There's something special about the energy you feel watching plants grow. That vital, visceral connection that comes from nurturing something and seeing it succeed. Whether you grow plants for fun, as a hobby, or just to enhance your decor and show off to friends, you always want to see your plants looking plucky and robust.

Plants are living things, and they contain systems and organs (of sorts) that aren't always visible. One day everything seems fine, and the next, your plant is wilting away from an unseen cause. 

Root rot is the most insidious of these invisible forces.

How did this happen? What did you do wrong? What can you do to fix it? 

Keep reading to learn more about root rot, how to recognize it, and how to prevent it. 

All About Root Rot

Root rot isn't an unpleasant moniker attached to a mysterious sickness; it’s a fair description of what's going on beneath the surface. The roots are rotting. 

Root rot is the result of the roots being unable to get what they need from the surrounding environment.

Like most living things, plants require a certain amount of light, water, and nutrients to live. While too little of what the plant needs results in strangulation, too much of a good thing can have the same effect. 

Even though plants are famed for providing oxygen, they also rely on it to survive. While plants don't 'breathe' oxygen, the nutrients in their soil and roots do. When oxygen is choked out of the root environment, the roots die, leaving desiccated husks that don't support it.

Cut off from oxygen supply and nutrients, the plant can't fight off bacterial predators, which leads to fungi such as molds building up and overwhelming the roots. 

Just like you, your plants need everything in balance to flourish. Unlike you, plants don't have a lot of ways of indicating a problem has begun. But they do give a few warning signs that things aren’t quite right. 

Signs

Though difficult to detect, plants do give off some early warning signs that something is wrong. With a careful eye, you can make some solid guesses at what is happening beneath the soil.

Roots are delicate in comparison to the rest of the plant. 

By the time a problem becomes noticeable in the hearty leaves and stem of a plant, the roots are already in trouble. To this end, you want to check for warning signs in the soil and the roots themselves.

If the plant is small and otherwise healthy enough, you can unpot it, check the roots and then repot. It’s a little more work to unpot, check, and repot a larger planter (10” or more), but a root check is still worth the effort to keep your plant healthy. 

Nutrient Issues

If you can get a look at your plant roots, check their condition and color. 

Shocked roots will be crispy, brittle, and extra pale. Their appearance is due to salts bleaching and drying the root, the result of a nutritional imbalance in the soil. 

Watering Issues

Watering problems also come in one of two flavors: over and under. Wilting or yellowing leaves can appear in either case, so that's a poor indicator. 

Most cases of root rot are due to overwatering the plant. You’ll probably tell immediately because the soil is damp, or the plant is sitting in a pot or drip tray full of water. 

Poor drainage can also inadvertently contribute to accidentally overwatering your plant as the roots sit in undrained water and begin to rot. Overwatered roots turn darker and feel mushy. They lose a lot of springiness and tensile strength.

When a plant is underwatered, the soil is dry and almost brittle to the touch. However, the top of the soil is typically much dryer than the soil below it. 

To determine if underwatering is the problem, check the color of the soil. The color of the soil fades as it bleaches from the light without protective droplets. Stick your finger at least 2 inches into the soil (more if you can), and feel for dampness or moistness.  

Underwatered plant roots will be a dull white or soft black color and brittle to the touch.

Fungus Issues

Fungus is a common cause of rot in houseplants. While it comes in several different varieties, some are more likely to attack the roots. A significant contributing factor in fungus-caused root rot is overwatering, so being careful to only water your plants when they need it is the best way to prevent this type of root assault. 

Roots infected with fungi will have white stringy tethers connecting to the soil. 

If the problem is mold, the roots will be darker and have colored bits that you can scrape off with a fingertip.

Check your plant early in the morning before the sun hits it. Sometimes, fungi can be seen peeking up from the soil early in the morning, before light sends it scrambling away. Seeing a small dab of something early in the morning that isn’t there at night is a good sign that you have a fungus problem. 

Treatment

When issues with watering and nutrient concentration are the cause of root rot, often you can fix it. But you’ll need to modify the soil. 

Changing soil can be done gradually, but is better done through repotting. 

If the cause of root rot is a fungal infection, you’ll need to employ a fungicide, either natural or artificial, to clear up the infection.

Depot the plant carefully to avoid tearing the roots. Remove infected soil by gently knocking or shaking the roots a few times. For very delicate or damaged roots, a light brushing is better. The less pressure and handling, the better.  

Remove rotted roots, which will be squishy and extra dark. They will likely shred when you attempt to clean them of old soil. 

Repot the plant with good, aerated soil, and stick to a revised watering regime, if watering issues were at fault. Ensure that the soil you’re using is appropriately nutritionally balanced for your plant’s needs.

If fungi was the culprit, clean the soil off the roots and then dust them with fungicide. After the fungicide treatment, replant your green friend again, ensuring the soil has the right nutritional balance for the plant species. What is right for one plant may be deadly for another. 

Pay close attention when repotting to avoid transplant shock. The effects of transplant shock can be just as bad as root rot and can last long after the plant has been repotted, so make sure to handle your sick plants’ roots carefully. 

Prevent Root Rot

Recovery from root rot is possible, but it’s not easy. It's far better to prevent plant rot before it starts. Here’s how:

Choose Your Soil Wisely

When it comes to houseplants, avoid garden soil at all costs. In the confines of a potter, garden soils compact very easily, which smothers roots and prevents oxygen from reaching them. Opt instead for soils made specifically for potted plants, which will aerate and drain better.  We like GreenAll’s Natural and Organic Potting Soil, or Edna’s Best Potting Soil from E.B. Stone Organics. Both are all organic, ready-to-use, and carefully formulated to keep potted houseplants healthy and well drained. 

Drainage is Key

Drainage at the bottom of the plant allows excess water to escape instead of building up and drowning the roots.

If you’re keeping your plant in a plastic nursery cup placed inside a decorative potter (a pretty good idea, by the way), empty excess stagnant water after watering the plant. If your potter sits on a saucer, dump the excess water from these as well. 

If your plant is in a potter without drainage holes, you need to invent some. You can usually drill holes in thick plastic pots with a household drill, or add pieces of broken pots and stones to the bottom of a pot as a last-ditch method for keeping the roots up and away from stagnant water.

Keep it Clean

If you’ve had a problem with fungus before, learn to disinfect tools after using them to avoid spreading fungal spores around. Keeping tools clean avoids transferring other plant decay and diseases as well.

The leading cause of rot, by far, is watering issues. Remember that plants grow less (and need less water) in colder months, and always check for soil dryness before watering and consult watering tables by species and size.

Feel the Green

It takes time and energy to ensure the health of your leafy family members. Educating yourself about root rot and taking preventative measures is your best tactic for keeping your plants healthy. 

For more information and useful accessories or your plants, stop by one of our stores if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area! Otherwise, shop our selection of robust plants and stylish containers online - we ship all across the continental USA!