Re: Re: CULT: aspects of rot - acclimation - long

Linda,

I'm glad you brought up acclimation.  That and adaptability 
are the two areas that seem to point to whether a plant 
will be more or less likely to develop rot.  Not to mention 
simply surviving under my conditions the last several 
years.  What I don't understand and can't figure out is how 
to create conditions that give the plant time to adapt or 
acclimate.  Also, to some extent, it seems transient and 
easily upset by moving plants when the growing conditions 
are going to remain or turn inhospitable.  In better 
conditions, moving seems to be a benefit.  In fact, there 
are times in the past when moving has been remarkably 
beneficial on the growth of the plants.  Just not lately.  
I guess your articles didn't state whether trace elements, 
temperatures etc. encouraged the production of CO2?  
Probably the best, as always, is good growing conditions.  
I have as much trouble adapting quickly enough to the ever-
changing circumstances here as the plants.

> So rot resistance is all about carbon/energy & how 
effectively a
> particular plant can repair the damage and fight off 
future invasions.

And I expect different types of damage may require a 
different approach by the plant, resulting in the 
variability of affected plants that I'm seeing.

> suspect if we gave it a strong enough dose to kill all 
the bacteria
> outside and inside the entire plant, <snip>
>  Donald, if you had boiled your rotting rhizomes in
> concentrated Clorox for half an hour, it probably would 
have eliminated
> all the soft rot bacteria, & it might have quit rotting 
<g>

True.  But was was weird about the rhizomes last year and 
the one I received this year was no visible sign of 
infection showing.  The process last year took around 7 
weeks before it ran its course.  The rhizomes were 
separate, but from the same clump.  To all appearances they 
were completely healthy.  Only a couple had shown signs of 
rot when I dug the clump.  Yet those seemingly uninfected 
rhizomes rotted one by one, in dry air with good 
circulation and seemed unstoppable.  Why that one last 
rhizome was spared, I don't know.  By the end I was just 
watching it all take place.  I have no way of knowing how 
long the one I received this year has been dug, but it 
looked perfectly healthy when I inspected it on arrival.  I 
haven't discarded it yet either.  I have it laid out on the 
brick sidewalk in the sun.  Even though parts are drying 
up, the rot is consuming all the little starchy areas that 
had escaped as of the discovery.  Yesterday, nearly any 
healthy tissue was completely devoured.  Even in the heat, 
the mush and smell are still obvious.  I'm going to let it 
finish the process undisturbed.  I want to see what rot 
looks like after it has consumed everything and dried up.  
I've suspected some plants have had it and recovered on 
their own without my ever having been aware it was there.  
I'm wondering if some dry rot I see wasn't at one time not 
so dry, so I want to look at this one after it has well and 
truly dried up and see what I can see.

Good post, Linda.  I guess a lot of my plants are allergic 
to my conditions :).  Maybe I'll try Benedryl next!

Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA


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