What to Do About Root Rot in Pothos? Find the Cause and Treat It Accordingly

What to do about root rot in pothos? Pothos is a fairly easy plant to grow and care for, but if root rot does occur, you must figure out what is causing it and treat it accordingly. This article therefore briefly introduces several causes of root rot in pothos and how to deal with them.

Pothos is easy to grow, yet many plant lovers still struggle with it, often seeing root rot and wilting. Below is a share of how to handle root rot in pothos.

I. Causes of Root Rot in Pothos

1. Temperature too low

Pothos is a heat-loving plant, with an optimal growing temperature of 15-25°C; it can overwinter safely as long as the temperature does not drop below 10°C in winter. When the temperature is too low, root growth is inhibited and root rot easily occurs.

2. Overwatering

Pothos likes water, but that does not mean it should be watered a lot. Soil culture and water culture differ: with water culture you change the water regularly, just ensuring there is enough oxygen in the water. With soil culture, watering simply provides moisture for the plant's growth; when you water too much, the soil becomes oxygen-deficient, the roots cannot get oxygen, and rot occurs.

3. Fungal and bacterial infection

Bacterial infection is unavoidable; in a hot and humid environment, plants are very susceptible to fungal attack.

4. Poor water quality

Another important cause of root rot is dirty water. When the water contains a large amount of bacteria and the plant sits in such an environment for a long time, the roots cannot get enough nutrients and root rot easily occurs.

II. How to Handle Root Rot in Pothos

Looking at the causes of root rot above, most of them come down to poor care. So in future care, pay more attention: make sure the temperature is suitable, water moderately, keep the water clean, and spray with agents at the right time to disinfect and kill bacteria, and there will basically be no major problems. But if the root rot is fairly severe, you need to take the following measures:

1. Root rot in soil-grown pothos

Root rot in soil-grown pothos is generally caused by waterlogging, so you need to give the pothos a new home. Prepare fresh soil with more large-particle soil such as peat, cut off the rotted roots of the pothos, wash them clean, and replant. If the original plant really is beyond saving, you can only cut off stems and leaves and re-propagate them from cuttings.

2. Root rot in water-grown pothos

If a water-grown pothos has rotted beyond repair, the owner must have been very lazy and not changed the water. When the roots gradually turn to mush, accompanied by a foul smell, a perfectly good potted plant is ruined. But it is not a big deal: take the pothos out and cut off the rotted parts. Also be sure to wash the bottle clean and disinfect it along the way. Change the water and re-start water culture.

To deal with root rot in pothos, besides figuring out the cause, you also need to distinguish whether it is water-grown or soil-grown; although the causes of root rot in both are related to water, the treatment methods are completely different.