Either the roots are damaged and can’t absorb the fertilizer in the soil or the excess water has leached the fertilizer from the soil. Over-watering also tends to rob your plants of proper nutrition. Roots with root rot are brown, grey, black, slimy or non-existent. Healthy roots should be white and clean looking. The most common culprits are Pythium, Phytopthera, and Rhizoctonia. What exactly is root rot? There are several different fungi that cause root rot. You probably won’t know your plant has gotten root rot until you notice that it is wilted, but the soil is still wet. Over-watered plants are likely to get root diseases, primarily root rot. Well, stressed plants are more prone to diseases too and one of the common forms of plant stress is unhealthy roots. Stressed humans are more prone to disease. Roots that can’t breathe are stressed roots. Soil that is constantly wet won’t have enough air pockets and the roots can’t breathe. Over-watering, in simple terms, drowns your plant. The roots of the plant take up water but they also need air to breathe. Roots are important to a plant because they are its primary source of water and food and are also important for the uptake of oxygen. Once it has grown a substantial root system the plant starts putting its energy in growing a larger plant and more flowers. Have you ever noticed that after you transplant a plant it will appear to sit there for a week or more before it starts growing? Well, it isn’t really just sitting there, it is establishing its root system. Why is over-watering so detrimental to plant health? Healthy roots are the foundation for healthy plants.
While both of these foliage indicators are symptoms of over-watering, the most common way someone figures out their plant is drowning is that the plant has wilted even though the soil is wet. For more information on proper watering for plants in pots read “Water Your Way to Happy Plants.” Second, is your plant looking light green and generally unhappy? One possible reason for this is over-watering. How do you know if your plant is drowning? First, have you been watering only when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch? If you haven’t, it is possible your plant is staying too wet. The best thing you can do to keep your plant healthy is to water it correctly. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else, although I am getting better. Did you know that over-watering is usually considered the most common cause of early plant death? In general, we are deathly afraid of under-watering our plants and as a result many of us tend to over-water.
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