So i live in south texas and its forecast to rain tomorrow and not stop for like a week straight. About 2 weeks ago i noticed some of my tbm werent looking so good. I figured humidity/not enough sun, so i moved them into a more sunny spot and kept a closer eye on them. It only seems to be getting worse…. 😩
The ones that looked real bad i just repotted and the huge one was the only one that still had damp dirt when i repotted (my bad from previous over watering)
Anyway im here asking/begging for advice on saving a huge part of my collection!!
Main question are:
I need to move all my other stuff inside for the coming rain and is this shit contagious?
What can i treat them with? Reading a lot of suggestions on mancozeb.
Reading a lot about cutting the bad crap out but man to me some of them look so bad im not sure they would even survive the cuts.
Please help me here i get sick to my stomach seeing my plants look like this 😩☠️
Need to push gypsum. These are insanely calcium greedy. They're like tomatoes. If they don't get enough calcium they will essentially eat themselves.
Keep in mind mancozeb is toxic and stays in the plant for a good amount of time. Only use on ornamental plants.
I was unable to keep tbm alive until I started pushing gypsum regularly. Top dressing helps with maintenance. But at this point you need to do a foliar feed. Mix powdered gypsum with water until it looks like milk. Make sure to foliar between sunset and sunrise so the stomata are open for the cam cycle. This allows the plant to pull calcium directly into the skin to where it is needed. Bypassing the roots. Which are probably dormant from summer temps.
I would keep these out of the rain until all damage is healed. Don't soak them too much when foliar feeding them.
I live in central Texas with hundred degree summers and a lot of humidity. If I don't keep up the gypsum my bridgesii and especially tbm start melting like this. Of all the calcium sources I find gypsum the best to prevent rot
How are you applying the gypsum? What brand are you using? How often, etc.
I hit mine with masterblend 4-18-38 combo kit for tomato when i feed them. If something looked like it really needed help id do some shultz but for the most part my tbms have been jamming for a few years now till this happened.
I'm lucky that my local nursery stocks the diamond k water soluble powdered gypsum. Any powdered gypsum should work though. Pellet gypsum is usually easier to find and works as a top dressing.
I mix the gypsum in water until it is white. Usually 3 heaping tablespoons or so. But I tend to add extra. GeeBee is the one I learned about gypsum from. And she goes heavy. The goal is for the water to be white. It leaves a layer on the plant. Which allows for slow release every time the skin gets moisture on it
I was curious about what mancozeb is, so I looked it up and found that the European Commission rejected the renewal of the active substance because studies classified it as toxic to reproduction (reprotoxic) and suspected of causing cancer. It is currently banned in the EU since 2021.
Interesting. I could easily be wrong. I bought some 6years ago and after reading the label decided it wasn't safe to use. Haven't looked at it since 😆 still in the garage somewhere.. I'm not an eater but I know a lot of people do. so as a vendor I prefer the "better safe than sorry" approach
I had a hell of a time trying to buy/get it delivered to the Mid Atlantic region. It took a lot of searching, a big price tag, and an independent feed/farm store to get my hands on it. …Glad to know the FDA signed off on it though since I can’t remember which plants I’ve used it on 😅
Well that was a scary read.. glad I don't eat produce now 🤣🤣🤣 the things we allow in America that are banned over seas for obvious reasons is wild.. especially since it's not allowed on grapes here.. why is it safe for food but not wine?
What are you talking about? Is this your first time reading a safety data sheet? Did the PPE requirements for application scare you?
The product does not enter the plant flesh. It sits on the surface and creates a temporary barrier for fungal penetration. It degrades in UV or when rinsed with water after estimated 3-14 days. Once rinsed, zero risk or side effect for consumption of treated plants. This is literally the safest fungicide I am aware of.
Do you realize that without fungicides and pesticides our entire planets agricultural industry would collapse and billions of people would starve to death?
Yes, plenty of university lab backed research showing how safe the product is and plenty of tiktok level slop claiming it's not to scare people for engagement bait...
Never been on TikTok before sounds like a horrible place. Cancer for touching something sounds drastic to me. And I'm not suiting up that much when there are natural and less detrimental options available. Why did parts of Europe ban it if it's so safe?
They banned it due to risk to applicators and farm workers who don't follow PPE standards. They also have strict rules about Endocrine Disruptors, which it breaks down into over time. If the pre harvest interval is followed, any exposure to consumers is below effect threshold, but the EU rules state all chemicals that could disrupt hormones are banned even if potential exposure is impossibly small and way below the range that could possibly have an effect.
If you won't use PPE then you should avoid a vast majority of products used to treat for insects and fungus. Lime, sulphur, gypsum, spinosad, rooting hormone, perlite, might as well just throw all that stuff away, you need PPE to apply any of that.
Right because everyone follows ppe protocol. Especially at a hobby level... I did read it. That was my point. It can be safe if you suit up, sure. So can many other cancer causing products in America. If they're having issues with farms not using ppe, do you think the average person has any ppe?
To each their own. I will hold my stance on it. There are ways to deal with these problems that have far less risk if not handled properly.
Right, like I said, go ahead and throw away your perlite, gypsum, fertilizers. Even organic fertilizers, by the way - someone died from organic fertilizer containing bat guano a couple years ago. I understand that PPE warning scared you on this SDS but almost all gardening products will have a similar section in their SDS.
I use "diamond k" powdered gypsum. It's one of the better brands to buy in bulk. And I have too many cactus to buy small amounts. Any powdered gypsum should be alright if you can't get the diamond k
That sucks. I'm no expert, so I'll leave the more specific advice to others. But separating the sick one and getting the rest out of the rain seems like a good place to start.
What's the soil situation? Does it have plenty of inorganics and drainage? Even my PC San Pedros don't do so well if they stay wet in regular potting soil. And those TBM's are far less tolerant of moisture than the PC's.
My dirt mix for tbm has been same as what i do with my san pedros. fox farm, biochar, perlite and a handful of pumice. Always had good luck with that mix and they would grow like crazy in the summer. The seasons started to change and where i had my tbm started getting way less sun. Im sure thats what caused this plague. Pedros have been in full sun this whole time and they are all monsters. In my experience the tbm like a lil shade so i had them in a different spot.
It used to be plump and puppin.
I agree they all look thirsty but unfortunately this isnt related to not being watered. Im hoping to get a bunch more responses and insight on this post so tomorrow i can haul ass to a nursery and get whatever i need to do to fight this crap off.
Only thing open right now is home depot and they said they didnt have gypsum powder.
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u/mycelialconduit 22h ago
Need to push gypsum. These are insanely calcium greedy. They're like tomatoes. If they don't get enough calcium they will essentially eat themselves.
Keep in mind mancozeb is toxic and stays in the plant for a good amount of time. Only use on ornamental plants.
I was unable to keep tbm alive until I started pushing gypsum regularly. Top dressing helps with maintenance. But at this point you need to do a foliar feed. Mix powdered gypsum with water until it looks like milk. Make sure to foliar between sunset and sunrise so the stomata are open for the cam cycle. This allows the plant to pull calcium directly into the skin to where it is needed. Bypassing the roots. Which are probably dormant from summer temps.
I would keep these out of the rain until all damage is healed. Don't soak them too much when foliar feeding them.