Ever gotten a vibrant green beauty, watered, cherished, and loved it with all your heart, only to see it wilt and dry up?
Sadly, the reason may lie in root rot. But you can stay out of trouble if you avoid the following common mistakes in plant care.
#1. Overwatering
As often happens, too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily great. Roots need oxygen for the plant to thrive, which they lack when growing in constantly moist soil. This creates a perfect environment for fungal diseases and root rot.
Luckily, the problem is easy to solve—just learn how much water each of your green beauties needs. Try looking at the soil for clues instead of following a strict watering schedule. For example, a completely dry potting mix in succulents signals watering time. For tropical plants, you should wait until just the top layer is dry.
#2. Unsuitable Soil
An inadequate potting mix causes poor water drainage and insufficient oxygen at the roots, which, as we’ve already mentioned, leads to all sorts of fungal diseases. Your growing medium should be loose enough to allow good airflow while still holding enough moisture. If it’s too compact, it’s best to consider repotting your plant into better soil.
If you don’t want to try your green pet’s luck, we recommend checking our article “Crafting the Ideal Potting Mix for Your Plant”. Just remember to buy the components in specialized stores and sterilize any garden-sourced materials in an oven before use. This step will help you get rid of any harmful microorganisms lurking in the soil.
#3. Wrong Pot
Another common mistake is using pots without drainage holes. Even a proper watering routine and the right soil mix won’t save your plants from drowning if excess water has nowhere to go. You can try further improving water drainage and preventing root rot with a layer of drainage material (expanded clay, crushed bricks, or gravel) at the bottom of the pot.
Pay attention to the pot size too. Out of the goodness of your heart, you might want to give your green babies room to grow, yet too much space has its pitfalls. When the pot is way larger than the root system, you end up with extra soil that retains moisture deep down where the roots can’t reach. What happens next? Pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and rot! So, make sure to always choose a pot that’s just slightly bigger than the root system of your plant.
#4. Low Temperatures and Insufficient Lightning
To grow strong, many plants need a period of dormancy with cooler temperatures. During this time, it’s important to be mindful of the watering schedule. When temperatures drop, metabolic processes slow down, and plants can’t absorb water and nutrients as quickly as they normally would. Low temperatures also affect the physical properties of the soil, slowing down moisture evaporation and causing water to sit at the roots. For this reason, if you don’t adjust your watering routine during dormancy or temperature fluctuations, you’re likely to overwater your green pets, which brings us to the number 1 reason for root rot.
Insufficient light slows down water absorption too. It weakens the plant and makes it more susceptible to various diseases. So, providing your plants with adequate light will help you improve their water uptake and overall health.
#5. Root Injuries
Regardless of how careful you are, repotting injures the root system. Sometimes the damage is done intentionally—for example, when you propagate your plants by rhizome division. Damaged roots act as “gates” for pathogens, which wouldn’t harm your green pets under normal conditions.
To prevent root rot, it’s important to treat damaged areas with a potassium permanganate solution or fungicide. You can also sprinkle the “”wounds”” with crushed activated charcoal. Before planting, let the divided rhizomes or roots dry out a little.
After planting, keep an eye on your watering routine—water frequently, but be careful to avoid overwatering.
Putting things right always requires attention and patience. However, checking your plants regularly and adjusting care according to their needs will help avoid many problems, including root rot.