Re: STEM ROT

I had the exact same problem last year, and again this year.  Last year i
let it go too long, and what i did was i scraped the stem with a razor
blade to get the rot off.  My problem then was that the stem would ooze,
and wouldn't stop.  Then i put a fungicide powder on the stem, but that
didn't help because the fungicide kept the moisture in and didnt' let it
dry.  So, i took the paste off and stood outside with a blowdryer for a
while.  Till i ruined it (the blowdryer), then i put up a fan, a big box
fan, but in the rain it wasnt' such a great idea.  Regardless, i had
started to get the same problem this year, i think it may have been from
some overzealous measuring, but i saw it early, and did a very little
scrape.  The stem oozed as expected, then i kept touching it everyday to
see if it was dry.  Now i have a depression of my finger in the stem.
Looks kind of funny actually, but, i got rid of the rot.  What i did was
after i scraped it, i took one of those fans you can buy with a clip to
mount on a shelf at work, and mounted it to my shade structure with the fan
blowing directly on the stem.  It's on 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.  The
stem is nice and dry all around with no signs of rot.  I think the key is
to get the stem dry, then you can put a paste on there.  As to what causes
it, i have no idea, but this does work.

scott


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