MOST COMMON CAUSE OF ROOT ROT

Root rot, as the name suggests, is a disease in plants in which the roots of a plant rot and decay. The roots of the plant growing in wet or damp soil gets attacked. This rot has symptoms similar to other diseases and pest problems such as wilted leaves, early leaf drop, poor growth, branch dieback and eventually plant death. The first symptoms of root rot occurs beneath the soil, and often goes unnoticed by gardeners until it reaches an advanced stage. You need to take immediate actions when plants start showing symptoms of root rot, such as yellow leaves or stunted growth. If you pull out a plant with root rot you will find the roots to be brown and soft instead of being firm and white. Root rot spreads through soil, and the only remedy for this disease for garden plants is often removing and destroying the plants. You can identify root rot by looking at the plants. Plants having root rot often resembles those suffering from drought and mineral deficiencies as plants suffering from root are not able to absorb moisture and nourishment from the soil properly.

There can be multiple causes for root rot, but one of the main cause is poorly drained or overwatered soil. The soggy conditions prevent roots from absorbing the amount of oxygen that they require to live. As the oxygen starved roots die and starts decaying, the rot begins to spread to the healthier roots even if the soggy conditions get corrected. A lengthy exposure to excess water causes waterlogging which hinders the aeration of the roots which eventually leads to low oxygenation and decay. Root rot can spread from affected roots to other healthy ones. Exposure to excess or insufficient light and fertilizer can also be a cause of root rot. Apart from these, root rot can also be caused by pathogens, such as Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizocontia and Fusarium. The wetness of soggy soil enhances the growth of these pathogens, which allows them to cause the disease.

Prevention is considered to be the best treatment for root rot in plants. You can prevent root rot by filling in low parts of the garden with organic matter so that it can drain freely. This also improves the soil quality. When planting new plants, you should choose disease resistant varieties or cultivars, and plant them in well-drained soil. If the drainage cannot be improved, then you can use raised beds which are filled with well-draining soil. Keeping in mind to not overwater your garden is also important. Creating irrigation moats to keep the water from amalgamating against tree trunks can also be very useful. You can save moderately affected plants early on by snipping out the infected roots. But if you feel that your plant has been significantly affected, then it is advisable to remove the entire plant.

You can resort to other corrective measures for saving your plants from root rot. You need to keep your soil as dry as possible; keep away from irrigating the plant unless the soil is almost completely dry; and also pull back the soil in order to allow moisture to evaporate from the soil. You can also use chemicals such as chloropicrin or methyl bromide. These will not get rid of the disease completely, but can reduce the infection level significantly. These chemicals can be applied in and around the base of your infected plant, or in the holes created after complete removal of the plant.