Powdery/crystalline accumulation

[kalanchoe]

Hello Everyone!

I've got a weird issue with my mini dtps in s/h. It has a funky accumulation of stuff around its base. I had assumed that it was some type of buildup, so I started soaking some new PrimeAgra in epsom salt solution with the intention of trading it out. Now that I'm looking closer, I'm worried it might be something more sinister- I noticed a really tiny bug crawling around the accumulation, and it almost looks like there have been some stunting of new root growth. Now my plan is to clean the plant with some of Ray's Rise & Shine wipes, rinse it with a Physan solution, and then repot with fresh PA.

Has anyone had this before? Is there a different remedy I should try?

Thanks,

Hil

[kalanchoe]

Ok, so I took it out of its container and the roots weren't too pretty. A couple were brown, with the same white stuff growing on them. I squeezed a brown one a bit to see if it was mushy, and it burst open, squirting brown liquid on me (GROSS). The other roots were green, firm, and had black spots here and there. I removed the brown roots and the plant is now soaking in a physan 20 solution.

So, a couple more questions:
1. All of these roots were newly acquired in s/h (it was pretty much a "rootless wonder" when I transplanted it as my first experiment with s/h), so does the nastiness of the roots indicate that I'm doing something wrong with the s/h culture method? Or does this just happen sometimes?

2. How should I approach the repotting after I remove the plant from physan? Should I water it with more physan? Some KLN solution?

Thanks,

Hil

[Zoi2]

It looks like you've got a salt/fertilizer build up. When this happens to me, I usually just unpot, rinse the plant off under the tap, hang it upside down for awhile until it dries and repot with clean leca and then I flush the pot with rain water more frequently. If your humidity is low, just mist the top leca with water between waterings and it'll cut down on the salt buildup.
Joann

[Ray]

As they all grew into the s/h environment, the condition of the roots suggests to me that they are too cool. If you are growing it in a dry, air-conditioned environment, the extra evaporative cooling from the medium can push it below its preferred lower temperature limit.

[kalanchoe]

Thanks, Joann and Ray! I'm inexperienced with s/h, so I really appreciate your advice.

You're both right- my humidity is low, usually 30-40%. I grow them on a table next to my living room window, so there are simply some aspects of culture over which I have very little control.

Ray, would adding bottom heat to this plant aid the situation? Or would that just accelerate the evaporative cooling affect? I've heard on the board that phals do not like cold roots, so I'd like to remedy this if possible.