Is that root rotten halfway?
Took this root out of a houseplant while inspecting the roots as 1 or 2 leaves started turning yellow and drying up. #rootrot #roots #houseplant #smallplants
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Best Answer
@heumanafterall what you described sound like the start of root rot. Given there are still white firm roots as well, the plant can possibly be saved. To treat root rot with hydrogen peroxide, mix one part 3% hydrogen peroxide with two parts water, gently remove the plant from its pot, carefully trim away any visibly rotten roots, then pour the hydrogen peroxide solution over the root ball, ensuring the roots are fully saturated; repot the plant in fresh, well-draining soil and avoid overwatering to prevent further infection. In addition here is a link to more great information. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/treating-root-rot-gardening-tips-for-housplants.htm
@heumanafterall it looks to be dried out to me so could be the beginning of root rot. What do the rest of the roots look like? If they are rotten, the soil will smell rancid or foul and the roots would be brown and squishy. I don’t see that type of damage in your specimen but it does look that that root was exposed to air and dried out.
@Shells_Garden The dark grey looking part could have been exposed to air as the roots didn't have much space in the pot. Some of the other roots have similar pattern(not all roots) where theres a section of white roots then dark and then white again and the dark part was squeezing when pressed while the white part is quite rigid. I also kept the plant in a glass container filled with water for the past 1 or 2 days so i assume if it was dried root then it would have gotten better after being dipped in water for 2 days, right?
@Shells_Garden I was doubting that, thanks for the clarification!
I have cut down most of the roots which had been affected but there's one stem where almost all the roots had been affected at different parts so had to cut down all of it's roots. The stem has 3 leaves out of which one is affected by root rot i.e dried so how can i go about keeping that stem alive since most of it's roots are gone? I'll start treating the roots with your methods mentioned above, thanks a lott!!
(I've attached a pic of the plant since I'm not sure about it's name)
I have cut down most of the roots which had been affected but there's one stem where almost all the roots had been affected at different parts so had to cut down all of it's roots. The stem has 3 leaves out of which one is affected by root rot i.e dried so how can i go about keeping that stem alive since most of it's roots are gone? I'll start treating the roots with your methods mentioned above, thanks a lott!!
(I've attached a pic of the plant since I'm not sure about it's name)
@heumanafterall thank you for the photo. It looks like your plant a golden pothos. They are very resilient so it should bounce back. I’d leave it in the water and continue to monitor the roots for a few weeks and if all looks okay at that point , I’d pot it new soil. A plant that size should fit in a 6 inch pot comfortably. You don’t want the pot too large because overwatering will cause the root rot again. Here is a great website for care on pothos in case you need it. I hope she recovers! 😊 https://www.thespruce.com/pothos-an-easy-to-grow-houseplant-1403154
@heumanafterall sorry for the leaf with no roots, if there is a node on the stem, it should grow new roots in water after 2-4 weeks. If there is no node, it may not root so I would just discard that leaf if it doesn’t show any signs of roots within a month. In my experience pothos don’t root in soil so you can’t just stick it back in the soil to propagate like you would a succulent.
@Shells_Garden Golden pothos, got it! I'll make sure to monitor it in water hoping for some roots. Thanks for the website, will check that out too. Thanks a lot Michelle, talking to you cleared all my doubts!