root rot on Begonia Angel Wing
Quick answer
If your Begonia Angel Wing has root rot, the most likely cause is: Begonia angel wing (cane-type Begonia corallina) roots suffocate and rot when the potting mix stays waterlogged, especially after the plant is left sitting in a saucer of standing water or watered too often during cool, low-light months when the plant grows much slower and uses less water. Because angel wing canes can reach 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and carry heavy, water-retaining foliage, water naturally displaces air in the limited pore space of the potting mix, so any excess the roots cannot draw up becomes a stagnant, airless medium in which root tissue dies and turns dark and mushy.
Start here:
- 1. Tip out any water remaining in the saucer more than 10 minutes after watering so the begonia is never left standing in runoff, and check the mix by pushing a finger in to the first knuckle before each watering to confirm it has begun to dry.
- 2. Slip the rootball out of the pot and inspect it: if the mix is soggy, smells of rot, and the roots are dark and mushy, cut back the damaged tissue, repot into a fresh well-drained potting mix in a clean container with drainage holes, and withhold water until new white root tips emerge.
Why Begonia Angel Wing gets root rot
begonia angel wing
Begonia angel wing (cane-type Begonia corallina) roots suffocate and rot when the potting mix stays waterlogged, especially after the plant is left sitting in a saucer of standing water or watered too often during cool, low-light months when the plant grows much slower and uses less water. Because angel wing canes can reach 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and carry heavy, water-retaining foliage, water naturally displaces air in the limited pore space of the potting mix, so any excess the roots cannot draw up becomes a stagnant, airless medium in which root tissue dies and turns dark and mushy.
How to reverse root rot on Begonia Angel Wing
- 1
Tip out any water remaining in the saucer more than 10 minutes after watering so the begonia is never left standing in runoff, and check the mix by pushing a finger in to the first knuckle before each watering to confirm it has begun to dry.
- 2
Slip the rootball out of the pot and inspect it: if the mix is soggy, smells of rot, and the roots are dark and mushy, cut back the damaged tissue, repot into a fresh well-drained potting mix in a clean container with drainage holes, and withhold water until new white root tips emerge.
- 3
Move the recovering angel wing into bright, diffused light (no direct sun) at average room temperatures between 55°F (13°C) and 90°F (32°C) so the plant resumes active growth and uses water normally again rather than continuing to sit cold and wet.
Keep root rot off this Begonia Angel Wing
Use a well-drained but moisture-retentive potting mix in a pot with drainage holes, water only at the potting mix (never on the foliage), let the top of the mix dry between waterings, keep humidity around 40 to 60 percent, and reduce watering sharply in cool weather when the cane begonia is not actively growing.