Aloe is one of those plants that looks cool and can be useful, too. However, it’s also susceptible to some problems. If you want to protect your aloe plant, you should understand common issues and how to treat them.
Root rot aloe is a problem that develops when a certain type of fungus grows on the plant. Dark brown, mushy root tips and dark leaves are signs of root rot. The right potting mix and watering routine can prevent root rot from appearing or spreading to other plants.
If you notice a change in your aloe plant, you should consider if it’s root rot. There are other common issues, but the fungus can be problematic. Keep reading to find out more about root rot signs and how to treat and prevent it.
What Is Root Rot?
Root rot is a common disease for the aloe plant. It develops in the presence of fungi, and it can be hard to treat if it gets too severe. Root rot primarily affects the roots, but certain types of fungus can also harm the leaves and keep the entire plant from growing.
Don’t confuse root rot for other problems, such as soft rot or aloe rust. Soft rot affects the leaves more, but it can have similar causes to root rot. Both diseases can develop when there’s too much water near the plant.
Aloe rust also primarily targets the leaves, and it can cause the leaves to turn different colors. While root rot can have that effect, rust makes the leaves dark brown or black on any part of the leaves. When root rot affects the leaves, it’s typically a yellow color, and it’s mainly on the root tips.
Root Rot Causes
A few things can cause root rot for your aloe plant. One of the most common causes of root rot is too much water. However, other issues, like light exposure and humidity levels, can also cause root rot.
If you notice changes in your aloe, consider where you’ve placed it and how you’re taking care of it. Then, you can figure out the exact cause, and you can adjust your plant care routine,
Consider a few common causes of problems like root rot.
Water Problems
If you’re used to watering your plants every day, it can be easy to do that for aloe. However, aloe doesn’t need a ton of water. As a succulent, it can hold water in the stems and leaves, so you can go a while between waterings.
Overwatering your aloe can cause root rot and other diseases, so you should be careful. But even if you don’t water the plant each day, it may still have water issues.
If the pot doesn’t allow water to drain, it will collect within the soil. Normal soil can also be too dense to allow water to drain. Adding too much water can provide a breeding ground for fungus and bacteria, causing more issues than root rot.
Not Enough Light
Another cause for root rot is if your aloe doesn’t get enough light exposure. It doesn’t matter if the light is from the sun or an artificial source. However, aloes in low lighting conditions can grow sideways, long and straggly.
If you expose your plant to the sun, make sure the light comes from the west and south for the best results. But if you can’t get bright sunlight that way, you can also use indoor lighting for your aloe.
Indoor lighting is also helpful during the winter when the nights are longer. While giving your aloe more light might prevent root rot, it’s part of a proper aloe care regimen.
Wrong Climate
Another cause of root rot aloe is keeping the plant in the wrong environment. Aloe does particularly well when the temperature is between 55℉ (12.7℃) and 80℉ (26.67℃).
When watering the plant, you should make sure the water gets deep into the soil. Not only will that keep it from collecting near the roots, but it can further help prevent bacteria and other fungi.
You should keep your aloe inside during the winter to keep it in the right conditions. Standard soil can be too dense for the aloe, so use a dry and poor soil with good drainage. Then, you can give your aloe the best environment where they can thrive.
Root Rot Signs and Symptoms
If you notice that you haven’t been taking the best care of your plant, you can change your routine. However, you should also consider the common signs and symptoms of root rot.
Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference between different diseases. However, root rot is easy to identify if you know what to look for.
If you’re worried about your plant developing root rot, check it each day. Even when you don’t water it, you should know what it typically looks like. Then, when something does change, you’ll be able to recognize the problem.
But if you don’t look at your plant each day, there are a few things you can notice.
Leaves
It may seem like aloe root rot only affects the roots, but it can affect the leaves. Aloe root rot causes leaves to turn dark brown or yellow, and the plant might stop growing. You may also notice that the lower leaves become mushy.
The mushy texture can help you differentiate root rot from problems like aloe rust. Also, aloe rust typically won’t spread. But if more of the plant becomes compromised, odds are you have root rot.
If you think you have root rot, check the leaves for their coloring and texture. Healthy leaves should be green and feel smooth but not too squishy.
Roots
If you suspect you have root rot, you can confirm it by checking the roots. The roots tips will feel mushy, and they might look different. Consider digging into the soil to find the roots and to feel them.
You can also test the roots by trying to move the plant to a new pot. When you pull on the plant, the roots should come up. But if they stay in the soil, that’s a good sign of root rot. Even if the roots do come up, consider the other symptoms to determine the issue.
Checking the roots can be difficult, but it’s the easiest way to determine if you have root rot and how bad the problem is.
Can You Save Aloe From Root Rot?
If you find that you have root rot, you may want to save as much of the plant as possible. Unfortunately, root rot is one of the more fatal diseases for your plant. However, you may be able to save the plant.
It’s easier to save the plant earlier on, so make sure you keep an eye on it. But know that you may not detect the issue when it first starts. As soon as you notice problems, you can take steps to fix them.
If you don’t notice the problem until it spreads, you probably won’t be able to save it. Your best option will be to discard the plant and soil and clean the pot as best as possible before reusing it.
However, you may be able to save part of the leaves. In that case, you can wait for the leaf to form a scab. After a day or so, you can use the leaf to form a new aloe vera plant.
How to Treat Root Rot
Whenever you notice signs of root rot on your aloe plant, you can attempt to treat it. The sooner and quicker you act, the better odds you’ll have of saving your aloe.
Luckily, treating root rot isn’t too complicated. All you need is the right soil and a good-sized pot for the plant, and you’ll need to transplant it.
Here are the steps you can take to treat your root rot aloe and hopefully revive it.
Use a New Pot
To treat root rot aloe, you need to get the plant out of its current environment and into a new pot. Sure, you could clean out your current pot, but you don’t want to take any chances. Using the same pot can cause the plant to develop the same fungus.
So before you use the old pot for aloe or any plant, make sure you clean and disinfect it. Then, you can make sure that you don’t have any fungal or bacterial remnants.
The right pot should be big enough to hold your aloe, and it should be a porous material. Porous materials, like clay pots, allow the water to drain more easily, which can reduce the problems of overwatering.
The pot should have a little extra room, but not too much. If it’s too big, the soil will soak up more water. If you want to put your aloe in a garden, consider planting it in a raised bed to help drainage.
Use New Soil
You should also consider what soil to use when replanting your aloe vera. Aloe does best in soil that drains easily, but it should allow for some moisture retention.
Look for soils that have sand in the mix. The sand will make the soil less dense, and it will let the water move and drain out.
If you can’t find a good option, mix one-part sterile soil with one-part sterile sand. And make sure that you avoid soils with fertilizer because succulents don’t do well with that.
Remove the Plant Immediately
To save your aloe from root rot, you need to take it out of the pot as soon as possible. If the root is still healthy, you can put the plant into a new pot immediately.
As you check the plant, make sure you remove any signs of root rot. Don’t be afraid to remove more rather than less. You want to make sure you don’t have any root rot on the aloe.
Put the Plant in the New Pot
Pick the right pot and growing medium, and place the aloe at the same depth as it was in the old plant. That will help prevent rot and moisture problems. You can also apply a fungicide to the plant to catch any sections with rot.
If the plant crown isn’t healthy, you should cut it and other areas of rot off the plant. Cut the plant at least half an inch from the rot, then let the healthy parts scab over.
When that happens, you can plant the new pieces of aloe an inch below the surface so that they form new roots. Then, you can give the new plant the proper care to avoid root rot.
Continue Taking Care of It
After you transplant the aloe, make sure you care for it. Don’t water it too much, and make sure you give it enough light exposure.
Keep the plant out of extreme temperatures, and make sure the water you do provide can drain. If you notice the water isn’t draining, check to see what the problem is.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on July 25, 2020.
Taking good care of your aloe after it gets root rot is essential. You can use this experience to learn more about your plant, and you may be able to prevent future occurrences.
How to Prevent Root Rot
While every aloe owner should know how to treat root rot, it’s also important to prevent it. Then, you won’t have to worry about your plant dying, and you can enjoy your plant.
You don’t have to use a ton of special tools to care for your aloe. However, you don’t want to leave anything to chance.
By focusing on prevention, you can keep your aloe plant healthy, and you may be able to avoid a variety of diseases. Then, you can extend your aloe’s life, so you can have it for years to come.
Set a Watering Schedule
The best thing you can do to prevent root rot for your aloe is to water it correctly. You should water your aloe once per week, but you can water the plant even less during the winter.
Younger aloe will need more water than older plants because they will adapt to drier environments. You may also need to water more often if your plants get more sunlight exposure than necessary.
Before you water your aloe, check to make sure the soil is dry. You can put your finger into the soil, and you’ll know it needs water if your finger gets wet.
When you water the plant, make sure the water gets deep into the soil. Keep it from collecting near the top where it can cause root rot. You may want to use distilled or filtered water, which can be more sensitive than tap water.
Focus on the Environment
Make sure that your aloe has the right lighting and temperature to grow. If you keep your aloe outside, keep it somewhere with direct sunlight from the west and south.
You should also keep track of the weather forecast. When the weather gets far above or below the optimal temperature range, bring your aloe inside.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on July 25, 2020.
Keep it near a window so that it can get sunlight, but you can control your home temperature. Then, you won’t have to worry about extreme heat or cold getting to your aloe.
Use a Different Pot
As you raise your aloe, it can help switch out the pot even if you don’t have problems. After all, you can’t always tell root rot is happening until it is too late.
If you find that the soil is too moist or that the plant gets too much light, move it to a new pot. Make sure the pot allows for drainage, and take the time to clean the old plant.
If you keep your aloe in a garden, you may also want to switch up its position each year. Then, you can help keep your garden diverse. Moving the plant around may be annoying, but it can help keep it in the best shape possible.
Keep the Soil Loose
Whether you move the plant or not, you should maintain the soil. When you check the soil to water the plant, you should also check its density. If the soil is too compact, it will retain water more than if the soil is loose.
The soil should be tight enough to support your plant, so look for thinner types of soil. Then, you can make sure there’s enough soil at the right density.
You can take some of the soil out to help the problem, but you may need to repot the plant at times. Getting the right density can keep the water from clogging up in the soil, which can help avoid problems like root rot.
Check Your Aloe Regularly
The more you know what your aloe looks like and how it feels, the easier it will be to notice issues. Since root rot can take time to show up, you want to pay attention to your aloe each day.
Seeing and feeling the plant will give you a better chance of catching root rot early. Root rot can change the color of your leaves, but it may also affect the texture.
Make sure you know what a healthy aloe plant looks and feels like. The more you check on your aloe, the better you can treat it when it does develop problems.
ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on July 25, 2020.
Final Thoughts
Root rot aloe can be deadly for your beloved aloe plant. However, if you know what to look for, you can catch the problem early and save the aloe. Then, you can take the steps to prevent root rot in the future.