My Thai Constellation is rotting again...

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I’m Fern! A 20-something gal living on beautiful Vancouver Island, Canada with my partner, our 2 dogs, and around 200 houseplants. Plants have changed my life - I love tending to them and sharing the joys and discoveries of my planty journey online. I am passionate about all things living and I have been vegan for over 5 years - it was the best decision I’ve ever made. For those into astrology, I am a gemini sun, scorpio moon, & libra rising. I started out on social media with a focus on makeup/beauty/fashion and am not into it as much, but I do share on those topics from time to time. Thanks for stopping by!
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[@LoveToday8]

I really appreciate that you show the good, bad, and the ugly when it comes to being a caregiver to houseplants. This video made me rethink how often I just chuck a plant. I think you did a great job trimming the roots-something I was afraid of before seeing you do it. I'm with you on the cutting insurance policy!

[@mirjamprochnau6479]

Also you could maybe try redirecting the aerial roots into the new pot, that'll make you have a bigger root mass faster?

[@7excessu]

Yesss!!

[@lilacavenuegarden]

That's what I was going to suggest! And then if she did want to take a cutting it'd probably already be rooted

[@victoriadel75]

I honestly think it’s because the roots were too far into the water reservoir. A lot of people will repot their plants in leca in the same pot but just move the roots up. Even though it’s semi hydro they still don’t want to be sitting in water for too long! Especially a whole reservoir! Just my two cents 🤦🏽‍♀️🤣 Hope it recovers quickly!!! 💚💚💚💚

[@werosification]

i think it has more to do with letting it fully dry and then putting it in water. the roots that grow into the reservoir will be fine as long as the conditions remain the same. it's like growing plants in water only. personally, if my plants in leca dry out completely, i don't give them a reservoir, i use the shower method for a while

[@k-saurrous]

Yeah i agree with werosification. They're water roots so being fully submerged is completely fine. Jeezus if I had to repot every time a plant hit out of the pot I'd be doing it every week. You look for signs more so on the plant that it's sad. I see how you got to your conclusion though.

[@wildfern]

@@werosification This is definitely what I should have done ugh lesson learned

[@mhilmyfauzi4523]

@@werosification what's the shower method?

[@werosification]

@@mhilmyfauzi4523 you basically water plants like you would with soil - you "shower" the leca without leaving a reservoir and let it dry. you can google shower method for hydroponics for more info

[@plantsxcass9223]

maybe repot in a deeper pot so the roots aren’t so close to the water reservoir

[@mirjamprochnau6479]

Oh nooo, it's so sad to watch you be so excited just to be crushed after the first minute :D I'm sure it'll be fine for another time though!

[@wildfern]

😫 lol!

[@hayleyr9060]

Don’t cut. Look how healthy she is. It’s only the lower roots which are rotten as they’ve sat below the water line. She has loads of healthy roots left. She just needs the rot removing, dipped in hp and potted higher up, maybe in a self watering pot so she’s above the water.

[@hayleyr9060]

@@oripii yeah just a quick dip in 1:3 hp to water. Just as she did in the video.

[@audrinaortega1703]

I’d take a cutting just because if it does survive then you can pot the cutting together with the other one. If the plant dies then you’ll still have the cutting, I really hope it doesn’t die. 🤞

[@Mandylouwilliams]

^agree

[@sherryporsch9349]

Hey Fern, my Thai kept rotting an I took it out of all soil ect, an let it air dry out. I left it out for about 3 hours. I’ve had no problems since. She’s out out two leaves in two weeks. Good luck with her. 💚🤗

[@wildfern]

Oh that's so awesome to hear! Thanks for sharing.

[@mhilmyfauzi4523]

did you plant it in soil again?

[@MsChristinaLS]

This happens to all of my plants in lecca. I think it’s unavoidable unless you re-pot constantly to keep the roots from sitting in the water. I’m seriously considering moving all of my plants that are in lecca, out of lecca.

[@jennifersilva7434]

It happens to my plants too! My plants will thrive for like a year in leca, the root ball gets so big then it rots. I'm so sick of it I moved all my plants to soil, I literally just finished the last 2 tonight! I left my hoyas in leca though since I've never had a problem with hoyas. I feel so relieved now I know they won't rot in soil.

[@CowboyLikeMegan]

I love leca as an amendment in a chunky soil mix, but leca in its own sucks. Any plant I’ve tried with it has really suffered.

[@mwoods4608]

I'm going to try out pon

[@MsChristinaLS]

@Lèmon Lēe agree 100%

[@888fluffy]

Im not sure what the point of lecca is. If yall don't want to have to worry about watering schedules so much, just keep your plants in well oxygenated water? Get an airpump??

[@blossom378]

Hey Fern! I also have a Thai Constellation in leca. Since they're so prone to rot you don't want a large amount of roots sitting in the water reservoir for too long, especially since the water reservoir is just standing water and isn't constantly aerated. I've found it beneficial to repot into the same pot but just move the roots upwards every once in a while to help mitigate this. Luckily plant roots grow super fast in leca so your Thai baby should be rerooted in no time!

[@PlantFriendDownTheStreet]

I’d air layer or prop those aerial roots separately from the original root ball for now and reserve taking a cutting as a last resort if the base of the actual stem starts to rot.

[@laurenp.4880]

I saw the title and yelled 😭 whatever you end up doing I’m sure the plant will appreciate!! 💖

[@KianaMitchell]

Aaaahhh so sad omg this plant keeps rotting but she’s so beautiful 😭 watching you go through this process is super educational though I appreciate that you still share it instead of only sharing wins and all the good things along your plant journey!

[@kathrynrosemua]

I’m so bummed for you! I’ve been dealing with my own root rot this week so I feel and know your pain all too well! 🤗

[@zoet1564]

Oh man I feel like I've been on this journey with you 😭 I really hope it bounces back for you!

[@jessicar8141]

When I saw the title of this video I actually said out loud 'OH NO!' I feel very invested in your Thai. I got one from NST a few weeks after you did. Our plants are cousins =P She is a beauty. Wishing you happy Thai rooting thoughts!!!!

[@fallenbarbieee]

Omg no way! But I’m sure she will be fine, you got this❤️

[@MegMakesCrafts]

It still looks great for having so many rotted roots! I would have expected a sad plant. Hopefully that means you caught it early enough the damage is minimal!

[@northernplantuckyplantcinc2630]

By the way I just had the same situation happened with my alocasia Black Velvet, so you're not alone girl! 💚

[@TheNIJUAL]

Get better soon lil plant baby be blessed keep growing

[@jennyc5631]

Personally if I wanted it to be a large plant then I would monitor it for the first 2-4 weeks, if it's still struggling then take a cutting! 🤞🤞 she looks pretty good so theres hope

[@tasdefeuilles]

Sending good vibes for the recovery! My monstera deliciosa rotted in leca the same way. I left it too long before repotting and all the roots tangled at the bottom and the sides of the pot were rotted 🥴

[@sylviagutierrez7676]

I know is so hard to see the roots like that,but looks like it will be ok,👍 Good luck Fern ,🌱💚

[@perryoberlander1069]

Thanks fo sharing this, Fern! I suspect my Monstera deliciosa may have root rot. If so, this video should be perfect to lead me through the "root rescue"!

[@shelbyrussell1552]

Ok soo i honestly love you lol. And the channel.... Your hair is the best it reminds me of the 90s time yasss queennn yasss ur beautiful

[@elijah3815]

it still looks pretty good and you handled this so well! if i were you i would've died on the spot lol

[@peritapugnandi6624]

Hi Fern, I hope, your Thai recovers quickly! I'm sorry, this happened again! Maybe I got an idea for a good recovery and prevention: Do you know "kompost tea"? It's the German word translated into English. I couldn't find the English expression. It's worm castings put in water. After three hours of mixing from time to time, you can use the water (only!) to water your plants and spray them with it (of course that is fertilizing as well!). The beneficial bacteria from the worm castings are now in the "worm/kompost tea". This could be a solution for semihydro, because you can't simply use worm castings. Maybe the beneficial bacteria will help for prevention of root rott. After the treatment with hydrogenperoxid, there are no good bacteria left. Best wishes!

[@daniellemorgan-jackson4114]

Oh no! Fern, have you wondered if it's the plant itself? Like how individual people are more prone to get sick, I wonder if your specific plant is kind of a lemon. So sorry she's going through the rot again 😬 That repotting mat is cute

[@braelin8212]

You should try putting one of the aerial roots in a cup of water.

[@erink.6420]

Damn that blows.. I've been dealing with rot on my thai as well. This just makes it feel like it's going to be a constant problem.

[@averilt]

Nooo this is so heart breaking, but I'm so glad you caught it early on! I wouldn't take cuttings unless bottom leaves start yellowing and dying off.

[@NinjaBri689]

If it were me I’d definitely be taking that cutting! Good luck!

[@GraceGrace14253]

Hi Fern! I've had rot issues lately with my Cebu Blue in leca and am thinking of switching over to aroid mix soon. Hope your Thai does well! I'm sure it will. Btw my vote would be to just keep the plant as-is and only chop if the rot keeps progressing :-) Thanks for the videos!

[@marenwenzel9578]

So sorry this happened again! Wouldn't cut it since you have a new very promising aerial root touching the LECA. 💜💚

[@valerieluquette4909]

I haven't tried growing mine in leca before, but I have my thai constellation permanently growing in sphagnum moss. This was my saving grace, haven't had root rot ever since. Maybe worth trying out? 🤷‍♀️

[@jaanispamIam]

I had the same issue with my Thai con! Rotted in soil so I moved to leca. Rotted in leca several times so I moved it to sphagnum moss and after the roots grew in, I put it back in soil using a clear pot and only water when the plant droops!

[@gwenbates4259]

When you cut the root system back it may not be enough to support all the leaves, so making a propagating may be a good way to ensure there is a proportionate root to plant ratio and help it recover faster.

[@brittanyfosberg1029]

This would have been the perfect moment to use the “Oh no…oh no…oh no no no” song 😬

[@altheam434]

Plants aside I seriously love the rings you wore in this video!

[@BetelgeuzeOrion]

Maybe check out The Orchid Room. She grows most of her orchids in Self-watering. In some of her video's such as the one about vandas in Self-watering she talks about air to moisture ratios in self watering. I'm using her approach for my orchids and it works really well. It might also work well for a hemi-epyphite such as monstera.

[@rosannasiskind4603]

So sorry , but you were a trooper . Thanks for showing it all!!!

[@carliel6149]

you should air-layer that top node , and think if you wanna chop or not once it gets roots :)

[@lentynietran9695]

I experienced root rot on my baby as well. I thought i was doing everything well, but I didn’t know I was over-fertilizing my plant. I changed the soil, watered it and left it alone. Only water. It came back happy and massive root growth.

[@flowers0fpeace]

I’m sorry it had root rot! I felt so bad for you when you saw the rot and your face just fell. Hopefully it’ll be better now that you’ve cut off the rot and started fresh 💚

[@femmebitale]

I wouldn’t take a cutting just yet. You have plenty of time to figure it out. But I would try to force those aerials into the leca if I was you. It’d be helpful to give the plant additional points to root since it lost so much of its root system. I think you were probably right in the rot issue happening because it got too dry. As I’m sure you already know, leca roots are water roots so there’s no reason why the roots reaching the water would rot them unless they dried out way way too much and then sat in water. My Thai loves leca though so I think you’re doing the right thing!

[@anoekremminga6228]

Exactly what I was thinking!!

[@VC.]

My plants sometimes have these rotted roots I never really do anything special just give them less water and eventually they will just shed away those rotted roots…so I see this as a cycle of life

[@AngelaCarrasco_]

You should just move it back to soil… a very chunky soil! And then put it into a terracotta pot (I know soil didn’t work for you last time but tbh I feel like lecca always fails in the long run.) My thai is in cactus soil, perlite, and orchid bark. My albo is in coco coir, coco chips, perlite, orchid bark, worm castings, pumice, and horticulture charcoal. Both are doing great! Good luck with your Thai!!

[@allisonmacneil2226]

I would personally take a cutting, if you want the plant to be big you can always pot them up together and make it more lush with 2 growth points instad of one!

[@alicemcglynn1651]

Aww I’m sad for you :( I would take the cutting to be safe. If both survive, you can pot together in the future to make a full plant xx

[@urwow9]

I have some plants in water and on occasion, they start rotting on me. I just take off everything that's rotting and I've had luck this far, these kinds of plants are great at growing more roots so if ever you plant loses too many, the plant knows what to do!!

[@MindfulnessMama]

Since you removed soooo many roots it is definitely wise to also remove some leaves. Definitely take a cutting. You were right it definitely is the smartest thing to do even though I know you probably don't want to

[@WilnaWanderlust]

hi Fern, i wonder if u have heard about PAFCAL chips, so far i put my Thai Cons in pafcal as my Growing media, from almost dead roots now she's getting well and the roots also grow massive and looks healthy!

[@Tearstank]

You can put the wet leca in the micro, its faster and easier, in addition any microorganisms and bactiera will not live through the microwave radiation

[@sallyedmondson9275]

Good job Fern ! I would leave the plant whole for now to be honest ? 🤞🌿

[@carlybaum9199]

Mine did this. I’m convinced it’s because the roots touching the sides of the pot aren’t getting enough oxygen. I got a big net pot with more holes or orchid pot and it helped so much.

[@carlybaum9199]

Also letting it fully dry out before filling the reservoir will do this. I top mine off so it never gets to that point

[@shelley6279]

What I have been doing is putting my clear pot in clear saucers so I can look at the roots constantly!

[@tinabratland4027]

Oh no, I hope you caught it in time to avoid any further root rot. Keep us posted on her progress. I know it was disheartening to find but it was good content in regards to a root rot how-to.

[@infinitesoulacoustic7923]

i bought a monstera thai the same time as yours, but mine is planted directly to the soil (no pots) . Its very healthy right now with larger leaves, thai cons are prone to root rot when they hate the soil mixture. Mine hate indoors

[@martar.8095]

Mine looked much worse when I checked her roots. It’s been almost 3 months on leca and all I’ve done is cutting yellowing leaves and throwing pups into the trashcan. I think yours will be fine, after the chop it still has nice roots and big aerial roots. :) I think that Monsteras will only do well if they’re sturdy individuals, if they aren’t they’ll get root rot after root rot. On the other side, my newest Monstera does pretty well, on Friday I noticed a tiny bump on one stem and yesterday I noticed that it was actually a leaf growing! So excited.

[@diangeT]

I wouldn't cut yet IMO! I did with one that had rot about a year ago and it turned into a nightmare lol. Stems rotting everywhere. Less is more... yours looked beautiful and healthy after your cuts so I would just keep an eye on it 😊

[@northernplantuckyplantcinc2630]

I would do the cutting. It looks very strong and healthy. Also I would consider leaving it out of the pot and letting it dry for a few hours or maybe even overnight?

[@yaindyroque12]

I wouldn’t cut it since it has been already put under stress 😯 but it’s your plant. Do you baby girl 💚

[@apseudonym]

pruning is not stressful, at least not the same way that root rot is

[@murg]

I grow a monstera in an aquarium and the roots rot if there's not enough oxygen. There's a portable USB air stone for fish on Amazon that's $15. It could help if you don't consider potting the plant in soil.

[@tywerbear]

I would DEFINITELY take a cutting because the aerial root should be a good start to a new root system.

[@bellehhallmark9858]

When mine continued to root rot I finally cut all the rot off and swished the roots around in water and peroxide and now 2 years later she's lush and gorgeous! Don't give up 🪴🌱🪴

[@bellehhallmark9858]

Mine is in a good potting mix that I mixed together .

[@eliezergarciamorales7437]

I wonder if orchid media with pumice and bark is better than leca. You did a great job repotting, I notice leca tends to retain too much humidity at the bottom of the pot. Not your fault, I notice is a problem caused by the leca.

[@emmawallingford2709]

My vote is to either air layer the top with moss or you could put a cup of water up to the root and let it grow before making the chop. They’re are prone to rot so it’s probably easier to root it before cutting the top.

[@anabellecloutier8791]

I think you should stick the aerial roots in the leca, so these nodes would be rooted if anything went wrong.

[@averilt]

Oh also it would've been good to bury the aerial roots so they can help the plant immediately absorb nutrients while the bottom roots work on making a new heathy root system!

[@Lanasleaves]

Have you thought about either lechuza pon or diy pon for your thai? I feel like it would thrive in pon

[@rebeccahenderson7761]

Major bummer! I totally feel for you! Why go back into leca? Seems like that doesn't work too well.

[@jake6681]

I think it would be a good idea to propagate the last two leaves for some insurance, plus you get two monstera Thai constellations out of it. However, it’s all personal preference if you want one big plant or two plants that would take a little longer to get big

[@MomoLalaloo]

Tell me why I read the title but still gasped when you pulled it out and found out it was rotting? Lmao Thank goodness it still appears to have some healthy roots. I think you caught it just in time! Still so healthy looking. Hoping he pulls through for you. 🤞🏻

[@wildfern]

Hahaha! Thanks Morgan, I hope it pulls through too!

[@enakojic]

if you really do feel u want to prop it, i mean go for it but the new leaves will grow in smaller so i reckon u just leave it because it doesn't seem to be straight up dying.

[@ari505]

Hello Fern I hope your Thai recovers well. Also where do you get those clear plastic pots?

[@irrationallyhappy]

Personally I think take a cutting if you want to keep the plant smaller and especially if she starts to look worse, but if you want the plant to get larger then don’t take a cutting. The roots that are left look very healthy and I believe you can save it!

[@iddybiddyladybugleeza262]

🤞🏼 my 1st Thai was doing so good & I didn’t realize the roots plugged up the drainage 🤦🏻‍♀️ So I’m on #2 🤞🏼

[@fabianseq6164]

Sooo, I tried something with an alocasia amazonica that i had in LECA that was constantly rotting and not growing new leaves, I have a 5 gallon aquarium, it has a few fishes, I put it in there along with an anthurium, my logic was that because of the filter and the oxygen, it was going to help... It was totally worth it they are thriving a loooot better now, this a suggestion you could try some kind of experiment like that with this monstera, may be fun. idk, love your channel♥

[@sandrarodriguez2115]

yes you should just in case 👍 at least you will know you have a cutting that can start all fresh giving you healthy roots☺️

[@southernvistas9497]

Removing a lot of the healthy roots as well as the rotted ones, and that can have detrimental effects as well. I would take my time and ONLY take off the sure rotted roots, and do a hydrogen peroxide soak afterwards. Then don't put it back into leca, instead put it in PERLITE!!!! Or even a mix of perlite and leca works. But I would go with straight perlite while it is recovering, and add the leca later once roots have grown back. Good luck...

[@wildfern]

Whenever I've done this the roots just continue rotting :( The only effective way I've really found is to remove them all and start over. Maybe I've just had bad luck!

[@heatherlynn4652]

I don't even remove the bad roots anymore. Or repot. I just treat it with a systemic fungicide for black root rot. I've used Monterey Garden Phos, and Southern Ag Thiomyl Ornamental Systemic Fungicide with success. Cutting roots, hydrogen peroxide, and new soil has never worked for me. I actually think the hp hindered my plants. It works by destroying the cells of anything it touches so it could actually damage healthy roots and make it harder for your plant to heal. I have a bird of paradise that had terrible root rot last summer. I just treated it with the garden phos and it started growing again about a month later. It's still thriving now

[@suedub5156]

Oh man. That suuuuuucks. Did you consider possibly placing into soil? And planting those crazy strong aerial roots? Sorry you’re going through this AGAIN!

[@hollypuckett3931]

Oohhh nooo 😫 girl! This sucks but omg this music choice is fucking cracking me up 🤣👌 Best of luck with her this time around ❤️

[@wildfern]

Hahaha ughhhh

[@loganlafleur9623]

if you're going to cut it air layer it first to be extra safe and save me the stress LOL!

[@bamhottness]

Ugh! I got a cutting from a seller and she grew it in leca. (Not my calling) so I put her in soil. And in a new pot. And the pot I had wasn't draining, the saucer thing I finally got it off and she was rotting, I trimmed sprayed hp I should have soaked her, put her back in aroid dirt mix and pray... idk what to do if she keeps on. I know nothing of leca

[@wpjwinnipeg.plant.journey5576]

no thatd be not a good decision to cut it I'd leave it... the rot is gone u cut it. now when its in the resevoir dont let it stay wet all the time make sure it dries for atleast a day... i do that with mine and it is doing so good! :) and just stick the areil roots in the pot that will make it a stronger root system too and those roots were probably lookng for water anyways.

[@tieflieger]

Oh that's sooo sad. One question, why don't you use one of those pots made for Leca? They are slotted on the sides so that more air can get to the roots. I use them since 35 years, and never had root rot on my monsteras.

[@shadooplucy]

i would air layer the top cutting just in case but not remove it ^_^ that way you have two well-rooted portions in the best case scenario and worst case you still have the top cutting

[@laurenervin1404]

What a gut punch😩 she still looks SO good though!🤷 I would just leave it be for now and then if it seems to go downhill then takea cutting. Good luck!🤞

[@jodiemouton2070]

This happened to me recently with my albo, no worse feeling!

[@wanderers5641]

Dealing with root rot on a few hoyas over here 🖐 😣 Its honestly just as disheartening as finding pests- almost worse because its my own fault for trying to love them too much lol

[@mwoods4608]

I blame the seller lol when I purchased them the soil was already sad. I had to repot to try and save them. I just moved my rope into volcano rocks

[@sunshinesouthernroots6532]

Soooo sorry. Maybe air layer before you cut..? But yeah the back up for insurance seems smart. Hope she recovers well.

[@ninamicanovic86]

I would cut it! It might suck now, but you can always add it back in if they both do make it. Best of luck!!!

[@morganc337]

I would take the cutting. This will help the plant recover from the root rot faster because it will have 2 less leaves to take care of, & you would have a second thai so if the rot returns & kills the plant it wont be completely gone

[@hayleyr9060]

Also if you want crazy root growth in leca don’t fertilise for a month. The roots grow huge searching for nutrients

[@anoekremminga6228]

aah omg that sounds so sad tho hahah

[@sashasimone6095]

It's gone through a lot in this video and will need time to recuperate- give it a couple of weeks before doing any cuttings

[@wildfern]

This is good advice :)

[@corinagarza5940]

I wouldn’t take the cutting the foliage seems super happy even with the root rot. Just keep monitoring. ❤️

[@ceciliacampos3194]

Oh what a shame, I feel for you. I will certainly make the cut safe the good, put it in water for a while. Repot the other if you wish in laca. I wouldn't repot the two the same way. Sorry

[@CrayonConoisseur]

Don't do the cutting. I wouldn't want to stress out a plant that just went through rot. Your monstera still has a substantial amount of roots and it will bounce back in no time. Take the suggestions of repotting it in a deeper pot ^^

[@CocoaCookies_]

Have you tried net pots? Maybe the plant needs a bit more aeration to help prevent root rot.