ROOT ROT 101! A SOIL SCIENTIST SOLUTION-PREVENTING & TREATING ROOT ROT | Gardening in Canada

Root rot in plants is a mystery sometimes it seem to pop up even though you swear you did not over water the plant! other times root rot appears only weeks after receiving the plants! In this gardening in Canada video we put a soil scientist spin on how to deal with rot root for your plant collection. Root rot can be caused by many things but the two main culprits are rot and pests. This is a thorough look at what it takes to prevent but also treat root rot.
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Intro 0:00
Soil Pathogens 2:36
The Truth About Overwatering 6:00
Above & Below Ground Signs 11:00
Alocasia With Root Rot - 13:45
Signs That Are Not Root Rot - 18:00
Sansaveria, Succulent & Cacti Root Rot Signs - 21:00
Root Rot Prevention & Treatment - 23:00
#gardeningincanada #canadiangardener #sciencebasedgardening

[@kele1264]

I love a person who is willing to take the time to check her notes. I believe that's proof of an intelligent researcher and respectful teacher/mentor. So thanks for that.

[@GardeningInCanada]

🥰 and I appreciate you Ke Le! You’re one of my absolute favourite people in the crew. Your relentlessly supportive and one of the reasons I keep coming back week after week. I HONESTLY MEAN IT!

[@jessramos1076]

This was a very informative video. No need to apologize for the length when you actually went above & beyond with all the facts, tips & tricks.. Thank you so much! God Bless you.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thank you so much that means the world to me.

[@graceoverall]

3:07 "Never been possessed before. Not great at Latin." 🤣🤣🤣 I died!!!

[@daniellebrogden]

Best video on root rot here on yt, hands down. *Come on algorithms, push this out!*

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks so much I truly appreciate that

[@jeaninecelayeta3370]

I’ve smelled soil all the time. I love the smell of fresh soil. Such a difference between rotting soil

[@genericplantlife]

Your videos keep challenging everything I thought I knew about plant raising (from the collective knowledge of the internet). Thank you for bringing the perspective of an actual soil scientist into this platform! I've had root rot before on an aloe vera, but thankfully those things just REFUSE to die so I was able to just cut out the whole bottom part and root it again.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haha they are pretty darn tough

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks for watching! Have you ever experienced root rot? If so what plant and how did you treat it?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Intro 0:00 Soil Pathogens 2:36 The Truth About Overwatering 6:00 Above & Below Ground Signs 11:00 Alocasia With Root Rot - 13:45 Signs That Are Not Root Rot - 18:00 Sansaveria, Succulent & Cacti Root Rot Signs - 21:00 Root Rot Prevention & Treatment - 23:00

[@gabriellethompson6602]

rhaphidophora tetrasperma! Poor thing wasn't showing any signs other than drinking very slowly. I picked off the softer roots that I could find and repotted in a third mix of Cacti, premium, and orchid mix.. Unfortunately, I didn't see your video in time to know to let the roots sit in a water peroxide mix... hopefully it'll live!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

It will be fine, you managed to fix the major issue just fine ☺️

[@gabriellethompson6602]

@@GardeningInCanada Thank you! :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

Anytime!

[@Blasfamous8]

THIS was literally EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for!! I’m constantly battling rot (I’m also out of Florida zone 9) and trial and error was just not working! Half my plants have PTSD now, poor things… using a 2:1 hydrogen peroxide watering as instructed by so many sites kept making it worse! And now I know why. Thank you- I’m totally following you now! My plants thank you as well- you’ve saved lives today lol

[@KindabamCrochet]

I've really enjoyed your videos. Keep up the excellent content. Thank You 😇

[@paultaylor4602]

Outstanding! Thank you for the detailed lesson and understanding. So helpful.

[@GardeningInCanada]

glad you enjoyed!

[@EpiphanyX5323]

Thank you so much for this informative video, I appreciate how in-depth this was. Your puppy is so adorable! 😍 On a side note on root colors, carnivorous plants have black roots. I had no idea about that until I delved into the care of Nepenthes.

[@louiseahmedtropicalplantgr5000]

Very good information shared. I have had issues when transferring water propagated plants to compost coir as not enough aeration. Now trying orchid bark, and I am too a big fan of clear pots. I bought some 2years ago but prior to that I used clear plastic cups so I could keep an eye on the roots.

[@carolynmorgan4581]

Great video!!! Thank you, you explained so well.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’m happy it as helpful! ❤️

[@debrag3666]

This was so great. Thanks for sharing

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. That means a lot to me

[@haveaniceday23]

So informative. Thos has me feeling confident that I can handle my situation with knowledge. And currently replanting almost everything, cuz they are due for it. Great knowledge

[@GardeningInCanada]

You can do it!

[@MithMathy]

Hands down the most helpful video I've ever seen on root rot!! I've struggled so much and done so many rescues and chop-&-props. I saved an orchid that was rotting even though I had bark (now I know it was likely drying out way too much) by using some sphagnum moss. But I can't just grow all my plants in moss! (Too bad cuz I'm losing a beautiful gardenia that I overwatered in the Phoenix heat - I was really thinking all the brown leaves were the hot dry air or salts in the hard water but the soil isn't drying out enough compared to before. It's so big, I'm not sure if I can save it.. 😭 But between this and your video on perched water tables, I hope I can greatly reduce my losses to root rot in the future!🤞🏻

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awe! thank you i appreciate that

[@orianafisher3960]

I absolutely did find your video extremely helpful, so in depth with a wealth of great information! I'm now a new subscriber and off to help my dumb Cane plant 🪴from root rot! I'm in Canada too zone 3 or 4, will look forward to your other videos 😃🍃🌿

[@GardeningInCanada]

woohoo im glad

[@johnjude2685]

Makes great sense, Like you usually know, Thanks

[@GardeningkiDuniyaYT]

A very useful video for gardeners

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@robertcarrillo747]

I love smelling my soils. Soil/repotting and mixing soils together trying to make a healthy soil is my favorite part of Gardning idk y. But as soon as i caught the gardening/plant bug that part and process always was the funnest and most satisfying to me.

[@TheRINOShow]

Thank you. I learned quite a bit.

[@BoscowHunt]

Very helpful video, thank you for sharing.

[@GardeningInCanada]

You are so welcome!

[@marcusbelus1132]

I appreciated this video! I'll be coming back to check out more from you! :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awesome! Glad it was helpful

[@meredithdavis5167]

You are fabulous! Real science, not just throwing things randomly at a problem and forgetting which thing worked. What a breath of fresh air! My question is about humidifiers. You mention that root rot is pathogen based - so I'm guessing cool mist humidifiers can be pathogen factories..? I'm not sure if warm mist heats enough to sterilize the water - thoughts? Also, I started using clear orchid nursery pots for some of my aroids who get a very chunky mix of coir, activated charcoal, coco chips, leca balls, perlite, pumice, and some worm castings. I'm seeing some mold or fungus near the holes, even with this chunky mix. Humidifier? I do sterilize everything (pots to implements) with rubbing alcohol. Thanks again for your videos and for taking the time to respond! You're such a blessing to the plant community and I'm so glad to have found you!

[@mogwaii2912]

Awesome video (as always).

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️

[@ILiekFishiez]

oh my gosh, this is the exact kind of video i've been looking for!! i love learning more especially about the roots c: thank you for lending your brain, subscribed and am excited to learn more! i also have 2 questions if you wouldnt mind answering ! 1) so my pothos has root rot for sure and i've spent a lot of the day treating it, i've discovered that a lot of the roots have this brown/black film and i've been able to get it off and realize theres a very thin hairlike root still underneath! should i keep these when theyre white?? will they keep growing and become thicker again? 2) i've had to cut off quite a bit of the root system for my pothos.. this may be a dumb question, but what will the leaves response be? will some die off? or will growth just be stunted for a while?

[@oliviaplants]

CLEAR POTS are a f ing GAME CHANGER! Since making the switch I’ve had almost NO signs of over/under watering! I moved a ton to clear and now I’m working through them all. I’m so glad you mentioned this because I never hear anyone talking about it and I’ve even considered a video or something because of how beneficial it is. I feel like people need to know! I also have a super high tech🤣🤷🏻‍♀️ “moisture meter” method(more critical when not in clear pots) of putting a chopstick in the soil of my most finicky plants(micholitziana, I’m looking at you!), I walk around lifting pots and pull it up checking the moisture at the bottom of the pot. Easier than my finger all the way to the bottom and more accurate than a moisture meter imo ✌🏼 Btw, you are brilliant!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I love them 😂

[@oliviaplants]

I like to use water/juice jugs/bottles and cups/soup containers from take out and create drainage with a soldering iron. Also, I use the leca I purchased and did not enjoy for semi hydro as the base of all my potted plants like your pool noodles. I know people say that “rocks” are pointless in the bottom of a pot for drainage and that it can’t change the perched water table or whatever(I’m not smart like you are with the science part) but I know that a leca layer helps with aerating the bottom of the soil which then dries much more evenly

[@GardeningInCanada]

Love that!

[@minnies1969]

Your content is amazing! I’ve learned so much from your channel, basically everything I’ve been doing was not good for my plants 😰🫣 now I know why a lot of them didn’t survive… Thank you so much 🙏🏽

[@deborahtofflemire7727]

WOW loved this .Thanks from Ontario Canada 😊😊😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

I am glad ❤️

[@Dyl0829]

so helpful, thank you so much!!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Perfect! I loveee to hear that

[@sterlgirlceline]

Absolutely STELLAR; thank you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thank you!!!

[@mrittenb]

Good job on the root rot explanation! I have a dracaena that is 40 years old, I suspect it is developing root rot. So I will act on your advice although it’s a major undertaking to move the pot & trunks. I suspect the old pot is harboring the methane producing fungi. I’ll repot how it fares down the line. Thanks again for your efforts to share your knowledge with us!

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s so old! Wow amazing

[@Wovenpink]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@GardeningInCanada]

awesome glad you enjoyed

[@AliceCh441]

SO helpful 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you found it helpful ❤️

[@RusiaDelDemonio]

Thank you for your scientifically fact based videos ❤️ I recently managed to get rid of root rot on M. Adansonii and Raphidophora thanks to the info from this video. What I did: I sterilized EVERYTHING (except roots) with chlorine, cut off infected roots and put them in white moss (sphagnum) that I just picked in the forest. Hydrogen peroxide is quite expensive and unavailable in my country, so I just checked the roots every few days and removed any new bad parts. This worked very well. I also sterilized the infected soil in the oven (to 96°C), when cooled I mixed in a few scoopes of fresh new soil and let it sit in a bag for one month in my basement to hopefully allow the micro organisms from the new soil to reproduce and colonize it. I planted the first adansonii back in soil 2,5 weeks ago and it's doing fine so far. I'm nervously hoping I managed to kill all the rot spores in the oven (!!). I also found that the leafs of monstera adansonii instantly turned yellow as soon as it had any rot, while the raphidophora didn't show any sign at all. I ended up cutting about 80% of the raphi's roots and it has only dropped 2 leafs in 1,5 months! haha

[@GardeningInCanada]

Congrats that’s awesome! Huge accomplishment honestly

[@Silly7852]

Healthy roots smell sooo good!!

[@dorkolicious525]

This was a very educational video, I’m a new plant parent so I’m still in helicopter mode. Thankfully, my mother took the time to educate me about overwatering and this video has fleshed out my knowledge. ...also, am I the only who who eyed all her plants suspiciously after this video? No? Just me. EDIT: I forgot to ask, about your final point: if you didn’t water your plant for a long time, how do you safely water it in order to prevent root rot?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Gradually over time. So you’ll want to water just enough to loosen the soil snd leave it a few days. Then go back again and water

[@dorkolicious525]

@@GardeningInCanada 👍 thank you! I have a couple of plants I’m rescuing from my friend so I’m probably going to have to deal with this 🥲 I want the challenge but hopefully I don’t kill them.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’m sure you’ll do great!

[@mwoods4608]

@@GardeningInCanada restarting watering, bottom water or top? Wait for it to dry out again before doing a full watering?

[@kellylewis4111]

Once again, real information based on science. A local plant page I belong to is constantly recommending watering with hydrogen peroxide every couple of waterings for pest control and root health because a big name plant-tuber said so. To the point of attacking others that caution against it. Your content is interesting and informative, please stick around and keep producing!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Ah don’t do that 😥 microbes are so important to nutrient cycling, inorganic fertilizer doesn’t even work without microbes.

[@kellylewis4111]

@@GardeningInCanada Yeah, internet myths need to be broken regarding houseplant care. I don't know if you've done a video on this or not, I'll have to search. Things being promoted such as pasta water for your plants, brewed tea, potato starch, egg shells, banana peels, coffee grounds, hydrogen peroxide in soil (all for indoor houseplants) Will Creed, the guy behind Horticultural Help, said compost wasn't a good idea to add to indoor houseplants because of the lure of bugs (I'm not a scientist, but this seems logical). I do compost in my garden, but I stick to my pretty boring regimen with my houseplants (although for transparency, I was recently "influenced" to start adding worm castings--which I already mentioned to you on a different video)

[@GardeningInCanada]

Haven’t done the tea or pasta water but those are on the list! And the compost claim for bugs is true if it’s not a hot compost, hot compost does a pretty good job of killing off any eggs

[@jeannetteloretta9427]

Thank you Kelly Lewis so happy to know I’m not the only one!

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️❤️

[@indoororchidsandtropicals358]

Little mass extinction was hilarious, but I'm also in conservation biology so I probably geeked out on that harder than most people.

[@GardeningInCanada]

🤣😂🤣 love that

[@dmac4382]

Once again, I search for an answer to my question and there you are. I had a lovely Bougainvillea that was showing signs of root rot. I read somewhere that i needed to toss the plant and solarize the bed. I did this the other day, but it did seem like killing off everything in the soil was a bit drastic AND I hated the idea of losing that bed right before the growing season. I did toss the vine-it's roots were orange, and tossed a lot of the soil. I can see now that my bed was tilted so the water crowded into the corner with the vine. I think I'll just pull up that horrible plastic, fix the angle of the bed and put in better dirt. Thanks once again.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s really drastic wowzers

[@GardeningInCanada]

I think you’re plan is a lot better

[@kele1264]

"Never been possessed before..." ROFLMAO!!!! 😂🤣

[@GardeningInCanada]

🤣 I say that because I had a great aunt that’s was a nun and used to joke I was. 🙄

[@kele1264]

@@GardeningInCanada Too bad you couldn't make your eyes turn red and spin your head around, all the while speaking in tongues and projectile vomiting. You know, like Linda Blair in "The Exorcist".

[@GardeningInCanada]

Ke Le oh man I love Halloween... I wish I had that talent I would win EVERY costume contest this year

[@kele1264]

@@GardeningInCanada 😂🤣

[@johnjude2685]

GREAT VIDEO LADY

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks!

[@Keltay176]

Amazing advise thank you! xxxx

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thank you for watching!

[@geraldblount4159]

Thanks 😊

[@xyzaoro670]

You got me at root rot as a result of pathogens. Thank you for the wonderful explanations. Now I'm heading out to snip the bottoms of my plants. 😊

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it was helpful! Feel free to share

[@0anant0]

Thank you for an informative video. I have a question: how to deal with outdoor plants that show signs of root rot (such as mango, avocado) that are in the ground? Thanks

[@GisellVe]

If people can't afford new soil is there a way to treat existing soil, thank you so much for all valuable tips you can provide to safe our plants

[@GardeningInCanada]

I have done a video on that actually! but for root rot just allow it to get some air

[@rayofsunshyne1533]

Your channel is totally giving me a nerdgasm! Thank you for being the first person to science it all out! Mindblown 1000x Anyway, you just validated what I've suspected for a long time that I could smell when there is something wrong in the soil. Last week my wife cried when I repotted a plant she just potted, I felt really bad and apologized for being too anxious and making her feel inadequate. I'm just glad I saved the plant. I'll just secretly repot her plants from now on. Regarding the secondary signs of root rot being a nutrient deficiency, would it be wise to foliar feed the plants to prevent the symptoms from happening, in case the rot is discovered right away? Or will it have some effect on the plant's ability or priority to regrow its roots?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahah your welcome glad you enjoy! Let me know if there is anything you want to see.,

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’m working on a foliar video! Should be up in a few weeks

[@manuel_cavaco]

This video helped me so much! Thank you! It has so much information. I'm currently dealing with those pathogens and harmful fungi, as well as fungus gnats with my houseplants. I sometimes do quite overwater my plants and I've been trying my best not to, but recently, with the arrival of winter, the humidity in the air has gone from a summer dry to a winter wet air, causing many fungi to rise from the soil. My tropical hibiscus is planted in a Terracotta pot, and recently the pot started getting all white and smells like mold and humid terracotta but I'm not sure what it might be. I planted it on a terracotta pot just to prevent overwatering and now it got all moldy 😂. Would I need to bleach the pot; let it soak in bleach or repot the plant? As a matter of soil I sometimes get the white mold on the surface, but the plant doesn't show any signs of root rot neither smells like methane gas. Do you know what I should do? Also, I propagated some Rose cuttings in a cut water jug, with no drainage hole and have been watering only with the moisture thing that you water the seedlings with, very lightly. As the jug is transparent, I can see some white splotchs, I'm not sure if it could be mold, as it is very deep in the soil, or fungi. I'm afraid it might reach the roots, but as the cutting is still developing its first leaves, I'm concerned to repot and disturb the root system. What do you think? Again, thank you, now my babies will be better taken care of

[@GardeningInCanada]

Awesome I’m so happy to hear that let me know how it goes. You could bleach the pot to be safe but just make sure it’s rinsed and dried well before reporting.

[@Maric02]

Hi, new subs here. Very informative video. Thanks! Watching from Philippines.👍👍👍👍

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoy it! That’s awesome

[@AdrianDurquiza]

Thank you so much for such an educational video! I'm just starting my plant journey and trying to get myself as informed as I can be. I recently repotted a plant because the substrate was nothing but compacted soil, and I noticed the roots (and plants) had symptoms as the ones you mentioned, and this video helped me a lot to fix the issue! I must admit I'm a tad confused though, and would appreciate your insight on this matter: if the rot is happening due to the waterlogging, would that anaeorobic environment, that "mass extinction" include the killing off the pathogens and spores? Or would they actually thrive on it?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad it helped!

[@geraldblount4159]

Thank you for the science no Hokey Pokey thank you

[@le-auss]

Excellente video! I just change the soil and take off the dead root's (maybe i haven't seen all of them🤔) of my big pothos. But there was a little bit of the old soil on 2 or 3 place ont the roots, i wonder if it's really bad if there is juste à little bit of it🤔

[@GardeningInCanada]

I don’t think that’s a really bad thing at all.

[@1cleandude]

Fi-top-Thor-a! Thanks 🙏

[@trollforge]

Found you through your comment on Prairie Plantgirl's Video. I'm half way between Ottawa and Montreal USDA Z4A / Cdn Z 5 (I think) .

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hey! Welcome, let me know if there is anything specific you’d like to see!

[@ArnoldScott-gv3wf]

Your videos are so great on root rot you are cute and funny thank you, is stem rot the same as root rot?

[@askmissho]

This is so informative. Thank you so much! Will bleaching also sterilize the media so I can reuse it?

[@GardeningInCanada]

I am glad you enjoyed! I wouldn’t bother bleaching it. Just expose it to air

[@penguino1223]

Awesome video. I recently let my scindapsus exotica dry out for too long and after watering it I noticed one of my stems dried up and died. I pulled it out to check it’s roots and they were completely healthy. Might this have happened because it started going dormant?

[@dragonballz2410]

Hey, cool video. Nice tats. If you were a plant, what plant would you be and why?

[@jacobclark89]

I have an on going experment on containers for my tomatos and one plant in a container with poor drainages seemed to have root rot yesterday the whole plant looked like it was going to die , the plant is too big to pull up and root prune , I took a bamboo kbob stick and punched about 50 holes about 10" deep all around the root ball area so it could dry out then i poured about a 1/2 cup of peroxide around the stem then sprayed the leaves front and back with a no wilt cloning spray so the plant would not loose water in till new roots are made . over nite my Cherokee purple has come back to look normal ! This is not a recomendation of what to do but an observeation of what is working for me , BTW I did this as soon as I noticed my plant was all wilted , I did not wait .update : maybe i was just getting my hopes up , she is wilted bad after being in the sun . i have about 15 other plants and none seem to have this problem ,update: the drain holes in the container were pluged by roots from a near by tree , the plant looks like it will die , I dug around the root ball and added kitty litter because its clay that loves to take in water , I wish i would have though of it yesterday .update , the plant seemed a tiney bit better but , I dont know how long i can watch this poor plant suffer ,its driving me "nuts" i😢 might pull her out and add some fresh soil and transplant a new tomato plant in its place , It might have helped if i gave the plant shade during recovery and maybe enzimes , im afraid that even if it did recover it has had too much stress at this point , I dont need a sick plant in the garden , I dont want my other plants catching somthing from it .update : the plant seemed to recover some over nite , i gave it some compost tea and now its recoverd and doing very good ! 🍅🍅🍅

[@joshs470]

I grow quite a few rot-prone tropical succulents and xerophytes in a temperate climate and use large chunks of broken styrofoam boxes in the bottom of the pots, it seems to work well. One thing with many of the tropical succulents tho, is that many are prone to rot if watered at low temperatures, most of these plants are from seasonally dry climates

[@joshs470]

Thinking more about this and your video I wonder if there are other explanations for why some of these plants can rot so easily if exposed to cold and wet conditions. Is it the genetics and temperature tolerance of the plants, or more prone to pathogens at lower temps? or something else? You got me thinking

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

We've had damping off, more often than anything else, along with vine borers and all sorts of creatures eating the leaves. You showed strawberry, there is something called dry rot or charcoal rot, which does it's thing in dry conditions, making it a lot more tricky. Last year the pepper plant was dormant and i had to pour out all the water, but slowly it put out leaves and needed more water again. That canadian air mass that went half way through mexico gave us optimal conditions for growing moss, but tomorrow should be a lot less like a Dennis Quaid movie than the past few days~

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea that strawberry rot is in the same family as the “root rot” family. It sucks that the solution isn’t just simply stop watering all the time 😭. Pests ALWAYS need to ruin the harvest 🦠.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

The kale got turned into lace, it looks pretty, but it's hardly food now. Maybe place it over a shirt and spray bleach through the kale to make the pattern~

[@GardeningInCanada]

AHAHAHAHAHA I love that! Please do

[@saphire82]

I received birds nest sansevierias from my mom and after seeing the roots thought it either was something weird from her water or it had unhealthy roots. Glad to know that’s the only exception otherwise I’ll look for white roots.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s awesome!

[@beautywithdani8622]

Loved this video! Thanks so much for showing us your rhaphidophora tetrasperma and explaining the different leaves really well:) and for showing us your pool noodles hahaha! I find inspecting fern roots for rot is so tough! I wonder if mixing fungicide (I have Immunox) and hydrogen peroxide for dipping roots in in the future for root rot would be recipe for disaster👀 ...? Also.... I think I will stop including immunox in my soil drench (that includes neem oil and spinosad) as recommended by legendsofmonstera since that would kill off the fungi! Lol I just hate the white mold on the top of the soil so much. But wouldn’t neem oil (azadirachtin, I use azamax) also kill fungi? Would you also not recommend a neem oil/azadirachtin + spinosad soil drench once a month to prevent pests? Is it doing more harm than good?

[@GardeningInCanada]

That may work! You should try it in something you don’t really love a bunch.

[@MrPotatoemouse]

Very helpful, and great to hear some actual science. My question is how do you treat your snake plants once you have cut off the bad roots and re-potted in a freer draining compost please? Should I keep it very dry, or just moist and hope it puts on some extra roots? Thanks.

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would keep it dry for a couple weeks and then resume watering.

[@MrPotatoemouse]

Thank you.

[@jeaninecelayeta3370]

I like Bronx!

[@mkplusultra4171]

Will put this information towards muh drugs, thx!

[@GardeningInCanada]

🤣😂

[@ianong6836]

Hi Dr. Ashley, i'd like to ask whether as a precaution, can i apply the hydrogen peroxide with water method for my Madagascar Jasmine plant??

[@JoseGarcia-oc7dj]

Also carnivorous plants have black/brown roots - I thought my VFT had root rot but it was very happy (wild animals had stomped on it)

[@marvinbaker2828]

Wow! This video is AWESOME!!! Thank you. I appreciate you keeping it real and giving great mix of science based well explained with practical explanations and tips! This answered so many questions. I do have one question- is it possible to have root rot with no pathogens or does the rot provide the conditions for the pathogen to grow (I’m thinking the latter is true?)

[@marvinbaker2828]

Also, I understand now how the moisture level can get too high even being on a schedule and particularly- my challenge is giving a little extra water if I’ve waited a few extra days and the plant is really dry. No I understand that it’s not I could practice! And grow begonias and have all the classic symptoms you’ve described but I haven’t checked the soil for outer but I will do that

[@GardeningInCanada]

the anaerobic environment is the conditions that cause the bacteria too grow

[@marvinbaker2828]

@@GardeningInCanada thank you!

[@thecowman6807]

The underutilization of water has been my exact observations as well. Plants that get enough light and are grown in the right conditions will literally never ever have rot. Even plants that are considered easy to rot or water sensitive. I grow mexican cacti in their native soil types, which are heavy clay loam soils that hold a lot of water, take long to dry, and become mud when wet and rock hard when dry and mine never rot. This is actually a movement from Italy called 'wild growing' - its goal is to replicate the natural conditions of cacti and the results are amazing. All the problems people usually have cultivating cacti just disappear. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the microbes dying off and an Acidic environment being created aren't the only factors at play here. Roots also need oxygen and they also need to be able to release CO2. I've read various research that stated that if roots can't get oxygen from outside, they will start taking oxygen that is produced from internal processes and that in turn takes resources, energy, oxygen, etc away from other areas that need it. Additionally, not being able to release CO2 causes a CO2 buildup in the plant, especially in the petioles, and that is specifically why leaves will wilt from the petiole despite being fully hydrated. It's also why the petiole turns black and eventually makes the leaves turn yellow/die/just fall off.

[@rmak87]

I’m doing some container gardening mainly peppers and tomatoes and I usually keep them outside. I use a miracle grow moisture control potting mix that has coco coir. And it’s rained throughout the night for 2 days straight. It was followed up by 52 degree nights so I brought my plants inside during the night. I recently transferred the plants from the nursery before this so they are pretty new. I’ve noticed that since the weather during the day has been in the fifties the soil has been pretty wet and cold the past 4-5 days. Is there risk of root rot and if so what can I do to help dry up the soil quicker so they don’t get shocked or damaged? I did not add perlite to the soil mix so don’t think it’s as well draining as I’ve wanted it to be : ( Any advice?

[@warrior3d27]

i saw other methods of "fixing" rot with hydro peroxide.. but like you said before, it basically turns to water the minute it turns to gas. which i believe is quite quickly, so a "few drops" does nothing for the plant, what fixes it usually is letting it sit out for 30ish min in the air then reporting with corrected sterile soil. that method works best for me and if its early detection its almost 90% success for me, if its bad, its usually because the rot was already too far along and the plant tried to spend all its energy rooting itself above the anaerobic level of soil to get air. so long story short, hydro peroxide is useless.

[@stryder1587]

Where do you buy the see through clear nursery pots in Canada? I'm in Toronto and I just see the small ones for orchids. I have a ficus tineke that has browning edges, wilting leaves, and they are dropping off one by one, starting from bottom to up. Can I take it out of its pot during the winter to check the roots?

[@jeaninecelayeta3370]

I have a pit bull too. They’re great!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Love them!

[@723snoopy]

Thanks for teaching us the science of root rot! I have a question about other youtube plant advice on not to water plants until they pass the Taco Test, where you wait to water until you can bend leaves that are normally firm(like hoya carnosas) in about half like a taco. From this video you mentioned letting the the soil dry completely might be hurting them if they go dormant and suddenly get water, is the taco test actually a sign of a plant going dormant and I should water earlier? Thanks.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea so the taco test is actually a test to see how close to permanent wilting point you are. You want to the plant to be stress free if possible. I would only wait until the soil doesn’t feel like there is moisture present

[@723snoopy]

@@GardeningInCanada Good to know!! Thank you for giving my plants a real chance of survival haha :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️❤️❤️

[@joshs470]

We pronounce it as Phy - thph- ra in Australia. At least in the conservation world, other groups might pronounce it differently

[@warrior3d27]

also boiling water is great for sterilizing terracotta or cement, or pouring boiling water everywhere on it. im also curious if algae rich rain water can help a rotting plant between waterings

[@LucasEY]

SOS....I followed what some other plant youtubers have said, and poured hydrogen peroxide (in a 1:1 ratio) directly into the soil of my dieffenbachia camille. The plant was very healthy beforehand, but I suspected fungus gnats were laying eggs in its soil. When I poured it in, the soil puffed up like a baking brownie. Two full days later, it was still somewhat puffy (which surprised me because I thought it would re-compact once the H2O2 degraded), so I watered it with normal water to bring the soil down in case the air in the soil was why it was suddenly falling over. Now, its bottom leaves are turning yellow and dropping like crazy, and the stems are weak and drooping over. I don't think it's overwatering because I ensured the pot drained completely both times. I'm wondering whether the strong H2O2 just destroyed the good bacteria around the roots and now its struggling to hold the plant up and absorb nutrients. Should I just change the soil (and check for rotted roots), or is there anything else I could do? Thanks in advance for your help, I'm so glad I found this channel!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Holy moly I’m sorry to hear that. I’m thinking you most likely roasted off your root hairs which is integral to now only support but nitrogen uptake into the plant. The root hair acts similar to a magnet with a negative charge that attracts the nitrogen molecules. The yellow leaves is most likely due to lack of nitrogen especially if we are talking about yellowing leaves starting at the bottom and moving upwards. The hydrogen peroxide has, most likely rendered your soil “dead” biologically speaking as well so a repot is incredibly important as well. There is not much your can do to fix the issue other then reporting and removing the yellowing leaves as they appear. If you’re noticing the yellowing is getting worse and worse you may want to consider a rehab setup with a grow light and a warm space just to stimulate new root and shoot growth before there is nothing left. The other option (depending on how large the plant is) would be to remove some foliage, currently you have an imbalance between root mass and above ground biomass. Meaning your root mass is not large enough to nourish/contribute to photosynthesis/respiration in the volume you require. For fungus gnats in the future just use this stuff 🙂kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKTJd6dmqsmfm6M

[@LucasEY]

@@GardeningInCanada Omg a life saver, thank you for such a thorough reply, it's so helpful to learn about the science behind everything! I'll take your advice and repot it, remove the yellow leaves, and put it in a brighter location immediately. I had stopped fertilizing for winter, but do you think I should put some diluted liquid fertilizer in the water I use after I repot to give it a nutrient boost? Or would that just burn the stressed roots further?

[@GardeningInCanada]

A diluted version wouldn’t hurt anything no. Just do a half strength formula.

[@bluesight_]

this is awesome content; learned a lot. thank you! What do you think about the plastic-fabric "smart" pots for soil aeration? If they're so good I'm surprised they aren't more common. was recommended to me by hemp growers

[@GardeningInCanada]

I have never used them before. However, I had a fabric pot (a cheap one) many years ago and I liked it a lot. It was lined with a plastic which I’m not sure if that’s the case for the smart pots anymore. The plastic obviously cut down on the air exchange possible. If there was no plastic then yes I do think it would help with that, but I also think you’d have to be committed to watering a few times a week in an indoor setting and up to possibly two times daily for an actively growing plant in the summer.

[@bluesight_]

@@GardeningInCanada Ah, I just meant the fabric seemed like it was made with woven plastic fibers, (instead of an organic cloth) there aren't any solid pieces with mine. But yeah I get what you mean, I may have to water more with how quickly they drain. Just started using them. Thanks for the reply! :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

@@bluesight_ yea! It’s hard to say what they are made from. I’d be interested to know though it probably depends on the company. If it’s organic you would think they would need to do some form of chemical treatment to prevent rot.

[@nikolasberthelsen1606]

watched this video 3-4 years later.. Great video, and the only thing I'm thinking now is. How's your Velvet Elvis doing? :D

[@sheilathompson7105]

Hello there and thank you for the video! Veering off that topic however I wanted to ask what to do with a new lilac I purchased but have not planted because one of the trunks if that's the appropriate word is dead. Do I cut it off before planting it or will that stress it out too much. But will leaving it inhibit the growth. It's about a foot and a half tall with brown withering leaves and was purchased on clearance of course but I really really want this plant to thrive and do well but it's the first time planting so I am definitely in need of advice. Thank you so much!

[@GardeningInCanada]

if its dead i would chop it

[@Diana81LA]

hi, I was wondering if you have a video on fertilizers (homemade) with food that we don't eat like coffee beans, potato skins, etc.? I live in Montréal, Canada. I want to try out with that kind of fertilizers. Also, I was wondering if there's a name for like desert kind of plant or plants that doesn't need that much watering. I often forget plants and I don't want to have plants to kill them, they are so pretty, so I was thinking of plants that don't need too much watering. thanks for your video 👍

[@freelivingtennessee]

What would cause and entire garden bed and all the plants in it (almost) to get lower leaves turning yellow. The transplants are all 2 weeks in the ground. They’re in in full sun (sun hits around 10:30, getting sun through 3 o’clock till sundown) in this bed there are peppers eggplant cucurbits and beans. The soil is flipped sod (grass side facing down) with a layer of builders paper over it to discourage weed/grass growth (builders paper is like a brown paper bag) then it has a 4-12 inches (the sod chunks weren’t level when I layed on the soil I brought in) of 2:3 compost/top soil. I know some of the sod chunks are closer to the surface than I would like, and the decomposing grass can create ammonia?, definitely something that robs away nitrogen but last year I did flipped sod and planted in it right Away yet I didn’t see this. Continuing on, the soil I brought in has a lot of organic matter but is very heavy when wet (but crumbly AMD light when dry) The native soil which wasn’t tilled is heavy clay/silt, I don’t know if the transplant roots are are hitting the native soil and losing nitrogen bc of the deficiency in it or the decomposing chunks of sod in some planks? I fertilized with a miracle grow 21-18-18 diluted a little bit liquid feed and see no difference (I know yellow leaves usually don’t reverse but some plants are still getting more yellow) I don’t think it’s a disease bc it’s so many diff varieties of plants all started at diff times but all transplanted around the same time. Even the transplants from the store are starting to show signs of yellow lower leaves albeit at a lower rate than my other plants. Sorry this is long, my question I guess is could anybody surmise what could possibly be the problem. Plants that are being affected range from calendula flowers, all types of hot and sweet peppers, black beauty eggplant, pumpkins, the tomatoes in the bed do not seem to be as affected, and beans. There are also a lot of pest pressure on that side of the lawn where this garden is as opposed to my other garden which gets less sun and is up on the hill. I was thinking maybe it could be overwatering because the water drains down the hill into this flatlands area making it more susceptible to runoff so I water it a lot less and use a meter to gauge when the soil is dry. I am going to finish listening to this video to see if I can glean any insight as to what’s going on I might dig up a pepper plant to check the roots as I don’t want to lose the other 25 pepper plants that I have that are dealing with this and the other plants. If anybody has any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this I would greatly appreciate it

[@GardeningInCanada]

Does it have any sort of smell from it?

[@TheJanicetunes]

Looks like I might have to replant my meyer lemon. Clear pot is genuis!!! Where can I find a 17 gallon clear pot?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Do you live near any farms? Ask for their old chemical drums and wash it out really well.

[@user-iz2yt4uv2m]

Yessss root rot plants 😮

[@stephenturcot]

Will inoculants like DYNOMYCO, Great White, or other root agents (Hydroguard) help stabalize the plant after repotting? I ordered Kaytonik, because I nuked the soil with hydrogenperoxide water upon repotting. Asking because my beloved 7ft tall bird of paradise of 8-years is in a bit of tough spot.

[@lunarbubu]

Wow this video was phenomenal. So I do have a Monstera that does have root rot, and I think I got out the rot but I am not 100% sure. So I know you said not to do soil drenches, but I already repotted her so do you think taking my monstera back out and soaping her in the hydrogen peroxide bath will kill any remaining root rot? Do you think that soil is already contaminated or no? Also does bleach work too, because I read you can also do a bleach bath for the rot? Thank you so much

[@GardeningInCanada]

I would leave it actually it is likely going to be just fine.

[@lunarbubu]

@@GardeningInCanada Oh ok thank you so much! I'm still of course worried for her but so far she looks ok, although it is a bit early to tell I think. crossing my fingers here, I really hope she recovers. I have bad luck with monsteras honestly and I really don't want to lose her too. She is my biggest one yet.

[@geraldblount4159]

But your show is awesome

[@kele1264]

"burnt the ever-livin' piss out of...." 😂🤣 yer killin me!

[@GardeningInCanada]

🤣😂 I’m going to consider stand up one day 🙄 I feel like you and my mom will be the only folks that will show up but still!

[@kele1264]

@@GardeningInCanada I'd be there! I think you're hilarious. Love how you sneak those little bombs in there....

[@GardeningInCanada]

Ke Le hahaha just trying to make sure you’re paying attention 🙄. Honestly Ke Le you made my day SO MUCH better I had a troll on my succulents video basically calling me an idiot and was pretty upset about it . You honestly came to the rescue with your love girl!

[@kele1264]

@@GardeningInCanada Serendipity. So glad my timing was fortunate. I don't have a very thick skin, so although I know that trolls are miserable people, and their hate is about them - not me (and not you!) - it would still hurt. But I wouldn't answer the troll, it's what they want - to know they "got" you. I'd block the jerks, delete their comments, take a few deep breaths of fresh air outside, hug my animals, and walk on. You are educated and knowledgeable. You use those attributes to help people. You absolutely ROCK.

[@jeannetteloretta9427]

@@GardeningInCanada don’t let the haters get u down. You are the only soil scientist that matters. Think of them as fungal gnats, just a bother that u get rid of and forget about. It’s easy for ppl to hate when their online but would they say the same in person. Probably not because only cowards bully online! C’mon honey ur a redhead if anyone can take on bullies it’s us!

[@mariotorres6507]

Thanks for the great info! I have a monstera albo cutting propagating in water. It now has root rot bc it got knocked over and stayed that way the entire night until I put it back into water. I've cut what seems to keep rotting this past week but I'm afraid it will progress to the stem. What would you recommend? It doesn't have long roots, should I cut the roots it does have... they aren't that great looking or leave it be? I'm not completely sure which to do or even the chances of rot going up the stem😔😯🍃

[@GardeningInCanada]

Are the roots you have mushy? And is there any smell to the soil.

[@mariotorres6507]

@@GardeningInCanada it's propagating in water and yes it's progressively getting mushy it's so close to the stem now. Edit: I cut the roots completely they were too close to the stem I got worried. **🍀🍀Any advice for on propagating a node with a leaf?? 😅😅😓 love the content btw👍🏼👍🏼🍀

[@GardeningInCanada]

Oh man. You will need to cut off the rot and then let of dry out over night. Then place it back into the prop water

[@mariotorres6507]

@@GardeningInCanada ok will do! Do you think rooting hormone and a heat mat would help or hurt it at this point? Water propogation

[@GardeningInCanada]

It definitely will!

[@phf3238]

I have a Hoya Sunrise that never grew or changed in any way. Sprayed for Flat Mites and use PureCrop one on plants. This plant had some stiff leaves, no droop, no change in the leaves and no growth. Almost like she was frozen in time. Never changed in any way. All other plants are growing like crazy. Finally unpotted her and cleaned the roots and put the whole plant in Fluval. I am wondering what could cause this.😮😮😮

[@Steady4word]

Ashley, I hope you respond. I need help. My Monstera needs repotting. I took the rootball out of the pot and touched the bottom of the root ball, and a squiggly thing came out and WIGGLED bk in. Now, I’m terrified. (1) can I just plunk it in a slightly bigger pot and cover the swirling roots at the top with soil? (2) what the heck can it be? It’s been in my home in its pot since he came in the mail 1.5 months ago. Can I kill it without being bothered by them?

[@GardeningInCanada]

it may just be decomposers if the plant appears to be fine. if thats the case i would just leave it

[@geraldblount4159]

Do you think it was the Heat but the actual fungi or whatever it is was there in the first place right I'm not a scientist I just want to know how to get rid of root rot in dwc

[@gyghuiwe8460]

Is there another type of water stress\damage\overwatering? I recently re potted begonia rex. The next day the soil was pretty wet and there were signs of rotting leaves. I took it out of the pot, removed some of the wet soil. The roots seemed pretty healthy and smelled fine. I tried not to mess with the roots too much and didn't remove most of the old soil. I used paper towels to absorb moisture from the soil. The leaf damage seemed to stop after the soil was dried. Does that mean there is a pathogen in the soil, or is it something else? The issue wasn't caused by moister on the leaves. Similar things happened to me before with other plants.

[@jacqueschannel4538]

One of my peppers got root rot and then the stem started to turn brown and the outside layer started to peel of. If it is the ph in the soil, how does it go all the way to the stem and up? Is it because the water is stuck inside the stem because the leaves aren’t letting transpiration causing rot?

[@GardeningInCanada]

It’s the microbes working it’s way yo

[@BladeMasterz916]

How many days should be in-between watering? Right now I am watering about 6-7 days. Pots feel like its 70%-90% dry before I water. Its a strawberry guava, I am showing signs of calcium deficiency. So I bought a soil tester (watched your video on it 3 in 1). Tested soil and it read 8 on the PH scale but it was not super wet. Ill retest it during next watering. I am using a PH downer (advance nutrient/phosphic acid) to lower my PH to 5.8-6.0 range, thinking that the water with the lower PH would also lower the soil's PH but it failed. So now I am looking to add aluminum sulfate for the short term and sulfur for longer control of my PH. PH for strawberry guava: 5-7. Its also possible beginning of root rot. As I just changed out soil 2 weeks ago. Replace potting mix, with 70% cactus and citrus sandy loamy soil for better draining. Previously it was taking about 10 days before having to water. Any suggestions?

[@GardeningInCanada]

That sounds good! Just don’t let it get below 20% soil moisture

[@deborah3783]

Where do you buy the large clear nursery pots? I can't find anything bigger than 6 - 7 inch. (I'm in Canada)

[@GardeningInCanada]

You’re not in Saskatchewan by chance are you 😂

[@deborah3783]

@@GardeningInCanada No, I'm in BC. 😂

[@kele1264]

After listening to this video, I'm thinking that I should not cover my containers after pulling my veggie plants at end of season. They still have soil in them, and I imagine life is still happening in the soil. Also, earlier in the season I had a half-bag of potting soil that got wet inside. When I went to use it later to fill another container, I smelled "sewage". It didn't smell that way when I first opened the bag and used the first half. I was afraid to use it, so I just dumped it at the back fence. Thoughts?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea so it probably caused a VERY anaerobic environment. That means a lot of the microbes have died off resulting in that smell. The soil isn’t “garbage” but I would suggest utilizing it in a garden bed or mix it in with soil that’s on the newer side to allow some of the life to regain a hold.

[@kriss1769]

Hi does anyone know if root rot will live through a vermi composting process. Or is the soil tainted.