Hi folks,

Gardening in San Jose, California -- USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 16.

Sieven months ago my wife bought a curry tree (Murraya koenigii) by
mail order from a nursery in Southern California, along with two other
plants. They were all shipped in 3" pots. I haven't had any luck
getting any of these plants to grow, but the curry tree is the most
important one for me to try to save.

We bought the tree because my wife is from Southeast Asia, and the
leaves from this plant are used in cooking. Our cat immediately
discovered that it was edible as well -- she nibbled off half the
leaves just a few days after we got it! I moved it out of the cat's
reach, and it recovered reasonably well.

The nursery's directions said to wait at least two weeks before
transplanting to a larger pot. I gave it four weeks, then I moved it
outdoors. And, basically, it hasn't grown since. I had it in full
sun for a few weeks, and it suffered from leaf burn, so I moved it to
partial shade. It put out a few new leaves, then it stopped. All the
leaves have looked droopy for several weeks now, though they have
stayed green. I water well, but drainage is also very good. I should
not be drowning the plant.

Recently I noticed something that has spelled doom for me with other
plants -- a ring of whitish fungus or mold girdling the base of the
trunk. So, is there any way I can kill the infestation?

Thanks for your advice...


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--
Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Troubles in the Rhizosphere
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub1.html
and
Look up "Tree Planting" http://www.treedictionary.com

Improper Mulching - http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub3.html
and
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/ Look up "Mulch"

Improper Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html

Tree Farming and Related Problems
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/SOUND/

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"John Ladasky" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi folks,

Gardening in San Jose, California -- USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 16.

Sieven months ago my wife bought a curry tree (Murraya koenigii) by
mail order from a nursery in Southern California, along with two other
plants. They were all shipped in 3" pots. I haven't had any luck
getting any of these plants to grow, but the curry tree is the most
important one for me to try to save.

We bought the tree because my wife is from Southeast Asia, and the
leaves from this plant are used in cooking. Our cat immediately
discovered that it was edible as well -- she nibbled off half the
leaves just a few days after we got it! I moved it out of the cat's
reach, and it recovered reasonably well.

The nursery's directions said to wait at least two weeks before
transplanting to a larger pot. I gave it four weeks, then I moved it
outdoors. And, basically, it hasn't grown since. I had it in full
sun for a few weeks, and it suffered from leaf burn, so I moved it to
partial shade. It put out a few new leaves, then it stopped. All the
leaves have looked droopy for several weeks now, though they have
stayed green. I water well, but drainage is also very good. I should
not be drowning the plant.

Recently I noticed something that has spelled doom for me with other
plants -- a ring of whitish fungus or mold girdling the base of the
trunk. So, is there any way I can kill the infestation?

Thanks for your advice...


+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.: blowing sunshine up your |
| power grid since March 24, 2005. Fiat lux! |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Uptime Downtime kWh generated kWh consumed |
| 939.4 days 14 hours 17188 17532 |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

"John Ladasky" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi folks,

Gardening in San Jose, California -- USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 16.

Sieven months ago my wife bought a curry tree (Murraya koenigii) by
mail order from a nursery in Southern California, along with two other
plants. They were all shipped in 3" pots. I haven't had any luck
getting any of these plants to grow, but the curry tree is the most
important one for me to try to save.

We bought the tree because my wife is from Southeast Asia, and the
leaves from this plant are used in cooking. Our cat immediately
discovered that it was edible as well -- she nibbled off half the
leaves just a few days after we got it! I moved it out of the cat's
reach, and it recovered reasonably well.

The nursery's directions said to wait at least two weeks before
transplanting to a larger pot. I gave it four weeks, then I moved it
outdoors. And, basically, it hasn't grown since. I had it in full
sun for a few weeks, and it suffered from leaf burn, so I moved it to
partial shade. It put out a few new leaves, then it stopped. All the
leaves have looked droopy for several weeks now, though they have
stayed green. I water well, but drainage is also very good. I should
not be drowning the plant.

Recently I noticed something that has spelled doom for me with other
plants -- a ring of whitish fungus or mold girdling the base of the
trunk. So, is there any way I can kill the infestation?

Thanks for your advice...

Is the ring on the plant, or on the soil around the plant?

On Oct 28, 7:41 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"John Ladasky" wrote in message

Is the ring on the plant, or on the soil around the plant?

Hi, Joe,

The infestation is on the bark of the tree. There does not appear to
be any infestation in the soil.


+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.: blowing sunshine up your |
| power grid since March 24, 2005. Fiat lux! |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Uptime Downtime kWh generated kWh consumed |
| 946.4 days 14 hours 17296 17645 |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

"John Ladasky" wrote in message
s.com...
On Oct 28, 7:41 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"John Ladasky" wrote in message

Is the ring on the plant, or on the soil around the plant?

Hi, Joe,

The infestation is on the bark of the tree. There does not appear to
be any infestation in the soil.


I'd wipe it off with a solution of ordinary vinegar, diluted 50/50 with
water. Then, wait & see if it returns. Meanwhile, back off on the water if
the plant has less leaf surface than you think it should.

Hi, John,

That's a lot of reading. Even so, I will be in familiar territory
when I read it all. I'm a biologist by profession. While my
specialty is mammalian immunology, I don't neglect the rest of the
living world. I'm moving California native plants into my garden, and
much has been written on their relationship with mycorrhizae.

Still, looking back at my first post, I can see that I wasn't entirely
clear in describing my problem. I don't have this little tree in the
ground yet. So I'm not sure how your advice applies to me right now.
I received the tree in a 3" pot. Four weeks later, I moved it to a 4"
pot. The pot has been outdoors, in a few different locations, for
several months. I probably can't transplant the tree to my intended
final location until I can get it to recover from this fungus. It
will probably have to spend this winter indoors.


+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.: blowing sunshine up your |
| power grid since March 24, 2005. Fiat lux! |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Uptime Downtime kWh generated kWh consumed |
| 946.4 days 14 hours 17296 17645 |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

Hi, John,

That's a lot of reading. Even so, I will be in familiar territory
when I read it all. I'm a biologist by profession. While my
specialty is mammalian immunology, I don't neglect the rest of the
living world. I'm moving California native plants into my garden, and
much has been written on their relationship with mycorrhizae.

Still, looking back at my first post, I can see that I wasn't entirely
clear in describing my problem. I don't have this little tree in the
ground yet. So I'm not sure how your advice applies to me right now.
I received the tree in a 3" pot. Four weeks later, I moved it to a 4"
pot. The pot has been outdoors, in a few different locations, for
several months. I probably can't transplant the tree to my intended
final location until I can get it to recover from this fungus. It
will probably have to spend this winter indoors.


+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.: blowing sunshine up your |
| power grid since March 24, 2005. Fiat lux! |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Uptime Downtime kWh generated kWh consumed |
| 946.4 days 14 hours 17296 17645 |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

Any questions you can phone me at 610-864-5251. I will share what I can.

John

--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"John Ladasky" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi, John,

That's a lot of reading. Even so, I will be in familiar territory
when I read it all. I'm a biologist by profession. While my
specialty is mammalian immunology, I don't neglect the rest of the
living world. I'm moving California native plants into my garden, and
much has been written on their relationship with mycorrhizae.

Still, looking back at my first post, I can see that I wasn't entirely
clear in describing my problem. I don't have this little tree in the
ground yet. So I'm not sure how your advice applies to me right now.
I received the tree in a 3" pot. Four weeks later, I moved it to a 4"
pot. The pot has been outdoors, in a few different locations, for
several months. I probably can't transplant the tree to my intended
final location until I can get it to recover from this fungus. It
will probably have to spend this winter indoors.


+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.: blowing sunshine up your |
| power grid since March 24, 2005. Fiat lux! |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Uptime Downtime kWh generated kWh consumed |
| 946.4 days 14 hours 17296 17645 |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

John
Any errors you see please let me know. Thanks!!

"John Ladasky" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi, John,

That's a lot of reading. Even so, I will be in familiar territory
when I read it all. I'm a biologist by profession. While my
specialty is mammalian immunology, I don't neglect the rest of the
living world. I'm moving California native plants into my garden, and
much has been written on their relationship with mycorrhizae.

Still, looking back at my first post, I can see that I wasn't entirely
clear in describing my problem. I don't have this little tree in the
ground yet. So I'm not sure how your advice applies to me right now.
I received the tree in a 3" pot. Four weeks later, I moved it to a 4"
pot. The pot has been outdoors, in a few different locations, for
several months. I probably can't transplant the tree to my intended
final location until I can get it to recover from this fungus. It
will probably have to spend this winter indoors.


+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.: blowing sunshine up your |
| power grid since March 24, 2005. Fiat lux! |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Uptime Downtime kWh generated kWh consumed |
| 946.4 days 14 hours 17296 17645 |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

On Oct 29, 7:47 am, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"John Ladasky" wrote in message

s.com...

On Oct 28, 7:41 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"John Ladasky" wrote in message

Is the ring on the plant, or on the soil around the plant?

Hi, Joe,

The infestation is on the bark of the tree. There does not appear to
be any infestation in the soil.

I'd wipe it off with a solution of ordinary vinegar, diluted 50/50 with
water. Then, wait & see if it returns. Meanwhile, back off on the water if
the plant has less leaf surface than you think it should.

Hello again, Joe,

I tried your advice about 10 days ago. So far, the fungus hasn't
surged back after I wiped it off. However, the trunk is still a bit
discolored, whitish, where I did the wiping. I also learned that the
bark where the fungus has attacked my little tree is delicate to
nonexistent. That explains the droopy leaves -- the tree is nearly
girdled.

This tree is really small. The trunk isn't even as thick as a pencil,
and it's under a foot tall. It's a shame, but I might still lose it.
Is there an inexpensive way to mimic the missing bark, while I coax
the tree to recover?

+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Ladasky Home Solar, Inc.: blowing sunshine up your |
| power grid since March 24, 2005. Fiat lux! |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Uptime Downtime kWh generated kWh consumed |
| 954.4 days 14 hours 17374 17779 |
+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+

"John Ladasky" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Oct 29, 7:47 am, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"John Ladasky" wrote in message

s.com...

On Oct 28, 7:41 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
"John Ladasky" wrote in message

Is the ring on the plant, or on the soil around the plant?

Hi, Joe,

The infestation is on the bark of the tree. There does not appear to
be any infestation in the soil.

I'd wipe it off with a solution of ordinary vinegar, diluted 50/50 with
water. Then, wait & see if it returns. Meanwhile, back off on the water
if
the plant has less leaf surface than you think it should.

Hello again, Joe,

I tried your advice about 10 days ago. So far, the fungus hasn't
surged back after I wiped it off. However, the trunk is still a bit
discolored, whitish, where I did the wiping. I also learned that the
bark where the fungus has attacked my little tree is delicate to
nonexistent. That explains the droopy leaves -- the tree is nearly
girdled.

This tree is really small. The trunk isn't even as thick as a pencil,
and it's under a foot tall. It's a shame, but I might still lose it.
Is there an inexpensive way to mimic the missing bark, while I coax
the tree to recover?

Mimic it how? Functionally? No. But, various things can make life difficult
for fungus. More light, more air circulation, higher temps.