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Need urgent help with dying almond seedlings, please! : (

4 years ago

Hi,

I am new to this website, so I had made this exact post in another section of the forum as "House Plants". I need help with dying almond seedlings.

I have stratified many almonds that I bought from Israel and were shipped to Colombia. After about two months half of the 25 almonds grew very thick long roots, and took out the strongest ones and put them in coco peat under filtered bright light. After a week and a half they were all sprouting. But a month later I am left with 3 trees, one of them which measured 10 cm tall, died, after its leaves were drooping, then came back, then next day all drooping. I removed the tree from the soil, and found what I suspected, the roots had rotten, they were very very dark orange/brown, instead of firm and white, the stem was also kind of amber, dark dark orange. This is literally happening to all my almonds, they either grow a few roots, then rot, or straight up rot. I just cannot fathom what the might be going on. I used basically the same amount of water for all of them, I did not leave the coconut peat soaking wet, just damp, moist. So yes, only 3 of them have made them until now, and I moved them 2 weeks ago to just soil, soil which I tested too, and it is about 60% sand, 40% silt, I haven't seen much clay. I am not watering them every day, only until the soil is completely dry, I even stick a probe into the soil, to make sure it is also relatively dry down there. I have had them in full sun, it is not always sunny, but there is a good amount of sun, sometimes it is sunny all day. I take them at 9 Am, and bring them back in at about 6Pm. I am growing them in Bogota, Colombia, a little bit over 2,600 meters above seal level. Temperatures are usually 18° to 21° C during the day, and on most days 9 to 11° C at night, however, since they are in here at night, it is about 17° C in here. When I brought my two almonds in today, I looked at the stem, and started noticing the very lower part of the stem close to the soil turning amber as well. I am afraid the same could happen to this tree which, to me, has been growing beautifully so far, but this is again concerning... And getting this unpasteurized almonds was not easy for me, it took long, they were brought from across the Atlantic, etc... it is just frustrating.

I could provide photos of the stem of the trees that are still alive. I do not want them to die on me, this has taken time, and effort, and I am running out of almonds. I have a few in the fridge, but they opened in two, and did not grow a long root like the others, not sure if they are alive ready to be planted even if there is no root, there is a little thing, I cannot describe which is kind of the root but it is incredibly short, and the almond split in two but still held together.

I feel lucky to have found this page, because there is literally almost no significant information regarding almond seedlings and their complications on the internet. Having read that, it kind of describes what is happening to all my almonds.

Take a look and please let me know:,https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317620341_Isolation_and_identification_of_fungus_causing_the_almond_seedlings_death_in_the_nurseries_in_Sweida_The_Arab_Journal_for_Arid_Environments_ISSN_2305-5243_In_press

I can send pictures too.

Looking forward to any responses. Thank you!

Comments (6)

  • 4 years ago

    https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/floriculture-and-ornamental-nurseries/Fusarium-Wilt/

    That also seems to describe the state of my seedlings. 70% of the stem is still green, 30% already looking dark orange/brown and dry. Just as they describe it, it seems to be running from the roots up the stem until it kills the whole plant

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I have no experience with almonds but I do know they grow in places with winters and cold nights. I think you should stop bringing them into warmth at night and grow them ’harder’. They also grow in places with low rainfall so it’s possible you are overwatering. Both warmth and moisture encourage fungal infections.

  • 4 years ago

    All their leaves already drooped a few days ago. Currently the virus, pathogen, fungus continues to go up the stem, but, yes...looks like they are already dead pretty much due to the blockage of water from the roots up the stem just like the research describes it. Wish I knew this before. I will be sterilizing this soil at hot temperatures from now on. This Fusarium fungus...ruined my work, and looks like you cannot treat it, but prevent it, once it enters a root, it just destroys the plant, and it did become more active in full sun when the soil went over 70° F, it was not as active at night judging by how the leaves tried to come back at night after drooping somewhat, but it was already actively killing the plants anyway.. I took out the seedlings, took pictures and all, made the homemade fungicide with a table spoon (not a big one, but 1 table spoon) of baking soda, one of veg oil, and tea spoon of soap, soaked the roots in this for 2 to 5 min, put the seedlings in coconut peat, but nothing worked. At least I learned something...the hard way.. It is surprising how you find any info about literally anything on the internet, but really not much about plants, and well...yes every plant is different, is susceptible to different pathogens, etc, it is too complex to expect to find all of this easily after 1 google search. Hope can succeed this time.

  • 4 years ago

    "It is surprising how you find any info about literally anything on the internet, but really not much about plants,"

    I have never found this to be true. There is just as much info on plants online as there is on anything else. The issue is finding information that is reliable and accurate. And it will always provide far better results and much more info if you search by the correct botanical name and not the common name.

  • 4 years ago

    "the leaves tried to come back at night after drooping somewhat"


    I think what you were actually seeing is that the plant was recovering slightly due to the reduced stress without heat and sun. Basically, the plant's systems were crippled, and during the day, crippled system was inadequate (thus the plant would droop), but at night it was sufficient for the plant to somewhat recover. I've had mechanically damaged plants react similarly ... they're damaged all the time, but the effects of the damage are more drastic depending on environment.

  • 4 years ago

    Almonds are very picky about their environment. In the United States they only grow in the deserts around Southern California where they are irrigated. Without irrigation they quickly die due to lack of water. No pest, fungal disease, or humidity.


    Occasionally you will hear of someone having one somewhere else, but they never make a crop due to rain during the fruiting season or freezing since they also bloom really early in the spring, really in late winter. And this is in areas that get 30 inches or less of rain each year. In southern Cal they get rain only in the fall and winter and have no rain in the summer months. Almonds do not like rain or even humidity. And those that do grow probably have been grafted with a root stock that will tolerate soils that otherwise would be too wet.


    Honestly, I think it would be nearly impossible to grow almonds in your climate. You said you got the seed from Israel, another area that is arid with little to no rainfall in the summer months. That is probably the only type of place that they will actually produce any fruit.