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Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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Posted by plantrookie 6a CAN (My Page) on Wed, Jul 13, 05 at 16:55
| I've had this desert rose (my favourite plant) for over a year I think. It started well last year, but then all the leaves started turning brown at the tip. This spring I repotted it into a bigger pot, moved it to a south facing window (sliding door off kitchen) fed it, and watered it more frequently. Next thing I know, it's twice as big, all the old, half-brown leaves had fallen off and given way to big, beautiful leaves about 3 times the size. This has lasted for about a month, but now the ends of many of these big new leaves are dying. I haven't changed anything since it responded so well. Any ideas?? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| too much water.... remember, it's called a DESERT rose... it is a succulent and can go a long time without water in your climate. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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you may be right, but as for the climate here, it has been around 90 deg. F for the last month when I noticed this happening. I keep this plant in my kitchen in a large south facing window with no air conditioning, so it is quite hot most of the time. What about humidity? My area is the most humid region of Canada (dewpoints up to 80 deg. F). And I haven't changed the watering frequency since this plant started to take off.
What about drainage? What is the optimal mix for this type of plant? |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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okay... where it comes from 120º isn't unusual. It is a succulent... succulents are very Drought tolerant. humidity might be a problem, but overwatering will be deadly. I know that to you northerners 90º seems very hot... but here in California, we've been above 105 for days.... *roast* *roast*
the tips of the leaves browning usually means 2 different things.... LACK of humidity or overwatering... since it is a desert plant, overwatering is the problem here. If you keep it up, it will eventually get root rot and die. I know it's hard, but the number one houseplant killer is overwatering from too much love.... :o) |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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ok...I'll slow down on the love...thanks.
And for the record, 90 degrees IS hot...105 is ridiculous!
But, like every year, I'll change my tune come January :)
Thanks again. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I know its a little late to respond here, but I just found this post. My Desert roses are doing the same thing, so maybe I'll cut back on the water. Too many people say that in summer, you need to water them plentiful, as they like it. I only water mine when the soil is dry, but maybe I'll let them go a couple days dry. Oh, for the record, I live in WI, when 90 degrees IS hot. I have relatives in Arizona who laughed when I'd say that, until the day they visited. The humidity is so high up here, that even 80 degrees makes people from "hot" states complain. Those Arizona people I know don't like it here in summer, or winter. In fact, I have a cousin in the air force stationed in Alaska, and he HATES it here in winter, because the humidity makes you get wet and cold, which makes for a nasty time. I envy you in Cali though, becuase it must be a tad easier to keep our type of plants, because I dread having to pack my poor babies away in the winter. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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I going to play devil's advocate. Yes, it's true DR is a succulent, and need to dry between waterings..but normally when a plant is overwatered, leaves yellow.
My 6+ yr old DR is kept underpotted (4" clay pot) and planted in well-draining soil. (I mix my own soil, all purpose, and sand) In winter, I water about once a month..mainly because they do go dormant..it's kept in a west window, not far from south and north. But in summer I water about once a wk..thorough watering, then allow soil to almost crack before a fresh batch is applied. I only feed during growing season, May-Sept. In June, it starts blooming, big pink and white flowers. It's kept outdoors in full sun in summer and left out until late Sept.
BTW, is your DR's kept in the same window all yr? Perhaps it's set in a window w/less light, then during hot, sunny days, moved to your south window..if so, maybe it just needs time to acclimate. I've had cactus burn when placing outside in full sun, and we all know cactus love sun and heat..And the types I mean are desert cactus..
Unless your soil is too heavy, and pot too large, watering shouldn't be a problem..Toni |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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It may be your soil mix is not porous enough or the pot is too large
You know when it needs a bigger pot when the plant breaks the pot. They actually want more water in winter and some resting in mid summer. It is good to raise it up a little when repotting. When they are rapidly growing they can use a lot of water as long as the soil down't stay wet, The bigger the plant the less frequent watering. If they go too dry they will go into a dormancy that you will need to gradually bring it out of till it grows new feeder roots. I water mine about every other day but the pots are only an inch wider than the plants. I can water or not and it doesnt make much difference till late summer and winter when they want to grow you need to water regualarly of\r the leaves will drop off. During the humid days (50-80% and 75-82F nights) they will not drop leaves and go dormant even without water but they don't grow either. I have never had any rot in the summer no matter how much rain they get in small clay pots. Just remember air to the roots mix wth something like a pumice mix but not an over the counter bark mix. It is probably the most carefree blooming succulent there is. They will naturally get a dormancy in late summer when you can't keep up with everthing. They are as easy to grow from seed as peppers so save your seed. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Gentian, your advice is very good! My mother's desert rose recently had the branch tips withering so I took the plant to a local nursery expert who told me many of the same things you did here. He had me repot it in a larger pot and trim back the branches. He advised me to raise it up a bit out of the pot as you said. The plant is now producing new leaves and looks very happy. One other thing he said was that the plants sometimes get root rot if they've been watered too much. We were lucky that hers didn't have that, but what he suggested if it did was to take it out of the pot, cut off the rotted roots and dust with sulfur. I knew mine (I have several) have periods when they're with and without leaves, but I never bothered to notice exactly when that occurred, so I appreciate the dormancy timing info. I have never collected seeds from the plants...what do I look for? I have successfully grown these plants from cuttings, however. It takes some time but they do eventually form roots. I'm glad to see other desert rose fans here, it's one of my favorites. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I vote for spider mites. Mine did the same thing, sprayed for mites and all the leaves greened up. If the tips are brown maybe it's not getting enough water. I had that happen too. |
RE: Desert Rose leafs fell off
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| Iam a new owner of this awesome plant and I saw spider mites on the leafs so I went and bought some spray at Wal mart and after I sprayed it the leaves fell off.I dont know if they fell off due to the spraying or what.I live in Wisconsin by Lake Michigan so one day it can be 90 and the next day it can be 60 so I keep the plant indoors.Does the air conditioning play a roll in this? Thanks! Bill |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I live in Fl and I had some bugs on mine about a year and a half ago or more. I did what you did and sprayed it with some soapy water mixed with a little rubbing alcohol. almost all the leaves fell off. Since it was bald anyways, I went ahead and used the opportunity to trim the branches, since I like it wide not tall. Several months later it started flowering like crazy and new leaves started growing. It should re-grow, but now I use a systemic on the soil(for outdoor plants only) and I haven't had any more bugs since. I keep mine outside everyday except when the temps go below 40(I tend to overprotect it) which is just a few days a year for us, luckily...I have found that my plant doesn't like any type of spray being used on the leaves, even neem oil turned my leaves yellow and fall off. My DR leaves seems pretty sensitive... Here's a pic of my D. Rose (almost 4 years old?) |
Here is a link that might be useful: My Desert Rose
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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That is one amazing DR!! Plus it's only a 4yr old, its a truly stunning plant....congratulations. Is it a seed grown one or did you buy it as a plant?
I certainly hope my babies in the pic below will someday look like that...I doubt it though. This is my second attempt at growing them from seed as after seeing one in Bangkok I fell in love with them. I can germinate them reasonably well, but from last years batch of 10 seeds (9 germinated)only one made it through to spring this year and then died on me. I am now a bit more wise as their requirements. Hopefully these will do better as I still have 7 (out of the 8 that germinated this time) alive. The biggest one with the label in is around 8cms high.
Gill.
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RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Thanks for kind words Gill. I bought mine at a big box store, I think it was a one gal. pot. I just love your little D.Roses, they are absolutely adorable. How cool that you can grow them from seeds, I have never tried that. I might someday... I think your plants definitely has the potential of growing up to look just beautiful! I just got lucky with mine( of course lots of TLC) didn't hurt either. I up-potted it often, and I raised the caudex an inch or so everytime, so I would expose the trunk more and more. The Caudex is my favorite part of my plant and of course when it is in full bloom...Good luck, but I don't think you need it. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I am in the Tampa area. I have a DR from a friend who moved up north. All spring and summer long it has been thriving, I have repotted it and it has continuously had blooms. It sits on the back patio and it has been raining a lot during the day, while I am at work, but will otherwise bake in the afternoon sun. I am worried about it getting too much rain, since I am not around during the day to pull it in during those rains. It is in a pot that seems to drain well. The leaves are green and waxy, no leaves are brown, and there are still new blooms. But the leaves are curled on the edges. Should I worry? |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| It is possible that your D. Rose is getting too much rain. I have mine in very fast draining soil and I have tilted the pot(I stuck a small piece of 1" wood underneath)one side of the pot(so it is on an angle) so it will drain a little faster. When I am home when it rains I do go out of my way to drag it under a patio so the soil can dry out a bit. If you are seeing leaves curling up, it is an indication of something's going on...Check to make sure there aren't any bugs or pest? If its not the bugs that's causing it, its possible the soil is staying too wet. I would go ahead and put it under a patio for at least a few days to let the soil dry out a bit before it gets any worse. Only problem is when you put it back in full sun again...do it slowly as to not sunburn your leaves! If you want you can pull the plant out of the pot and see what the roots looks like? If the roots are really wet, you may have to get it out of the rain asap...Good luck! Here is a pic of my DR fast draining soil... |
Here is a link that might be useful: My Desert Rose
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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- Posted by lellie z9 Anna Maria Island (My Page) on
Fri, Aug 15, 08 at 8:14
Puglvr...WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I'll trade ya!)
LOLAM |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Thanks Lolam, what do you have to trade? LOL... |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Thanks for the post. I pulled the desert rose under the patio because of Fay (who just won't leave this state alone), to keep it out of the rain. I pulled the plant out of the pot. One small section of the root seems soft but most looks fine and free of rot. I can find no evidence of bugs. It has dropped some leaves and blooms but I read that if you change the plant's location -- particularly to an area that gets less light -- the desert rose will tend to do that. Between being under an overhang, and the simple fact that we have had no sunshine since Monday, it is in a much darker spot than normal. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that the plant is a little stressed but it isn't going to die on me. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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- Posted by vons zone 7 (My Page) on
Tue, Aug 26, 08 at 12:25
| hi everyone, i got a desert rose from a friend who was killing it, potted it up, but still the leaves are turning brown and falling off, i will pull it up to check the roots to see if they are wet and soft. what about the trunk, mine is very soft near the roots, should it be soft or hard. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Vons, the trunk should be hard...yes check the roots and see if it looks or smells like it is rotting. Most of the times, when the trunk starts to get soft, its a sign of rotting. Let it dry out if the soil is wet and don't water again till the soil is dry. Good Luck! |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Vons, the trunk should be hard...yes check the roots and see if it looks or smells like it is rotting. Most of the times, when the trunk starts to get soft, its a sign of rotting. Let it dry out if the soil is wet and don't water again till the soil is dry. Good Luck! |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I have another question as to when I should trim my DR back. We travel from Iowa in the summer to Florida in the winter. It is getting cool here & it will be until the end of Oct. when we arrive in Florida. I have it in the camper now. Should I trim now or wait til we arrive in Florida? |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| If it were mine I would wait till you arrive in FL, But remember, once you do just keep an eye on it, when the temps in FL dips down. I would bring it in for protection. Although others have kept these outside in cooler weather(40's), I bring mine in when its warmer than that. I err on the side of caution. I do have a tendency to over protect... Just my opinion. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Ty I do bring mine in when it gets cool out to. Sometimes in the 50's!!!!! I also over protect............... |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Any thing special I should know on cutting this back? |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| If you've never trimmed these before, they do have this sap that some people are allergic to and I think are poisonous? So be careful or use gloves..I have trimmed mine once or twice a year since I've had it(almost 4 years ago)... Just shape it how you like, they take pretty well to pruning and gets bushier. If you missed it, I posted pics above. Good luck! |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Ok I have read all these posts & I still haven't found out for sure what to spray on it for mites?????????? |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| dalley, this is my experience only. But I've never had any luck spraying my DR's foliage with anything, be it organic/homemade or store bought insecticides. I have tried several of them and each one has made the leaves turn yellow/brown and fall off within a few days. The only thing for me that worked was the Bayer Advanced for "outdoor container" formula, this is applied to the soil, and its a systemic. But if you bring yours inside the house this is NOT recommended for houseplants. Outdoor(non-edible) plants only. Maybe others here can recommend something that is safe to used on DR's, for plants that you bring indoors, I have even used Neem oil, and that also made the leaves fall off, granted it did get rid of the bugs, that was when I decided to really shape the tree and pruned it heavily. After all, it didn't have any leaves left anyways, LOL...Good luck! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Bayer Tree and Shrub 12 month Insect Control
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| puglvr! I am a big fan of your beautiful Desert Rose plant and I hope that will still be available for questions! My DR is the same age but is pathetic by comparison. I live in a NYC apartment with a couple west facing windows and fire escape as my primary sun source. In reading this discussion I have learned of my many flaws, but I feel like the odds are against me and my plant here in the cold and well insulated apartment. I want to repot, resoil and trim my plant's branches. Should I wait until May to do that? Also, what is your recipe for a good soil? And how deep is your pot? It sounds like the smaller the better... Thanks for any and all help:) |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Hi Mitch, I sent you an email yesterday about what soil I use. I forgot to mention that I can't be sure when to advise you on repotting for NYC? Since I live in Fl we have a much wider range of when I can repot and trim, for me I've done it late winter(end of Feb or early March) and late summer after blooming early Sept...we usually have a mild fall. I can always bring it in the garage should we have a late/early frost(very rare), though its happened I'm sure! If I had to guess I would say when your weather warms up, the warmer your weather the better for new growths and less chance of root rot. My DR is in a 16" pot, I bought it appx. four years ago? was in a 6" pot. If you are going to up-pot/trim your DR and the roots are not rootbound, I would use the same size, and just add some fast draning soil and lift the Caudex a couple of inches or so to start with. If your plant is outgrowing its pot, then I would go a size bigger. This is what I did with mine, but only if you feel comfortable doing it. I would hate to be responsible to your DR being damaged in any way. I'm not an expert, just sharing my methods...Good luck! Thanks for the kind words on my DR. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Just acquired 6" tall, very small Desert Rose in 4" plastic pot as gift. Had never heard of this plant before. Intriged..enjoyed info about it on this site that I just found. Would appreciate any helpful hint, especially as to what systemic pesticide to use if it gets bugs. Looking forward to growing this plant and being a part of this group. Live in Southeast Texas. Would like to sent picture but don't see option. Help with that? |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Welcome Zacbit, Actutally if you go to the Cactus and Succulent Forum, there are tons of posts on Desert Rose(Adenium). I'm not recommending this to anyone, just saying that this is what I've used and worked for me. This Bayer is recommended for Outdoor Plants(never use this for houseplants) I had to use it since everything that I've tried spraying on the leaves made the leaves turn yellow then fall off. http://www.bayeradvanced.com/product/12-month-tree-and-shrub-protect-and-feed/concentrate.html Below is a great link(from the FL forum) on how to post pictures...HTH My Desert Rose...
 |
Here is a link that might be useful: How To Post Pictures On GW
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Wow that is beautiful...It really loves you and florida...Thank you for sharing it....:)))) |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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Trying to post pic of my new 7" plant. Need info on how to care for..How to make it branch..
http://s681.photobucket.com/albums/vv172/ZacBic/?action=view¤t=100_15443 |
Here is a link that might be useful: PhotoBucket
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv172/ZacBic/100_15443.gif |
Here is a link that might be useful: PhotoBucket
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I finally know what my plant is!! I looked up desert rose because I wasn't sure what you were talking about.....well, when I moved into my house a year ago the origional owners left a huge one here and it was in sad shape...(it had aphids all over it!).....so I hosed it down every day and now it has tons of flowers all over it....it's very beautiful...I water it every day and it seems to love it....but I also live in south florida and it's very hot here... |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| ZacBit here....Still appreciate any info you can give me. Please see two above messages....Photo is posted under "PhotoBucket" link in second message. (14:02). Have a very small plant as you will see in photo. Is growing straight up. Need to know how to make it branch..and any other advice you can give me. Thank you...... |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| Hello ZacBit. Adeniums can be trimmed quite heavily. Three things to keep in mind: *extremely sterile knife*, and *cut at an angle*, *wait until dormant*. Trimming adeniums during the middle of the growing seasons takes off the leaves that would help grow the new branches you want. This is why adenium grower prefer to wait for the dormant season to whack the plant to its base+2inch height. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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I have three Desert Roses - adeniums obesums - and I almost killed one when the soil around it stayed moist. These plants like to be DRY. You won't kill them by letting them dry out for a week or so. The reason they have "gouty" bases is that is their water storage. Even if you let them dry out for a month, all you would see is the trunk start to shrivel a bit, indicating that it could use some water. These plants are hard to kill from underwatering, but they will rot and die if you have them in a continually moist soil. They like sunshine too. The warmer and drier, the better. Good luck!
fireflyintexas |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I wa given a desert rose from a friend. It was planted in her patio and she lives by the beach. The soil is a mixture of sand and soil. I was very careful while taking it out of the ground. Being that the soil was kind of compressed I assume that this is the cause of the slow growth. Any way, I repotted it in the same soil while I transported it to my home.I made a mixture of sand,soil, compost...very light and repotted it. Kept it in semi-shade, the whole weekend. Today I was looking at it and touched the caudex and it seemed a little soft...not real soft, and maybe a little shriveled. Please any suggestions, I'm not watering it and the soil is light and airy. I don't want to lose it. What should I do??? |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I am new at this also...but from what I have read at this site..a soft caudex is an issue with watering techinque..too much or too little..wish I could be of more help...Good luck..Post again.. |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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| I've been very fortunate that I've not had any problems with a soft caudex on my DR. I can suggest that you check the roots and see if there's any rotting or if they look healthy? Just my opinion, but you should probably use a Potting mix that is free draining. I wouldn't use the soil that was in the ground for container plants...just my humble opinion. I would use a good potting mix, add lots of perlite, small gravel(pea gravel),small orchid bark...these are just some of the ingredients you can use to keep the soil free draining. Adeniums don't like "wet" soil. Water well, then let it dry out some before watering it well again...
Slowly acclimate it to full sun over a period of 7-10 days. Good luck! |
RE: Desert Rose leaf tips dying
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I second Pug's response. Outdoor soil, no matter what it consists of, can contain diseases and pests.
Compost might be too heavy for Adenium/DR.
I use Succulent soil and Perlite. If you can find a true coarse sand, rocky mix, a handful or two helps. You said you haven't watered...how long has it been..Although DR soil needs to dry completely before adding more water, if the soil dries too much, leaves can start shriveling, etc..
Check the trunk daily..if it softens too much, your DR might be a goner.
Also, go to the Cactus and Succulent forum..There are many experts there that offer great advice..Toni |
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