Plant Root Rot Symptoms and Causes
Do you know these? Here is an introduction from the Flower Clinic regarding plant root rot symptoms and causes. The editor will provide you with detailed answers next.
Plants are often prone to root rot due to factors such as uncontrolled watering, improper fertilization, and poor management. If an accurate diagnosis can be made in the early to mid-stages of root rot in the plant, and effective measures are taken, some plant deaths can be avoided.
First, check the potting soil. In the summer and autumn seasons, when the flowers and trees are growing normally, water thoroughly once a day on sunny days. Check the potting soil at the same time the next day; if the soil is slightly dry and shows a hint of white, the roots are normal. If the soil does not dry up and remain white, and is still moist, it indicates that the plant has root rot. If it remains moist after 2-3 days, it means that most of the plant's roots have rotted.
Second, check the leaf color. If there are several pots of the same kind of flowers and trees placed together, and you find that one plant's leaves are losing their green color, lack luster, appear grayish-white, or the leaves are wilted, or a large number of lower leaves turn yellow and fall off in a season when they are not shedding, it indicates that the plant's nutrient roots have rotted due to waterlogging, fertilization, or excessive drought followed by heavy watering.
Third, check the leaf shape. If the leaves of potted flowers and trees show vertical wrinkles and deformities, it also indicates that the plant's roots have rotted. This mainly occurs in flower species with succulent roots, such as Strelitzia and Clivia. The rotting of the lower nutrient roots causes the connected leaves to lack the necessary water and nutrients, leading to stopped growth or even shrinkage in that area, asynchronous growth, and resulting in vertical wrinkles and deformities in the leaves. This situation may not cause the plant to die but will affect its normal growth and appearance.
Fourth, check the leaf tips. In some species of flowers and trees, after a period of cultivation, the tips of the leaves may become withered and charred. There are two reasons for this. One is that the root tips extend and touch the pot wall, and when watered under conditions of high air and soil temperature, the nutrient-functional part of the succulent roots at the tips gets damaged and rots, preventing the transport of water and nutrients to the leaf tips, causing necrosis in the tip area. The other situation is when the pot is too large for the plant, and the potting soil is积水 for a long time, causing the root tips to rot, losing their nutrient function, and resulting in yellowish-brown spots on the leaves, which should prompt consideration of the possibility of disease.
Fifth, by touch. For some flowering trees or tree stumps, such as five-needle pine, cypress, Podocarpus macrophyllus, orchids, and camellias, when the leaf color is abnormal, you can gently stroke the leaves with your hand to judge. For plants whose leaves lack vitality due to root rot, the fingertips will feel dry and warm, not the moist and cool feeling of normal leaves.
When root rot is identified in a plant, the following rescue measures should be taken: Remove the plant from the pot, remove the outer soil, locate the rotten roots, cut off the rotten roots from their base with scissors, then disinfect the wound with a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, or apply clean wood ash to the wound, and then repot or plant in the ground. When repotting or planting in the ground, the seriously damaged parts of the wound and roots should be surrounded with clean wet sand and then covered with clean cultivation soil to promote the growth of new roots at the wound. At the same time as repotting, the branches and leaves should be pruned intensively, sometimes up to 80%-90% to ensure survival. During the plant's recovery process, keep the potting soil moist, frequently spray the dry branches with water, avoid fertilizing, and do not let the potting soil get rained on to prevent further root rot.
The detailed introduction of plant root rot symptoms and causes provided above, hope you will like it!