

Make sure the container has good drainage and only water the plant when the top of the soil is dry. After treating root rot in the plant, repot the plant in a clean potting mix. If possible, dip the remaining healthy roots in a fungicide solution to kill off any possible root rot fungus. Wash the pot thoroughly with a bleach solution. This will give the plant a better chance to regrow the roots, as it will not need to support as many leaves.Ĭontinue treating root rot by disposing of the soil in the pot that the plant was in. If this is the case, clean the shears or scissors with rubbing alcohol and prune back one-third to one-half of the leaves on the plant. When you treat root rot, you may have to remove a significant amount of the root system if the plant is badly affected. Next use a sharp, clean pair of shears or scissors to trim away all of the remaining affected roots. Wash away as much soil and affected roots as possible while being gentle with the plant. Start to treat root rot by removing the plant from the soil and washing the roots under running water. Treating root rot ASAP will give your plant the best chance to survive. Whether the problem is prolonged overwatering or a single overwatering that caused a root rot fungus flare-up, you must act quickly. Healthy roots may be black or pale, but they will feel firm and pliable. Affected roots may literally fall off the plant when you touch them. The roots affected by root rot will look black and will feel mushy. Remove the plant from the soil and feel the roots. If the plant is slowly wilting and the leaves are turning yellow for seemingly unknown reasons, you will want to check the roots. If you are unsure whether your plant has root rot, you may be wondering, “What does root rot look like?”. The root rot fungus attacks the roots and causes them to die and rot away. The fungus may lie dormant in the soil indefinitely and then suddenly flourish when the plant is overwatered once or twice. The other source can be a fungus in the soil. The rot can then spread to healthier roots and kill them as well, even if the soil conditions are corrected. As they die, they can start to decay or rot away. Root rot can have two sources - one is prolonged exposure to overwatered conditions that can cause some of the roots to die back due to a lack of oxygen. Chances are, your plant is suffering from root rot. You try to correct the watering issue but nothing seems to help. The leaves start to get dull and turn yellow, and the whole plant seems to be on a slippery slope towards death. Sometimes if a plant is overwatered, it just doesn’t seem to recover afterward.
