Common Houseplant Diseases and How to Treat Them

[@MrTeenStyle]

Great vid! a few points: gray mold (botrytis) and powdery mildew will require repotting because fungal spores restart their cycle via soil. both will spread rapidly to nearby plants, though powdery mildew will only colonize plants within the same genus, particularly those that feature woody stems. do /not/ add vermiculite to your pot if you are looking to decrease water in your vessel. Vermiculite holds 3x its volume in water. mix 1:1 ratio of any indoor potting mix with any grade perlite, pumice, or leca.

[@kao3959]

lovely video, helped me a lot!

[@BathGardenCenter]

Thanks for the comment! We are so glad to hear you found the video helpful. :)

[@KandiKar-xx3qw]

Cool thanks 👍

[@BathGardenCenter]

Of course! We hope you found the info helpful!

[@KandiKar-xx3qw]

@@BathGardenCenter Totally did glad 😊 to have found U¡!!

[@TinaShmina]

I heard root rot can also be caused by severe under watering, is that true and do I treat it the same way as an over watered root rot plant?

[@BathGardenCenter]

Hello Tina! This is a great question. Root rot is actually a fungus that grows in overly moist soil and systemically affects the plant. Severe underwatering would just cause roots to shrivel up and die, in which case you would want to cut them off and hope the plant is able to grow new roots. Root damage caused by underwatering is not the same as root rot, and severely underwatering cannot cause root rot, though the treatment for damaged roots is similar! I hope this helps, and let us know if you have any other questions!

[@TinaShmina]

@@BathGardenCenter thank you so much! You’re the only channel that answered my question! I’m kinda new to plants but have no one I can ask about it in person and learn better physically so details have been really important to me. I do have another question if you don’t mind me asking? I’m dealing with thrips right now and bought captain jack’s DeadBug spray, I plan on buying the powder too for the soil. I tried looking it up but I couldn’t find any *detailed* answers on how to use captain jack on house plants. Some say not to use it on house plants and others say you can. How often should I use? Is the spray bad to get on the soil? Should I rinse it off after wards? Can I spray it multiple time a day? How many time a week can I use it? How often should I use the powder?

[@BathGardenCenter]

Of course! We highly recommend Captain Jacks Deadbug Brew, and you can definitely use it on houseplants. We recommend using it every other day for about a week, and then cutting back to once per week for several weeks, then using it once per month as a part of your regular houseplant maintenance to help prevent future pest infestations. It is not bad to get on the soil, and you do not need to rinse it off afterwards. You can spray it on multiple times per day, but this isn't really necessary if you are really thoroughly spraying down your plant each time you use it. As far as the powder goes, it is hard to say without knowing what brand/product it is. If it is a systemic houseplant pest control product, we usually recommend dissolving the granules in water to make a sort of "tea" to then water your plant with. This will be a little more effective/fast acting than just sprinkling the granules over the top of the soil. Let me know if you have any more questions! We are always happy to answer them. :)

[@martinaharrisondefault5027]

​​@@TinaShmina root rot from under watering is known as dry rot. Basically when roots dry out it is hard to get them to absorb water again and then they rot because all of a sudden they have less oxygen from too much water and they cant cope. If someone can elaborate please do.

[@martimasters7704]

BLEACH?!? Nope. Use 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed with 4 parts water, after you wash the pot with liquid dish soap and have rinsed it well. After the damaged roots are removed, repot the plant and moisten the soil with the hydrogen-water mixture. The most common cause of root rot is overwatering or fungal gnats.

[@BathGardenCenter]

Hello! Hydrogen peroxide works just as well, too. The purpose in using bleach or hydrogen peroxide is to ensure that no fungus is left in the pot to be transferred to the next plant that is planted in it. In either case, it is important to rinse the pot thoroughly so the bleach/hydrogen peroxide does not affect any plants planted in the pot later. If anything, bleach just ensures the thorough disinfection of the pot more than hydrogen peroxide does. We definitely do not recommend watering plants with a hydrogen peroxide/water mix. The hydrogen peroxide can end up eating away at the roots of your plant causing irreversible damage. Thoroughly disinfecting the pot, cutting away dead or infected roots, rinsing the roots, and using fresh soil is the best way to try to help a plant that is suffering from root rot!

[@martinaharrisondefault5027]

​@@BathGardenCenter I don't see how hydrogen peroxide diluted eats roots, but bleach would! Hydrogen peroxide breaks into hydrogen and oxygen which only kills bugs, bacteria, fungus. It is going to harm roots. However only do it if you have to, because if you have organic material in the soil then you have good bacteria in the soil which helps roots and the plant. When you do these drenches it kills everything in the soil, which isn't helping the plant. The good bacteria in the soil helps the plant take up nutrients.

[@BathGardenCenter]

@@martinaharrisondefault5027 We definitely agree with this! The only time it can be beneficial to use bleach is when disinfecting a pot before replanting. To clarify, if you want to be extra careful of a pest/disease not getting passed onto a new plant, it is an option to bleach the empty pot, and then thoroughly clean the pot so no bleach is left before planting a new plant in the old pot. Bleach can most definitely damage a plant, and we are by no means recommending that bleach be used on soil, on a plant, or on the roots of the plant. We also just don't recommend the use of hydrogen peroxide for the exact reasons you have mentioned. Though if you have found that method useful for you, that's great!

[@martinaharrisondefault5027]

Im not aware hydrogen peroxide eats roots as you said