CULT: Lesson learned
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: CULT: Lesson learned
- From: "* G* C* <j*@erols.com>
- Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 18:11:06 -0600 (MDT)
Rick advised soaking all rhizomes received from outside sources in a 20%
bleach solution for 30 minutes. I must confess that I have always sort
of "trusted" the commercial houses to send me clean rhizomes and have
planted them without the precaution that Rick recommends. Right now I
have a few rhizomes received from a commercial source that I choose not
to name. They came unwashed and are sitting in an elevated spot in my
cool, dry basement awaiting planting. This morning, I noticed that one
of them looked moist. Upon close inspection, I found the rhizome and
fans were coated with a sticky substance, and a bunch of tiny,
flea-sized bugs were crawling around on the plant. I have no idea what
they were, but they have since been subjected to the 20% bleach bath
and, hopefully, are history. All the other rhizomes received in that
shipment have been given the same treatment. I think it would be fair to
say that even a grower who is scrupulous about sending out clean
rhizomes could be ambushed by a quirk of Mother Nature, so, from now on,
I will use Rick's ounce (or several ounces) of prevention, no matter
what the source.
Griff Crump, along the tidal Potomac near Mount Vernon, VA
jgcrump@erols.com
