>When leaves on a bulb die back from the tip, I usually suspect that something has damaged the roots. When the plant is healthy, I think the roots and leaves grow at the same time and are in balance with each other. If the roots are damaged, the plant can't support all of the leaves, and some of them die back, starting at the tips of the older leaves. Even knowing nothing about babianas (I know what they are), I would say this is one hundred percent correct. Browning at the leaf tips is the first sign that what Jerry Morris (dwarf conifers) calls “the pump” is not working properly. The area farthest away from the roots, the leaf tips, is the first to show signs of inadequate hydration. In a waterlogged soil, the oxygen necessary for the roots is being driven out and replaced by respired carbon dioxide; the roots are being asphyxiated. Same thing would happen with a fungus destroying the roots. There are some really good discussions of aeration and water in potting soils here: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/… One of the most startling things I read there was the necessity of flushing the potting mix (with water) from time to time to avoid salt build-up, and the effect salts have on root hydraulic conductivity. Bob Nold Denver, Colorado, USA (spending all my time staring at leaf tips of iris seedlings) _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/