So, What Happened to Fe Fi?

Our meetings generally start by checking out the host’s plant room. It’s a lot of fun, but the host is usually answering questions from three or four different directions. One member noticed the brown markings on a couple of my mini/semis and asked what I thought caused that. However, we never really had the chance to discuss it.

Here are some pictures. What are your thoughts? The first picture (which isn’t very clear) points out the brown marks on a leaf.

The second picture points the marks on three separate leaves. Note that they are all on the same row. The marks are not on higher or lower rows.

Notice also in the third picture that the older leaves have a much wider span and from the marked leaves on, the plant seems smaller.

Upon checking, I see this same condition on three of my 50 mini/semis. I attribute it to repotting stress. These plants are repotted every three months, the last time being November. That looks appropriate for the amount of growth. Often, when repotting in the summer when it is very hot, this condition will show up on many of the mini/semis. Occasionally, it will even appear on standards, but not too often. How can this be avoided? I don’t have a clue. Possibly the plant was treated too roughly when being transplanted.

Many thanks to Barb W. for the excellent article and photos!