Root rot can quickly become a menace if not treated on time. Discover the most apparent signs of root rot and learn how to prevent it!
Plant diseases come in various shapes, sizes, and forms. While some boldly announce themselves, root rot is one of the sneakier ones. It hides away from our eyes by being hidden under the soil. If you are not vigilant, you will only discover it when it’s too late. In that case, how do you even gauge if your plant does have root rot in the early stages? Well, here are the signs that your plant has root rot and how you can prevent it.
What Is Root Rot And Its Causes?
Before getting into the signs of the disease, you need to know what root rot essential is. As evident from the name itself, it affects a plant’s roots when the plant has been growing in wet, soggy soil. The roots start becoming mushy and brown, sometimes releasing a decaying odor and slowly cutting off all life from the plant. Root rot is so sneaky because it mimics the symptoms of other plant diseases, too, like leaf drop, wilted leaves, pest problems, and ultimately death.
Not only does this disease occur because of overwatering but also because of poorly draining soil. With extremely wet conditions, roots cannot absorb the oxygen they need and start dying. The worst part is root rot can quickly spread to healthier roots, even after the wet conditions have been rectified. Another reason for root rot is root fungus. If your plant already has weakened roots due to some other condition, it would also be more susceptible to getting root rot. Dormant fungi in soils come to life in waterlogged conditions to cause root rot.
Signs That Your Plant Has Root Rot
Root rot tends to befuddle people, often mimicking signs of a pest infestation. This makes diagnosing the problem difficult. But here are the signs that will help you gauge if your plant has root rot.
1) Little to No Growth
Stunted is, of course, the first tell-tale sign of root rot. As the roots of your plant start decaying, they cannot take in oxygen, water, or nutrients from the soil, and these do not circulate in the plant as well, ultimately leading to stunted growth.
2) Wilted, Pale, Yellowed or Browning leaves
While seeing one or two dead or wilting leaves at the bottom of a plant is okay, it is not okay for your plant to have wilting, yellow leaves all over. Besides stunted growth, this is the first sign that you can conclude your plant has root rot. Yellow leaves happen for the same reason as root rot: unavailability of water and nutrients.
3) Mushy Stems and Roots
You can easily spot mushy, weakened stems on your plant. However, gently remove your plant from its pot to examine the roots. If you see browning, mushy, or blackened roots instead of healthy, white ones, that’s a surefire sign of root rot. If you see this, it is also possible that your plant has been sitting in wet conditions for a while. Remember to care for your plant when you examine the roots. If there are still some healthy white roots left, there’s a chance you can still bring your plant back to life. But you might have to remove the plant if the roots are brown or black.
4) Foul Odor From Soil
Following the previous point, completely black or brown mushy roots indicate extreme root rot. If this happens, you will also be met with a foul odor from the soil as soon as you examine the roots. If you do not want to remove the entire plant from the pot, you could also use a digging tool called the Pulaski. It is two-sided, one side of which can be used for chopping while the other for scraping dirt. Ensure that you don’t hurt your plant when using this.
5) Cankers
The fungus can cause root rot in some plant species. In such cases, the fungus grows from the decaying roots to the inner bark of the trees, ultimately causing “cankers,” essentially sunken dead areas.
How To Prevent Root Rot In Plants?
If your plant does have root rot, do not get disheartened immediately about losing your plant. All is not lost yet! Here’s how you can fix and prevent further root rot in your plant.
1) Get Your Watering Right
You cannot always stick to a strict watering schedule for plants. Plants must be watered according to their needs. For example, they would need more water in summer than in winter and even less water in case of rain or shade. Remember to water plants thoroughly and let the top inch of the soil dry out between waterings. This works for most plants, including houseplants. However, research the specific watering needs of the plants that you are growing. If you are unsure about when to water, get a moisture meter to gauge if your plant is thirsty. Always ensure that your plant is not sitting in excess water. That’s literally like an invitation to root rot.
2) Allow for Good Soil Drainage
To ensure that your plant is not sitting in wet soil, you must ensure that water drains out from the pot after every watering. Besides planting your green beauties in appropriately sized pots with proper drainage holes, the soil is crucial, too. It must have good drainage abilities. Moreover, if you have a saucer or tray below your plant to hold drained water, make sure that you throw it out and it does not touch the plant’s roots. A well-draining soil in pots with the proper drainage is one of the primary defenses against root rot.
3) Repot In Fresh Soil
If your plant has root rot but is still salvageable, you must repot it in fresh soil. First, after removing the plant from its soil and gently shaking out the root ball, cut off all the mushy, brown, dead roots with sharp and sterilized pruning sheers. Wash the healthy roots with warm water and regular rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol). Remember to sterilize your tools with rubbing alcohol after cutting away rotting stems to prevent fungal spores from spreading to other plants.
Size up your pot by an inch or two and ensure proper drainage holes before filling it up with an all-purpose, well-drainage potting mix. You could also layer pebbles at the bottom of the pot before filling up with soil for better drainage. With the right soil, you will not even have to worry about overwatering too much.
4) Select Plants with Healthy Root Systems
If your plant is a no-go because of excess root decay, you will ultimately have to accept its demise. But that does not mean you cannot try again! This time, when you select a plant, check to see if they have healthy root systems, as these give them a better chance of survival thanks to their innate resilience. Carefully slide the root ball out from the pot and look for healthy, white roots with no soil odor
