Vermiculite

Bruce ask:

The bulk of my soil is a prepared commercial mix from BWI called Metro Mix 300 Growing Medium. It is made up of 30 to 40 % horticultural grade vermiculite, Bark, Canadian sphaghum peat moss,horticurtural grade perlite,bark ,ash,dolomitic
limestone( for Ph adj)and a wetting agent. I added the following to the mix,( 10 % masson sand,10% coarse
vermiculite, 10% axis diatimacious clay) . It has been awhile but I nelieve this is pretty close to my soil mix. Plastic pots are used
As I have been watching this problem it seems to be associated with wet feet , some sort of a fungal,bacterial, viral, type of disease that tends to be in pots that don't drain as well or stay damp. the softness in the caudex moves up the plant until it melts.

I hope this info will help Thanks for the help!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!

Esteban's Answer:

Look,,,any place that can grow rice,Crawfish, Cayenne peppers and do Fíle Gumbo has to do Adeniums well
As all have commented ,Adeniums will take a great deal of water with full capacity drain in 10 min max or One is coveting problemsPithium and Phytophora(Damping off)Neither is cured...just stopped for the moment on the particular plant
As mentioned Vermiculite holds water so you don't want that I personally have heard every story the Ag sales persons give to sell their product and trust no commercial mix until I have tested it. I consider it like tobacco...Tobacco is great taste and aroma,but cigarettes are terrible as they are so little of tobacco.Tobacco is natural and cigarettes are man made ...even some of the socalled tobacco fill.OPne just doesn't knoiw what is in the mix...regardless what they tell you!!

I can seriously recommend to you to use 80% coarse river sand and 20% stable bottoms.With that mix ,one has a fantastic growing base for Good bacteria .as well as ...good worms that will aerate the soil and they especially excrete 64% N in their droppings.another bonus With Adeniums the problems are 90% pathological and 10% Plaga..so keep your plant pathologically well. Sick plants don't get better.either they die or the bad part is amputated... eliminated and then the good part willpossibly grow 10-20% of the time...never the same ,but can possibly regrow.I get 10% saved plants when we make mistakes.....If you have A.obesum seedlings ,you probably don't have a tremendous outlay and it might be better to set those aside in a sickarea if they aren't too many and start correctly.again As others have said many drainage holes in the pot are essential.Min 3 of
5/8" in a 7-8" pot.in case one gets clogged With the mix I use and recommend ,fill a 2 gal pot to 1 1/2" from the top with the mix...Flood to capacity and then fill to the top with water.If in 10 min you have dropped water level to below the soil level it’s a good mix better if in less time....
All plants just like animals respond to good food care and constant attention.Tread softly with Organic growing as it requires a greatnatural plant protection knowledge and attention to the plants.but then again brain sugery is easy foir a Brain surgeon,right! ! Most commercial growers won't risk not spraying and not doing things correctly as even so,their livelihood is still at risk due to the weather..and thieves.....

What I am saying is when One has an infection you don't beat a tambourine and pray...500mg of Antibiotic does wonders so get into the protection concept by reading and learning...You are learning right now with the results of a bad mix.In a plant habitat(where they live naturally) the best medicine is sunlight and rain...Nature seems to balance most problems except
when we begin to plant them in pots. I can go on and on and see that I am filling too much here... Bruce ,Contact me directly if you want to further discuss the problems. Growing plants is like a good marriage...there is no quick fix....

Atte,

Esteban McGrath
Loresco Tropical Plants
San Juan,Puerto Rico