What to Do About Root Rot in Beaucarnea recurvata? Cause Analysis and Treatment Methods

1. Caused by Fertilizer

This plant's roots are so large that it is easy to see they are used to store nutrients and water. So fertilizing it is a bit different from ordinary plants. If too much fertilizer is applied, the plant cannot absorb it all, and it accumulates in the soil. When the concentration gets too high, it can poison the plant's roots and cause root problems. When the roots have problems, stop fertilizing. Once the roots are affected, their absorption capacity itself drops greatly, and applying more fertilizer and water at this point is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for the plant.

2. Caused by Watering

A very common cause of root problems is too much water and soil that is too wet. This plant itself is a very drought-tolerant plant, so excess water is completely harmful and not beneficial to it. Long periods of high moisture erode the plant's roots, and the root crown is very prone to rot. So watering should be controlled at ordinary times, and be careful never to let water accumulate in the pot's soil. On rainy days, never let it get rained on, also to prevent water accumulation. If it does get rained on and the moisture is not removed in time, after a period of time the plant's root crown will definitely start to turn black and rot.

3. Caused by Disease

Root problems may mean the plant is sick. There is a kind of bacterium that erodes its root crown, causing the roots to turn black and rot; at this point we should discover it in time and treat it early. In the early stage of the disease, we dilute agricultural streptomycin at 1:1000 and spray it on the affected parts of the plant, or we can water with 65% Dexon diluted at 1:800, which has a very good effect.

4. Solutions for Severe Cases

We should first pull it out of the soil and look at how severe the rot is. If the roots as a whole still look very hard and robust, then there is not much of a problem. At this point we just cut off the rotten parts, and we can cut off a bit more. Wash its roots clean and let them dry in a cool place for five or six days. Then we can soak them in a rooting agent and replant them in the pot.