root rot on Dracaena Sanderiana
Quick answer
If your Dracaena Sanderiana has root rot, the most likely cause is: When Dracaena sanderiana is kept in stagnant water without regular changes, dissolved oxygen runs out and anaerobic bacteria turn the roots black and mushy; soil-grown plants rot when the substrate stays soggy, allowing soil-borne fungi such as Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides to colonise the stem and roots.
Start here:
- 1. Unpot or lift the stalks, rinse healthy roots, and cut away every black, mushy, or foul-smelling root with sterilized shears back to firm tissue.
- 2. Sterilize the vase or pot, add fresh pebbles, and refill with distilled, filtered, or rainwater covering the roots by at least 5cm (2in).
Why Dracaena Sanderiana gets root rot
dracaena sanderiana
When Dracaena sanderiana is kept in stagnant water without regular changes, dissolved oxygen runs out and anaerobic bacteria turn the roots black and mushy; soil-grown plants rot when the substrate stays soggy, allowing soil-borne fungi such as Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides to colonise the stem and roots.
How to reverse root rot on Dracaena Sanderiana
- 1
Unpot or lift the stalks, rinse healthy roots, and cut away every black, mushy, or foul-smelling root with sterilized shears back to firm tissue.
- 2
Sterilize the vase or pot, add fresh pebbles, and refill with distilled, filtered, or rainwater covering the roots by at least 5cm (2in).
- 3
Place the recovered plant in bright indirect light and refresh the water every week to keep oxygen levels up.
- 4
If the lower stem has gone yellow or soft, cut below the affected section and re-root the healthy top in fresh water because yellow stem tissue will not regenerate.
Keep root rot off this Dracaena Sanderiana
Refresh the hydroponic water every week using only distilled, filtered, or rainwater, keep the vase in bright indirect light, and keep temperatures between 65-90 degrees F so oxygen stays dissolved and roots do not suffocate in stagnant, anaerobic water.