root rot on Gasteria
Quick answer
If your Gasteria has root rot, the most likely cause is: When Gasteria roots sit in compost that stays cold and wet, fungal and bacterial pathogens turn the rhizome black and soft, so the leaves above lose their anchor, blacken at the base, and collapse away from the crown as the rot spreads upward.
Start here:
- 1. Pare away every blackened and softened piece of stem and root with a clean sharp knife until only firm pale healthy tissue remains, then dust the cut surface with a fungicidal hormone rooting powder and set the plant on dry compost to callus before any fresh watering.
- 2. Relocate the plant to a warmer position above the safe minimum temperature for Gasteria, water only when the compost has fully dried out during summer, and keep the pot completely dry through the winter months so cold wet soil never accumulates around the roots again.
Why Gasteria gets root rot
Gasteria
When Gasteria roots sit in compost that stays cold and wet, fungal and bacterial pathogens turn the rhizome black and soft, so the leaves above lose their anchor, blacken at the base, and collapse away from the crown as the rot spreads upward.
How to reverse root rot on Gasteria
- 1
Pare away every blackened and softened piece of stem and root with a clean sharp knife until only firm pale healthy tissue remains, then dust the cut surface with a fungicidal hormone rooting powder and set the plant on dry compost to callus before any fresh watering.
- 2
Relocate the plant to a warmer position above the safe minimum temperature for Gasteria, water only when the compost has fully dried out during summer, and keep the pot completely dry through the winter months so cold wet soil never accumulates around the roots again.
Keep root rot off this Gasteria
Pot Gasteria in a coarse gritty cactus and succulent mix that drains within minutes, never let the pot stand in a saucer of water, water only in the morning so the crown dries before night, and keep winter temperatures above the cool-but-dry threshold so cold and damp never combine in the root zone.