works well enough but if your grasping at straws it all helps.

And yes yes we all should know that H202 will kill all bacteria good and bad so don't mix with the 'organic' Cannazyme or AU60.

Even hydro growers can appreciate and use organic tools.

 

In regards to why the roots are brown, yes not enough oxygen will do it, a build up of stale nutrient around the roots will do it, fungus gnats attracted to the decaying roots spreading/self seeding the Pythium spore will destroy healthy roots and turn them brown, heat will do it above 26' C as harmful bacteria start to breed and brown the roots.

Perlite by it's very nature 'breathes oxygen' in and out of the rootzone as it dries out and is re-watered, you go clogging things up and soon flushing isn't doing the job it's supposed to, it all goes down hill.

If you want to keep your mums healthy, hand watering is fine, just make sure you water at 'the right time' not too often and not too dry. Too often will drown the roots with not enough exposure to oxygen and too little risks the rootball drying out and heating up = brown roots. Trim your mums root-ball every 4 months and you'll have no dramas.

Bubble your make-up water to rid it of Chlorine and to increase the available oxygen, it also makes setting the pH easier but that is another story on Carbonates.

Low levels of light coupled with falling temps going into winter with a stressed mother plant will be enough to trip it into flower even under 18hrs so watch for signs of flowering around May June and increase the wattage if necessary after re-potting.

 

I don't have a problem discussing things with people willing to focus on logic and common sense, and hope my answers help, if not keep the sensible questions coming and I'll keep responding. Happy gardening

I agree, great info for a pea-brain like myself No doubt this'll come in handy 1 day..

 

This beats the seppo sites, you dont only learn how to grow plants but also how to be a cunt, Cheers Bufo.

[Budgiekk]

anyone else read the title of this thread and thought budgeikk was talking about his actual mother?

yeah crunchy not the best title when I saw it to day I even thought I was talkin bout my mother

 

 

 

The theory behind ya trays bufo has sold me already I don't nee to keep killing em

ones enough for me to do sumfin about it r they just those standard window box trays?

[Indycar]

This beats the seppo sites, you dont only learn how to grow plants but also how to be a cunt, Cheers Bufo.

Bufo is a man of many talents, being a c**t is just one of them.

 

It's a pity your ego got ahead of your ability BB 'n you didn't know when to drop it. Hijack 3 threads within a week with no regard to the original authors. Just so you can take a swipe at someone, proves just how selfish you are. This ban does not come as a surprise to me at all.

 

All the best with your mother 'plant' Budgiekk (hehe, thought the same at first crunchy). Bit of luck, you'll be able to keep her going until you can establish a new one.