Question
I have three Cali Lilies in my house.  The one in the bathroom I have had for over three years and it has done beautifully in many different locations.  But the leaves keep turning black on the two in my livingroom and I can't figure out why.  The leaves will start out beautiful and green but shortly a brown, dried up dead spot will appear on the leaf and eventually consume the whole leaf.  My plants are not beautiful plants they look horrible.  HELP!

Answer
Hi Stacy,
Thanx for your question.  This sounds like two possiblities, a leaf spot caused by the Erwinnia bacteria or a viral infection which could transmit itself to the corm (bulb/rhizome) and eventually kill the whole plant.  Dig up the corms and check to see if they are spongy (if they're diseased they will be very soft).  If they are, throw them away.  They are no good and you don't want to spread the disease to the healthy plants.  If they are still firm, cut off all of the foliage and clean off the corms with warm water and allow them to dry (otherwise the water will make them rot).  Dust them with an antifungal horticultural powder (available at most nurseries) and allow the corms to go dormant in a cool, dry, dark section for your basement for a month.  After that, plant them in a new, clean container with sterile potting soil.  Be sure to wash your hands after handling the corms to prevent the possibility of spreading the disease.  If after all of this, the plants continue to have trouble, destroy them.  They are probably not curable.  I hope this helps.
Tom