The short story is, I have a desert rose that has been struggling and weak since I got it almost a year ago. When I repotted it, I found rot, some of which extended into the main "trunk". I cut away the rot that easy to remove, but there were little tendrils of rot extending into healthy tissue that I couldn't remove without almost destroying it. Is there anything else I can do for it, or is it likely to be a goner?
The long story - I got it last summer very cheaply. It was in a plastic pot of potting soil and had been left out in rainy weather for some time. I repotted it into 100% napa oil-dry which was a mistake, I think. It never really did much of anything after I repotted. Winter came along and I figured it was probably just dormant. Now that the weather warmed up, it seemed to finally want to grow but was struggling - it would grow a few leaves and they would brown at the edges and slowly die. Finally I decided to repot again into something better - turned out the napa oil-dry was damp and sticky and clayish - perhaps they have changed it and don't fire the clay anymore. I removed it all, and some rotten roots. Some rot extended deep into the trunk and couldn't be removed. I repotted it into mostly pumice and waited 48 hrs to water it to let the wounds skin over. It's been a week now and its few little leaves continue to brown and slowly die back. The trunk itself is still firm and has picked up a healthy looking greenish tint. though. I've read mixed things about fungal infections in desert roses, but most seem to suggest they are goners if they get stem rot and this seems somewhat similar.
The long story - I got it last summer very cheaply. It was in a plastic pot of potting soil and had been left out in rainy weather for some time. I repotted it into 100% napa oil-dry which was a mistake, I think. It never really did much of anything after I repotted. Winter came along and I figured it was probably just dormant. Now that the weather warmed up, it seemed to finally want to grow but was struggling - it would grow a few leaves and they would brown at the edges and slowly die. Finally I decided to repot again into something better - turned out the napa oil-dry was damp and sticky and clayish - perhaps they have changed it and don't fire the clay anymore. I removed it all, and some rotten roots. Some rot extended deep into the trunk and couldn't be removed. I repotted it into mostly pumice and waited 48 hrs to water it to let the wounds skin over. It's been a week now and its few little leaves continue to brown and slowly die back. The trunk itself is still firm and has picked up a healthy looking greenish tint. though. I've read mixed things about fungal infections in desert roses, but most seem to suggest they are goners if they get stem rot and this seems somewhat similar.
(the first attempt, I dried for 3(ish) days)....
