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View Full Version : euphorbia milii - crown of thorns



Redeye
18-09-2012, 08:11 PM
This garden was my first proper landscaping job, rather proud of it, featured in sydney papers and glossy mags. The last year or so there has been a steady dying of e. milii, which I can't explain - they're rotting off at/below ground level. Soil is almost pure sand BUT where they're dying is where there was cypress tree - but that was over 10 years ago when I built the garden. These are the "first sight" feature of the garden so I really need an answer - I wondering if its some sort of fungal/bacterial thing travelling via the soil from roots to roots 54815482

Redeye
18-09-2012, 08:18 PM
5483
this is how they look in all their glory, this is how I look whilst weeding amongst the evil bast&rds
5484

Kathryn
18-09-2012, 09:06 PM
And your worrying that they are dying?

PaulG
18-09-2012, 11:56 PM
Dry rot? Root mealy bugs? What's the last year been like rainwise there? Dry or very wet? Being so sandy could all the goodness have leached out of the soil?

DavidS
19-09-2012, 06:15 AM
Redeye, have a look at this webpage: http://www.tropicanursery.com/euphorbia/problems.htm

Bluey
19-09-2012, 09:21 AM
Hmmmmmmm.......very good article David but I dont like that bitey bit at the end

Redeye
19-09-2012, 01:53 PM
its obviously stem rot but the cause has me baffled

DavidS
22-09-2012, 07:53 PM
Redeye, the answer is it's a Fungial disease Yes. What has changed in the last 12 months. Possibly lots of water and now there is none. Fungi can hibinate over winter and the first time you get some heat and maybe some humidity the fungi appears. The fungi could have been transported by some other means to this garden, is there other gardens having problems around the area.
You could try spraying the plants with mix of 1 teaspoon of lime, 1 teaspoon of copper oxychloride and a litre of water. This mix has to be used completely as it will not keep to be used later. I would spray them once week for 2 or 3 weeks and see what happens.

Redeye
22-09-2012, 08:13 PM
we're only 30 yards back from the beach here (2 houses up from my place) so its pretty well sand. Where they are dying is where lawn clippings used to get dumped under a huge cypress for 20 odd years*, I;m guessing thats the root problem(excuse the pun!) don't know what I could use as an effective drench that would knock it out as its obviously soil born

*edit- I landscaped this years ago but its only the last 2 years or so the problem has emerged