Dry hollow roots?
Dry hollow roots are an indicator of what? Underwatering? Root rot? Something else? Thx! #happyplants #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantaddict #rootrot
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@TidyTigerpear unfortunately I didn't get a pic of the roots. The plants themselves look fine imo. What is dry rot? And what do you do for that?
I did however loose my dragon trees not that long ago and their roots were the same, very hollow. One of the tree's stem was rotted
I did however loose my dragon trees not that long ago and their roots were the same, very hollow. One of the tree's stem was rotted
@TidyTigerpear I should clarify, today I had to add soil to one of my aloes and ponytail palm and their roots were dry, brittle, and hollow but the plants looked fine. They are watered once a month. I'm wondering if maybe I'm underwatering them? The ponytail palm barely had roots tbh
The dragon trees that I lost a while back, their roots also looked hollow. They were watered every 3 weeks but one of them had a rotted stem. All 3 died
The dragon trees that I lost a while back, their roots also looked hollow. They were watered every 3 weeks but one of them had a rotted stem. All 3 died
It’s sounds like you are underwatering. Also soil can get hydrophobic which means the water isn’t absorbed properly and basically just runs right over the dirt, and doesn’t allow the roots to absorb water. This can be caused by not aerating your soil when watering (poking holes in the soil with a wooden dowel or tool, to allow airflow and water flow through the dirt) and also not having proper amendments in your soil, like perlite or larger particles, can cause soil compaction and eventually turn the soil hydrophobic. It’s important to aerate your soil in between waterings, I learned this the hard way. But when you say hollow roots it almost makes me think that the roots may be damaged anyways, which will cause it to not absorb water or nutrients properly as well, which can damage your plant for obvious reasons. But those tips should help you if that’s what is going on with your plants. (Compaction, underwatering etc) ponytail palms I’m not familiar with but I heard a good way to tell is by the trunk of the plant if it’s soft or not as firm, I think that’s a sign of under watering. if there’s a complete lack of roots, it’s possible, they were either rotted off or got to dry and broke off because I’ve had that happen with some of my plants as well from a lack of water they won’t grow properly and basically just dry & shrivel up.
@TidyTigerpear the soil is a mixture of soil, perlite, and bark (I also added sand today but that wasn't in it until today), I repotted it maybe a month ago and they've only been watered once since then. But I noticed that the soil was bone dry like the very next day after I watered them ??? I used a moisture meter to double check.
I just checked the ponytail palm and the trunk is firm. I'm so terrified of root rot that Ive been wondering if maybe I'm underwater my plants. I have another aloe and a snake plant and the last time I checked their roots, they weren't hollow or anything but they barely had any roots and they were dry and brittle (they are in a different soil mix though). I just can't seem to figure out the correct watering frequency for everything 😔
Ty for your help
I just checked the ponytail palm and the trunk is firm. I'm so terrified of root rot that Ive been wondering if maybe I'm underwater my plants. I have another aloe and a snake plant and the last time I checked their roots, they weren't hollow or anything but they barely had any roots and they were dry and brittle (they are in a different soil mix though). I just can't seem to figure out the correct watering frequency for everything 😔
Ty for your help
Definitely underwatering or at best inconsistent watering. I'm curious why you needed to add soil - are you repotting again? I'd try to water more frequently - I water my aloe in an 8" pot about every three weeks but the trick I use is gently squeezing the stems. If they're firm then it doesn't need water. If they're squishy at all, I water. You got this! 🪴☺️🌱
@pothosslut thx! I didn't have sand when I repotted them the last time so yesterday I dug them up and added sand to the existing soil mix (soil, perlite, bark, and now sand). Since it was new soil I didn't throw it out, just added sand. I'm just so super paranoid of root rot 😔 I also don't know what I'm doing wrong cuz when I watered them last, the soil was bone dry the very next day
@pothosslut @TidyTigerpear according to the app, they were watered 10 days ago. Would it be bad to go ahead and water them again today so soon? Soil is completely dry. Thx