Root Rot, What?

Root rot: A plant lover's worst fear.

Over the past few months, I have purchased a number of new plant babies. Within that bundle, I have managed to get a few that were not in the best of health. The thing about root rot is it is sometimes too late to save by the time you get the diagnosis.

Last March, I placed an order on HomeDepot.com for a Brasil Philodendron. It was a plant that has been on my wish list for a while so I was pretty excited. About two weeks later I received my packaged shipped directly from the supplier in Florida. The poor thing was soaking wet. I mean dripping, drenched. It even had a stinky mildew smell. I began to panic although the leaves looked just as beautiful as I hoped.

To be honest, at the time I had no idea what to do. I read that any time you bring a new plant home you should allow it to acclimate for a few weeks/months before repotting. So, I set it in its new home and I left it to dry out completely. A week later, the soil read that the moisture was a four (the first level of the green). It wasn't ready for the water. I waited another week and I checked the soil with the moisture meter it still wasn't completely dry. I thought that was weird so I decided to repot, because there was a possibility of root rot & the soil still smelled dingy.

When I pulled it out of the pot it was heartbreaking because most of the root system was brown mush. There was no saving them. Ugh....

The good news was that there were still some white strong roots so I trimmed off all the bad and repot it back into the same plastic nursery pot.

Over the next few weeks, it was a slow process because it didn't need much water, & it wasn't showing much growth. I was careful not to water it too much. I tried to especially pay attention to the leaves. If they were wilted & the moisture meter read dry, it was time for water.

The biggest issue was there was not enough roots for the size of the pot and the amount of soil. So every time I watered it, it was still too much. There would be excess water for multiple days past the one week mark creating the perfect environment for more root rot.

A few things I would have done differently:

1. I should have pulled it out of the pot the same day because if there was even a chance I was going to save, it was at that moment.

2. I should have put them in a Terra-cotta pot a few sizes smaller.

3. Or I should have just trimmed all the roots away and bumped them up to the next node to water propagate the cuttings. Which is exactly what I was forced to do.

This is all I have left. Hoping they root! Send some good vibes.

I also ordered two Scindapsis Pictus Argyraeus. They are seriously so beautiful. Take a look.

I gifted one of these to my sister which happened to be her first plant. She was so nervous that she would kill it but I assured her I wouldn't let that happen. I gave her the better looking of the two, the directions, and bought her a moisture meter. There was no way she could mess this up.

About a week later I was over at her house and noticed a slightly yellow leaf. I brought it to her attention and she said she was doing everything I said. I even checked the soil and it was dry. A few more days went by and then there were three leaves that were yellow! I asked if I could take it back just so she didn't lose it completely. She agreed with sadness because she thought she had failed.

She didn't.

When I took it out of the nursery pot I found root rot on one stem. The same stem that housed those yellow leaves. I cleaned it up, saved what I could, and have been nursing it since. It's doing well and almost ready to return home. I felt so bad taking it back from my sister but I couldn't let her fail. She truly thought it was her! If that plant would have died under her watch she wouldn't have the other two plants she has today or the joy they bring her. Just remember, sometimes it's not your fault. Also, check the roots before you buy a plant if you can.

Have you ever lost a plant to root rot? If so, what kind of plant was it? Don't forget to subscribe and share this blog with a friend. If you have any questions or requests that you'd like me to address, please send me an Email. erikka.alwayswillow@gmail.com

Always, Erikka