How to Save Snake Plant Root Rot, The Signs and Prevention

You may see that your snake plant does not grow well. Instead, it its dying. There are a lot of reasons why your snake plant is dying. One of the reasons is the root rot. Why can snake plant root rot? Then, how to save it and also what is the prevention of it? Here, we will inform you about these things.

Snake Plant Root Rot

If you find that your snake plant roots rot, it can happen because of overwatering. Then, the roots dies back because of the lack of oxygen of the overgrowth of a soil fungus. The soils which are soggy make the growth of Phytophthora, Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia. They spreads into the roots and then infect the plant. After that, the root which was healthy will turn brown and mushy because they die and they cannot take in nutrients that they need to grow.

When the roots of your snake plant rot, it cannot be noticed because it happens under the soil surface. However, there are some symptoms of root rot as you are able to see in the explanation below.

The Symptoms of Root Rot

The sign of the root rot is that the roots become brown and mushy. However, it cannot be seen because the roots are under the surface of soil. So, the symptoms that you can see is that the leaves of your snake plant will become yellow, wilt and droop and even it will also be mushy. If the symptoms appears in the leaves, it may mean that the problem pasts the point of rectifying and it may be able to harm the whole plant.

However, if you are able to catch the symptoms soon, you may be able to save your snake plant by following the thing below.

How to Save Snake Plant with Root Rot

According to Smart Garden Guide, you are able to try to repot your snake plant. Then, you have to remove the infected soil as soon as possible and add in fresh, clean potting soil. To help prevent reinfection, adding a root treatment which contains beneficial mycorrhizal species or dust the healthy roots with sulfur powder can be done. By adding beneficial mycorrhizae, it can create a hostile environment for unwanted bacteria and fungi, sulfur acidifies the soil so that it makes nutrients less available and limits the food source for the pathogens which cause the root rot.

If you find that root rot has spread significantly, you can cut the plant, and keep only the healthy parts. However, if you find that the whole base is affected, then you are able to take cuttings from healthy foliage and then root them to propagate a new snake plant.

How to Prevent Root Rot

To prevent root rot happens to your snake plant, you have to make sure that you water them in a correct time. You can water your snake plant if the top 2” to 4” of the soil has dried out completely. It means that you need to water your snake plant every 1 to 2 months during the cooler months or winter when the plant is dormant.

If you are a lazy person, then snake plant is suitable for you because if you are lazy to water it regularly or you may forget to water it, you do not have to be worried because snake plant will tolerate 3 weeks or more without water even if it lived in a warm and arid conditions.

Overwatering Snake Plant

As you have read above, one of the reasons why snake plant root rots is because of overwatering. Besides root rot, there are the other signs of overwatering. Here they are.

• The leaves of your snake plants are soggy or mushy.
• There are brown spots.
• The leaves of your snake plants wilt.
• The leaves become yellow and soft.
• The leaves falls over.
• The tips of the snake plant leaves are brown.

So, if you find one or some signs above in your snake plants, it can mean that your snake plants are overwatering.

The Things That Happen to Roots When They Are Overwatering

In soil, there are pockets of air which contain oxygen which is important for normal root function. If there is no oxygen, the roots of a plant will die. If the soil is saturated with water, oxygen will be pushed to the surface so that the oxygen is not available for the root anymore.

If there is too much water in the bottom of a pot, it can also cause roots to soften and make them susceptible to infection by soilborne fungi and bacteria. The root tissue of the plant will be eaten by these pathogens and it limits the amount of water available to the rest of the plant.

Having Right Pot to Avoid Overwatering

Having a right pot for your snake plant can be one of the solutions of overwatering. You have to make sure that your pot has drainage holes. Because if your pot does not have drainage holes, water will sit in the pot and it can cause the root rot. Besides, it also will prevent salts and other potentially dangerous minerals from being flushed out. So, drainage holes are very important for your healthy snake plant.

Besides having drainage holes, you also have to consider about the material of the pot. For your information, plastic pots or glazed ceramic pots can retain moisture longer than unglazed ceramic pots. So, for the plants which are sensitive to over watering, it is better for you to choose a ceramic pot than a plastic pot.

Drying Out The Snake Plant If Overwatering

Have your snake plant overwatered? If so, you can pour off any water in the top of the pot and in the drainage plate. Then, you have to let the plant to dry out. You can dry it out at least half of the potting medium is dry. However, when you dry out the snake plant, you have to make sure that you do not let the soil get very dry where it separates from the pot.