Help With Loph Will

[grantoss]

Here is some photos of "Kin" I only got him a little while ago and had a family member pot it for me as I was at work.

On New years eve I left him outside overnight to catch some of that amazing Blue, Full Moon/Eclipse.

When I came back late yesterday I noticed this (pictured below) on him.

It seems to have happened so quickly so it worries me greatly, can anyone identify what it is and what I can do?

Any help would be very appreciated and I have included as many photos in different light, with/without flash to give a clear picture of the problem.

P.S. photographing him wasn't an easy task for some reason, maybe he's camera shy???

They have been potted in Caacti and Succulent mix from the shop but if this is not sufficient please let me know and I will make up the best stuff for them. Thanks and Happy New Year!!!

[bℓσωηG]

potting mix????? that holds too much water, oh god please save your loph....the soil may be too moist , it may have been too cold to leave it outside uncovered , the shock of being transplanted left outside cold and not kept humid... i hope the soil is bone dry ,...not a good look on something so large ...i wouldnt trust anyone to pot up something for me either ... bring her in ....inspect, inspect, inspect ... http://lophophora.blogspot.com/search/label/Lophophora%20williamsii

Edited January 2, 2010 by blowng

[Ace]

Looks like sunburn? Was she left in full sun for any length of time? If it was an indoor specimen that copped even a short stint of full sun exposure without being acclimatised, it often ends up looking like your caespitose clump. Otherwise it may be rot of some description - keep her nice and dry if the soil is damp (if it is, perhaps take it out of the soil and place in fresh, well drained, sandy soil and keep watering to a mimimum).

The un-evenness of the scarring looks like it also may be a mite infestation (sun burn will usually be quite evenly spread where the sun struck the plant, whereas mite damage will be where ever the little buggers can get a good feed). Usually mites take weeks to do damage on this scale, though, so it's a little hard to tell what culprit did the damage. I'm thinking it'd have to be one of the above (sunburn, rot or mites), all of which are treatable if you get in quick.

P.S. To get a good, clear shot of the plant, find the 'Macro' setting on your camera. Once you have that on you should be able to get a really clear, close-up shot of her.

[mutant]

mites?

[tripsis]

Could mite do that overnight?

[Ace]

Wouldn't think it likely that mites could do that sort of damage so fast, but if there were a large population that had maybe been located in the potting mix or something, it could be possible. Such an odd scarring - not quite sunburn, not quite mites, not quite rot, but possibly any of them. Very curious to see what did the damage

[grantoss]

It was placed outside on a nice day..... I never thought that they would be that sensitive.

I will make up the perfect mix for her as when they arrived I was away at work (I work offshore) a relo thought that they would just buy the cactus and succulent mix from the nursery and throw them in there.

Does it look like sunburn? I have looked over her in detail and find no sign of mites at all, I also notice that it hasn't seemed to effect the more mature plants but more so the younger pups.

It happened so quickly that I never noticed it until I spent a day away from them for new years eve.

Thanks heaps for the replies..... I will do my best to nurse her back to health and will post some nice pics if and when she comes good. Peace all and thanks again.

[Chiral]

Try washing the plant..looks like something has been spilled or dripped on it...see if it washes off or moves easily with rubbing or pump spraying.

[ethnodude]

I'd say sunburn, fert burn or both. Given the extreme UV rays even on cool days it can be extremely damaging to sensitive plants such as lophs. Experienced growers know not to move plants into full sun over night, but rather over weeks. I learned this the hard way reciently with some trich's that were'nt even put in full sun. I had to cut of some tips and allow to reheal as the sunburn was that bad. I suspect global warming is making this more of an issue.

[Chiral]

fungus...?

[mr b.caapi]

That potting mix is looking pretty damp ( last pic ), Id be gettin it out of that straight away. Get it into a nice free draining sandy mix with chunks of limestone mixed through it.

Im not saying this is the problem, but it would be a very good place to start.

Edited January 2, 2010 by Mr B.caapi

[M S Smith]

Sunburn for sure...the way to tell is by how the worst struck tissue is sunken in. I've see worse sunburn heal with no trouble except for a scarring. Proper acclimatizing is clearly important.

~Michael~

[mutant]

now that I see photos again, I see what you mean. It's not mites, I changed my mind. You propably had some mites in the past or still have... - or this dusty appearance is normal witjh lopho I dunno I only grow them a year+ or so. But this is something else.. Something must have chewed Kin, or it could also be a sunburn... This is dangerous time where it can also be infected with other shit as rot. I had this happening to me... Sunburn + rot simultanously... it was lopho on pereskiopsis and I managed to save all heads at the end one is even still alive on the same pere stock - it was one of the times I sprayed chemicals on my plants.

It has been said alsewhere, but I find appropriate.. It happens a lot when you bring a plant to a new wild or semi wild enviroment.. Insects and such beasts WILL check it out... It's perfectly natural and maybe just maybe, its a glance on what brought as here in the first place. Trying NEW things.. An exotic plant or any newcomer for that matter brought to a greek country side is sure gonna draw attention... One bridgesii planted in such a country side was constantly attacked at the tips after his transplantation , now, he seems to have been left alone and tips have healed and grown a bit.

That's propably what happened, if it's not a burn.. Bring inside to prevent orange rot from infecting Kin! a preventive fungal spraying would be suggested by most... I try to avoid it...

edit: here, my own messed graft, just to make you feel better about the hit

this has been an unlucky pair of grafts - which is natural, since it was my first 2 graft attempts a year ago. But hey, they're lucky to be alive in that regard so...

These two were stuck by various pests + burnings as you might see despite the blurring... this is an older photo, but I got a new camera and I will be shooting some nice ones soon.

Anyways they are alive, albeit not to willing to grow much. Wintertime now still, very mild winter this year again, no frost at all so far apart a single day.... The stocks kept throwing pups the whole fucking year until I decided to cut them all...

Edited January 2, 2010 by mutant

[grantoss]

Thanks again for all the help everyone, I am confident I can save them.

If I were to use a spray to make sure that if it is rot then it stops which one would u recommend for Kin?

I would always prefer an organic one if possible so if you know of one that works well with Lophs then please let me know..... Probably not unlike most of you, I hate chemicals.... Well synthetic ones anyway.

[mutant]

Dunno about any organic antifungal.. But I am back with a photo of the damage I had when I first transplanted a trichcereus bridgesii in the wild I told in the previous post of mine.

They {I think it was little grasshoppers] continusly damaged it in waves, but seem to have left it alone now...

Sorry if I am making your thread go offtopic. But anyways, scars are reminders of situations, a part of cactus history.

You will propably be ok if you keep it dry ;)

Edited January 3, 2010 by mutant