root rot on Basketplant
Quick answer
If your Basketplant has root rot, the most likely cause is: Boat lily (Tradescantia spathacea, syn. Rhoeo discolor) develops root and stem rot when the potting mix stays wet during the cooler winter months, especially at normal room temperatures of 64-75 F (18-24 C); excess winter moisture around a plant that wants only to be kept just moist is what tips the crown and stem into rot.
Start here:
- 1. Reduce watering in the cooler winter months and keep the potting mix only just moist, letting the surface dry slightly between waterings rather than keeping it evenly damp.
- 2. Use a free-draining potting mix and a pot with drainage holes, and if the lower leaves yellow or the stem base feels soft, slide the plant out, cut away any mushy black roots or rotted stem tissue with a clean knife, and repot the healthy crown into fresh dry mix before resuming very light watering.
Why Basketplant gets root rot
Tradescantia spathacea
Boat lily (Tradescantia spathacea, syn. Rhoeo discolor) develops root and stem rot when the potting mix stays wet during the cooler winter months, especially at normal room temperatures of 64-75 F (18-24 C); excess winter moisture around a plant that wants only to be kept just moist is what tips the crown and stem into rot.
How to reverse root rot on Basketplant
- 1
Reduce watering in the cooler winter months and keep the potting mix only just moist, letting the surface dry slightly between waterings rather than keeping it evenly damp.
- 2
Use a free-draining potting mix and a pot with drainage holes, and if the lower leaves yellow or the stem base feels soft, slide the plant out, cut away any mushy black roots or rotted stem tissue with a clean knife, and repot the healthy crown into fresh dry mix before resuming very light watering.
Keep root rot off this Basketplant
Keep the potting mix just moist in winter, never soggy, and grow the plant in normal room temperatures with good indirect light so the medium dries at a steady rate between drinks.