Clever tricks to reduce root rot in potted flowers: use pine cones, nut shells and wood shavings
The crisp autumn weather is not only good for growing and planting flowers, it is also a great time to repot potted plants! To spur rapid root growth, many experienced flower lovers put some material in the bottom of the pot, and this is a good way to prevent root rot in potted flowers.
Pine cones
For flower lovers in rural areas, pine cones are a common thing. Every autumn, pine trees produce many pine cones, and when a gust of wind blows, the pine cones scatter all over the ground. Judging by appearance alone, pine cones are unusually hard, and if you put them in the bottom of the pot, they give the plant roots enough space to absorb oxygen.
How to use:
1. Soak the pine cones you have gathered in a carbendazim solution to disinfect them, so that the pine cones do not carry sources of contamination that could harm the new potting soil.
2. When repotting the plant, put a small amount of pine cones in the bottom of the pot. This improves the water permeability and air permeability of the potting soil and makes the plant roots less likely to develop black rot.
Wood shavings
As everyone knows, wood shavings have very good water and air permeability. If you have leftover wood shavings from home decoration, you can collect them and use them for potted plants. Generally speaking, solid wood shavings are the best material for lining pots, while synthetic board shavings usually contain a large amount of glue, so it is best not to use synthetic board shavings to line pots!
How to use:
1. Put the wood shavings into a pot and boil them for thirty minutes, then scoop them out and let them dry.
2. The dried wood shavings have very good water permeability. If you use them to line the pot, they can reduce the likelihood of root rot in the plant.
Nut shells
It is worth mentioning that nut shells are a very good item for lining pots. For food lovers, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds and other dried goods are essential snacks at home. If you collect all kinds of nut shells to line pots, they can both enhance the air permeability of the potting soil and prevent the plant from developing yellow leaves, black rot and similar problems.
How to use:
1. When repotting the plant, you might as well put all kinds of nut shells in the bottom of the pot to enhance the water permeability of the potting soil.
2. If you do not want to use nut shells to line the pot, you might as well crush the nut shells and spread them on the surface of the pot, which can also enhance the water and air permeability of the potting soil.
Measures to prevent and treat root rot in potted flowers
1. Water moderately, not too frequently; this is a mistake many beginners at growing flowers often make. You should grasp the principle of watering when dry and letting it dry out between waterings. This deserves special attention during the dormancy period of potted plants and in the early stage after potting and repotting.
2. The various organic materials mixed into the growing soil, such as leaf mold, pen manure, sawdust, farmyard manure, stable manure, organic waste and so on, must all be fully fermented and decomposed over a long period before use. Never use raw manure, otherwise when the raw manure ferments, the temperature is too high and it will cause the roots to burn and rot.
3. When topdressing potted plants, the amount and concentration must not be too great. Try to follow the principle of "small amounts, many times"; if the amount is too great, it will also burn and rot the roots.
4. Make sure the potting soil drains well. When watering potted flowers, water accumulates on the surface of the potting soil and does not seep down for a long time. This happens for the following reasons:
(1) The newly added potting soil is clayey soil that contains no organic matter or fine sand, so it is very hard for water to seep through.
(2) The tile over the drainage hole at the bottom of the flower pot blocks the hole, or the gravel layer in the bottom of the pot is too thin, or no gravel drainage layer was put in, so water seepage is poor.
(3) The potted flower has not been repotted for many years and the roots fill the pot and have formed a ball, so water finds it hard to seep down.
Therefore, you should add a moderate amount of organic humus, river sand, furnace slag, coal ash and similar components to ensure the growing medium has good aeration and water permeability. Or repot the plant afresh and cut away excess fibrous roots; otherwise, over time the leaves will turn yellow and drop, and the plant will die from water accumulation and root rot.
How to rescue potted flowers with root rot
How to rescue potted flowers with root rot
If a potted flower is watered excessively, it often causes root rot. Therefore, in winter the water used for watering flowers should be moderate. Generally it is not suitable to water every day; it should depend on whether the potting soil is dry or wet, and usually watering once every 4-5 days is enough.
If a potted flower has already developed root rot, treat it immediately. For milder root rot, the plant grows slowly or stops growing. If the leaf wilting is relatively mild, stop watering immediately, move the plant to a place with good air circulation, prop up the pot, and loosen the surface soil to let moisture escape; you can also remove part of the potting soil and replace it with new soil to help absorb moisture. After that, only spray water on the leaves, and wait until the potting soil is completely dry before watering it moist again, letting the plant slowly recover. If the leaf wilting is severe and part of the base of the main stem has turned black, you can first cut off part of the branches and leaves, then remove part of the potting soil, scrape away the black rotten part, apply plant ash or sulfur powder to the wound, and then use new soil to mound up to above the wound. Wait for it to take root and then repot it.