Shriveled Stems On Geranium Cuttings

The last batch of geranium cuttings, taken last November, have never done well. It was asking for trouble trying to root them on old ripe wood so late in the year, but I wanted to show that they could make roots.

Things were going fine until the compost dried out, forcing me to water - almost always fatal with geranium cuttings. The first sign of trouble is when the leaves lose their bloom and become dull and lifeless.

Examination of the stem shows that instead of being round and shiny, it is becoming sunken, dull and shrivelled (especially at the base). Some sort of wilt or rot disease has taken hold.

Although I have seen this condition several times, I have never been able to match it with any bacterial or fungal disease illustrated in the text books (not the ones that I have, at least). I don't think its 'Pythium' (blackleg) fungal disease. It might be Xanthomonas 'campestris pv. pelargonii' (bacterial stem rot), but I'm not sure. Although this seems most like it, I don't think so. Both diseases are common on geraniums. There are also several other geranium diseases which I have not yet investigated, such as 'Fusarium cutting rot' or 'Cottony stem rot'.

Anyway, whatever the cause, I sealed the whole lot in a freezer bag after first spraying with bleach, then thew the lot in the bin. On no account should this type of infected compost be allowed to infect garden soil.