Himeseikai

[Pattywack]

I hope you will follow ES recommendations, you may be able to save this plant. I would try cinnamon in hopes of stopping the infection and saving the original growth. I have not had to deal with crown rot, so no experience there. It seems if you can stop the rot you should be able to save the plant.

It looks as if the second growth has a tiny growth of its own showing?

[charlesf6]

I have it bare-rooted and just drying out at this time.

However I am quite uncertain how to divide this one, the Amonogawa had a much less complicated root system and the plant growths themself weren't so entwined.

The bean leaves are stuck together like siamese twins.
I may need to bring in a special surgeon.

[estación seca]

If they're that attached, I would leave them. The main rosette may not die completely. Over the next few days see whether more leaves die. In the mean time, soak just the roots in water each morning. Be sure they turn dark green, and be sure the leaves are dry by nightfall. If the main rosette continues to die, at some point it will pull off the surviving offset.

[MattWoelfsen]

Himeseikai 姫青海 is a smaller version of Seikai. As you have observed, the leaves on this plant are very tightly grown—leaving very little space from one set of leaves to the set above. The leaves also create a cup around the jiku (stem). A healthy plant will clump quickly.

That is the challenge of growing this relatively expensive plant: the tight space retains water preventing quick evaporation. What you have experienced happens all the time with this plant. This is crown rot, not the result of root decay as evidenced by the strong healthy roots.

I would re-pot the plant back the way it arrived. Do not remove the injured plant. After you re-pot the plant, I would not apply any desiccant to the rot area as this material might also settle on healthy leaves and compromise their health. I would apply a small amount—a drop or two of 50% isopropyl alcohol to the rot. This will help cauterize the wound and evaporate moisture. (Something I learned from Leafmite, a long time ago.)

When I water my Neos, I bring them to the kitchen sink and water them top to bottom, making sure the root ball is fully soaked. If you have a hand faucet, I use the “jet” setting to spray through the plants—removing dust and other material. For the bean leafs, like Himeseikai, I also up end them and shake off as much water from the plant.

Then I set them back in their grow space and manually run fans for an hour until the plants are dry but not the root ball. This air treatment does hasten the evaporation of water out of the plants. But the moss retains enough moisture to hydrate the plants for a week. I then restore the fans back to their timer. My fans run intermittently 24/7: 2 and a half hours on and off. Growing indoors, the temperature remains more or less constant: 78F during the day and drops to 68F at night. If a Neo is still wet when the drop in temperature occurs, crown rot happens. To err on the side of safety, this is why I water my plants in the morning. I grow under lights, which turn off at 8:30pm (2030). If Neos are still wet, temperature drops, lights go off violá crown rot.

The injured plant will eventually die. But until it does, it will provide support to the remaining fan and it will probably grow another fan. Once this fan dies and turns brown—can take a year, it will be safe to remove it when you re-pot it.

[charlesf6]

So water in the morning, run tap over them once a week in the winter months, air movement.
Any misting spraying plants in between?

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[camille1585]

I got 3 Neos a month ago. This is my second try growing some, all died of rot similar to yours the first time, 5-6 years ago. Anyway, I got lots of advice here and elsewhere. One recommendation was not to dunk/ thoroughly soak the mound at this time of year, but to instead rely on heavy spraying. This is to avoid having the plants go to bed wet and chilly which would lead to the plant rotting. So every 2-3 days, in the morning, I give the mounds a good spraying with the spray bottle, and wait until the moss is crispy before watering again.

I'd rather water less but more often rather than risk rot. So far it seems to be a good approach: the plants have rehydrated well after their long journey from Japan, and one of them now has an explosion of root growth. 4-5 brand new roots and nearly all the existing ones have new growing tips.

[Shoreguy]

What is wrong possibly due to freeze damage inside airliner's storage area at high altitude. See my pictures of plant recently purchased which has died.

Could even happen in summer if compartment not temperature controlled.