Ansellia African "ruby lips"
Salutations
I have previously had two Ansellia Africana's in my collection and both succumbed to horrid infections. The first contracted black rot and the second an unidentified microorganism attack. It had dark rusty spots the size of pencil dots on the leaves. Treating it with hydrogen peroxide, surgical spirits and cinnamon yielded no resolution. When I removed the infected parts the inside of the canes were black but not mushy such as in black rot. The black also seemed to infect only one bilateral half of the plant stem. After removing all infected material I have one tiny growth, about two centimetres tall with an underdeveloped cane the same hight. I wanted to know if these plants are prone to disease and what their temperature and water requirements are. Living on the continent and in a country where they are found, many people grow them in their gardens, both near the coast ( the area they occur naturally) and the interior where it gets much colder in winter and less humid. Please advise on what the ailments expressed above may be, and what I need to do to take care of these plants to keep them healthy and happy. Are these plants prone to infections?
Yours sincerely
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