Methods for preventing and treating root rot in potted flowers and techniques for sterilizing potting soil

1. Watering should be moderate, not too frequent - this is a common mistake made by many beginners at growing flowers. You should follow the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet. This is especially important during the dormant period of potted plants and in the early stages after potting or repotting.

2. The various organic materials mixed into the potting soil, such as leaf mold, pen manure, sawdust, farmyard manure, stable manure, organic waste and so on, must all undergo a long period of full fermentation and decomposition before use. Never use raw manure, otherwise when the raw manure ferments, the temperature becomes too high and the roots will be scorched and rotted.

3. When applying topdressing to potted plants, the amount and concentration must not be too high; follow the principle of small amounts applied frequently as much as possible. If the amount is too large, the roots will also be scorched and rotted.

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, containing no organic matter or fine sand, so water seeps through with great difficulty.

(2) The tile piece over the drainage hole at the bottom of the flowerpot blocks the hole, or the gravel layer laid at the bottom of the pot is too thin, or no gravel drainage layer was laid at all, so water drains poorly.

(3) The potted flower has not been repotted for many years, and the roots have filled the pot and formed a dense ball, making it difficult for water to seep down.