root rot on Corn Plant
Quick answer
If your Corn Plant has root rot, the most likely cause is: Dracaena fragrans roots decay when the potting medium stays waterlogged or drains poorly; the same limited root mass that supports the woody corn plant canes cannot recover from prolonged saturation, and the affected roots turn soft and dark and can no longer absorb water for the wilting leaves above.
Start here:
- 1. Remove the compost and inspect the roots, then cut away any soft dark rotted tissue with a sterile blade leaving only healthy white roots
- 2. Treat the remaining roots with a fungicide and repot the corn plant into fresh well-drained compost in a disinfected pot
Why Corn Plant gets root rot
Corn Plant
Dracaena fragrans roots decay when the potting medium stays waterlogged or drains poorly; the same limited root mass that supports the woody corn plant canes cannot recover from prolonged saturation, and the affected roots turn soft and dark and can no longer absorb water for the wilting leaves above.
How to reverse root rot on Corn Plant
- 1
Remove the compost and inspect the roots, then cut away any soft dark rotted tissue with a sterile blade leaving only healthy white roots
- 2
Treat the remaining roots with a fungicide and repot the corn plant into fresh well-drained compost in a disinfected pot
- 3
Reduce watering frequency and let the top layer of compost dry between sessions so the limited corn plant root mass never sits in saturated soil
- 4
Check the pot has good drainage and water evenly around the entire pot rim rather than concentrating moisture on one side
Keep root rot off this Corn Plant
Use a porous well-drained medium, water evenly around the entire pot surface, and let the compost dry down before the next watering so the limited corn plant root mass never sits in saturated soil.