Indoor and Outdoor Plants

One needn’t be a professional gardener to appreciate a houseful of greenery. In fact, most of us are stumbling along, learning a bit more each day about the plants with which we share our lives. And in return for the pleasure of form and color they add to our living environments, not to mention the fresh oxygen they release into the air, we often are too eager to reciprocate by over-tending them.

Root rot in houseplants is most commonly caused by over-watering; when a plant wilts, our first instinct is to water it, but if it does not respond to watering, and the lower leaves begin to yellow and drop, these are sure signs of root rot. The roots need both water and oxygen, and if they are given too much water, the oxygen cannot reach the root. When first choosing your new plant, pick one with a healthy green color and which shows signs of new growth. Check the bottom of the pot to ensure that the plant is not root bound, and avoid plants with white or brown lumps on the leaves or stems.

There is hardly one way to water all plants. Succulents have fleshy leaves and stems that enable them to store water, while plants with large or very thin leaves usually require more frequent watering.

If you’re planting in clay pots, remember that they are more porous, thus water evaporates rapidly from the sides. Plants placed in glazed or plastic pots will require less water. Plants in warm, dry, sunny locations need more frequent watering than those in cool, low-light environments. A large plant in a small pot needs more water than a small plant in a large pot. And after rewarding you with a flush of flowering, plants may slow in growth and become dormant, hence needing less water.

Here’s an easy way to tell if your houseplants are thirsty; insert your finger into the soil up to the first joint—if it is dry, time to water. Rap your knuckles against the side of the pot; if the sound is dull, the soil is moist; if the sound is hollow, time to water. Look closely at the soil of your plant; if it is lightening in color, time to water. And lift up the pot; as the potting mixture dries, the plant lightens in weight. This is also a way to bond with your plants!

Of course, choosing easy-to-care plants is the most efficacious manner of filling your home with the outdoors. Pothos is nearly impossible to kill. Just let it dry out between watering, and prune when it’s grown too long. Root the cuttings in water, and you’ll have a never-ending supply with which to create more plants. Spider plants nearly always come with babies attached, which can be cut off and planted on their own once they have developed roots. Aloe, croton, jade plants, parlor palms, and the rubber plant, also known as the Ficus elastica, are all easy-to-care-for plants that are wildly different visually, but which all provide the sense of Nature that we strive for when filling our homes with plants.

Landscapes

Root rot is not common only to houseplants; our home landscapes are susceptible as well. Pansies and vinca are susceptible to black root rot, or Thielaviopsis basicola, which is a fungal pathogen. Root examination of infected plants usually reveals a lack of healthy, white roots. Controlling black root rot is difficult if the pathogen becomes established within the growing area, so pay strict attention to sanitation; do not re-use plug trays or plastic pots. Store growing media where it will be protected from contamination. Avoid the stresses of adverse temperatures, excessive moisture in the root zone, and excessive levels of soluble salts. As several fungicides have proven effective, use preventatively or at the first sign of infection; choose one with an acidic pH which will aid in managing black root rot.

In your home landscape, ensure that all planting sites are well-drained. Where subsoils are known to be poorly drained, consider planting on raised beds, and after planting, do not mound up the soil around the base of the stem; this increases susceptibility to disease.

If you observe a decline in your warm-season turf grass quality, such as areas becoming a general yellow, light green or brown color, and gradually thinning, this indicates a root rot disease. Symptomology is associated with wet soil conditions either from excessive rainfall or poor drainage. During low rainfall periods, improve your drainage and reduce irrigation that maintains a consistently wet soil; during high rainfall periods, mow the grass so that only one third of the leaf tissue is removed during any one mowing event. Applying extra potassium may be useful in late summer and early fall for areas routinely affected by the Pythium root rot; otherwise balance nitrogen applications with equal amounts of potassium.

We hope we’ve provided you with the means to do combat with this common problem. If you have further questions, ask your nursery specialist for assistance.