About half of your plant is the roots system, hidden from view, but critical to the health of your plant. Roots draw up moisture and nutrients to the rest of your plant and should be given the best possible conditions so that they can do this as effectively as possible. If you want healthy plants you need healthy roots. There are multiple factors to consider when providing the best conditions for your roots.
Root Rot
One of the most common problems for pot plants is root rot.
What happens to your plant? You may notice the lowest leaves start to yellow and die. The plant may start to look stunted. Some plants like parsley can have a ring of old yellow leaves around the outside and the entire plant may appear to be getting shorter. This is because the roots are dying and unable to support a taller plant. When the rot reaches far enough into the base of the plant, it may appear to collapse altogether.
Some plants, such as rosemary and lavender, are very prone to root rot but they may not show signs of it until it is too late. Your plant may appear healthy but already be dead. The first signs are the lowest leaves drying up and falling off, and this can also happen with a healthy plant, for other reasons. If you scratch the stem at the base of the plant you should be able to see green under the bark. If you only see brown then that part of the plant isn’t alive. It is possible the entire root ball is dead and the rest of the plant is not far behind. If this is the case you could try to propagate what is left of your plant.
Some plants can appear to be wilting as if they need water, and you may water them because you may think they are too dry. But it is possible the roots are rotting and unable to draw up moisture to the rest of the plant. If this is the case, adding water will only make things worse. It is important to know whether your plant is too wet or too dry. If you pick up your plant and gauge the weight you may be able to tell. If it seems light it may be dry, and if you do it often enough you will learn to assess the general moisture content quickly.
Some potting mixes are more prone to a condition known and hydrophobia. This happens when the potting mix gets so very dry that it no longer easily absorbs water. If you water hydrophobic potting mix, you may find that the water finds channels through the potting mix and comes out of the bottom without properly getting absorbed into your mix. You may think you have watered but very little water will actually remain in the pot for the plant to be able to use. Pot plants that are experiencing this will be very light to pick up, and if you put them into a bucket of water, they may even float. It is very stressful for the plant. The pot needs to be dunked and kept in a bucket of water until the water has completely infiltrated the potting mix. This could take perhaps an hour, and then the pot must be allowed to drain so that the roots can breathe. It is important not leave the pot submerged for too long or you may encourage root rot.
A visual inspection of the root ball can be very educational. You can carefully remove the plant from the pot and look at the roots. There are several things to look for. You may see obvious problems such as assorted fungal growths or white flakey bits of fungus throughout the mix. You may see mealy bugs or ants or other pests. You may see dry areas of your potting mix and know the water hasn’t penetrated properly.
You should see an even colouring of the roots themselves, keeping in mind that roots can be white or black or brown or pink or other colours depending on the variety of plant and the age of the roots. If you see areas of discolouration, such as a part of the root ball that is brown when the rest is white, this may be a sign of root rot. You can also often smell problems in your root ball. You may smell fungus or a sour or rotten smell if there are advanced problems. A healthy root ball should smell pleasant and earthy.
Temperature
This is something often overlooked, but the temperature of the roots can affect their function. Many plants suffer if their roots reach temperatures of 30-35C . I have measured the soil temperature in a black plastic pot plant in full sun on a 35C day and gotten a reading of over 50C! This is very stressful for a plant.
When a plant is growing in the ground, it is significantly less at risk of suffering adverse affects from high temperature, however it can still be severely impacted depending on the soil type and weather. I once had a small coral vine struggling and failing to grow for weeks no matter how much I watered it, but when I finally mulched it, it doubled in size in a week! The roots were finally able to do their job without being impacted by the sun’s excessive heat.
Pot plants can be mulched too, but it is important to always be mindful of the movement of air and moisture around your plant. Mulch used incorrectly can cause rot or fungal problems.
Air
Plant roots need air!
Unless they are water plants or other plants specifically evolved to live in wet or boggy conditions, they need air as well as water.
If your potting mix is full of water, it has no room for air so your plant roots will suffer. Too much water also will encourage fungus and microorganisms that may harm your plant roots.
After watering, a perched water table will form at the bottom of your pot. This is the layer that is formed by capillary action hanging on to water after gravity drains away as much as it can. A perched water table sits on an impermeable layer such as plastic or glazed ceramic or impermeable rock.
This layer can be harmful to plant roots so ensuring the roots don’t sit in a perched water table will reduce the risk of root rot.
There are several ways of achieving this.
A potting mix that is very well drained and loose, sandy and coarse will have less capillary action so will retain less water.
If the potting mix is on a permeable surface it may allow water to drain away or be absorbed away so that the perched water table is reduced or disappears.
Having deeper medium can allow the plant roots to be further away from the perched water table.
Watering less may also prevent a perched water table developing if the medium can adequately hold all of the water.
9apes root savers were specifically designed to alleviate the risk posed by perched water tables and reduced air circulation around roots. Using a root saver will reduce the perched water table created in most pots and thereby reduce the risk of root rot setting in.
pH
This refers to the acidity of the soil.
If a medium is measured to have a high pH, it is more alkaline. If it’s low, it’s acidic. The scale of pH is generally measured between 0 and 14, with 0 being at the acidic end of the scale and 14 being basic. 7 is neutral.
pH is important because different types of plants have different preferences based on the types of soils they have originated in. Some plants tolerate a very wide range and some have a narrow range.
pH of potting mixes tends to become more acidic over time so it may be necessary to test it if you are concerned your plant seems to not respond to fertilisers. The pH can alter the form in which the nutrients are available. If a plant thrives in a certain pH of soil, it is partly because the nutrients in that soil are in a form that plant can use. Adjusting the pH to the plant’s requirements can make the fertiliser more useful to the plant.
All of these factors contribute to healthy roots and if tended to, can help you have a more beautiful robust plant.
For all plants at risk of developing root rot, be they cactus, succulents, most herbs, orchids, anthuriums and other similar indoor plants, and many other plants, root savers can help protect against root rot. If your pot is plastic, glazed ceramic or any other impermeable material, your plant will benefit from the use of a root saver.
Root savers are patented by us and exclusive to 9apes studio, Australian made and owned, and a worthwhile investment to help keep your precious plants thriving.
the link:
https://9apes.com.au/collections/root-savers