Root Rot

The above-ground story is a plant that wilts as if thirsty while sitting in moist soil; below, roots that should be white and crisp are brown, soft, and slip their outer skin when pulled. Overwatering and poor drainage write this one.

Disease73 plants we cover get root rotmostly houseplants

Disease checklist

Four things to look for. If most of them match what you are holding, you are in the right place.

Wilting as if thirsty while the soil is moist
Roots brown and soft instead of white and crisp
The outer skin slips off the root when pulled
Overwatering or poor drainage

What gets rid of it

Gentlest option first. For most backyard cases the first one is enough, so try these in order and stop as soon as it works. If you do spray something, the product label tells you how — please read the notice further down.

1Fix the water, not the plant
Let pots dry between waterings and give beds real drainage; no treatment survives soggy soil.
Try this first
2Repot houseplants ruthlessly
Fresh mix, a cleaned pot, and every brown mushy root trimmed to clean tissue.
well draining potting mix
3Plant high in heavy ground
In clay, set crowns an inch or two proud of grade and berm — drainage you build once instead of fighting forever.

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Which plants get root rot

Every plant we cover that gets root rot, grouped by type — tap any one to open its page. A note beside a plant came from that plant’s own entry, because the same disease can be a minor nuisance on one plant and a serious problem on another. Plenty of plants we do not cover get it too.

trees11

shrubs11

vines2

perennials19

annuals3

succulents5

houseplants22

Plant families hit hardest

Related plants often share the same problems, so if one plant in a family has it, check the others. The largest group here is Lamiaceae, with 10 of the 73 affected plants.

Lamiaceae10 plants
Araceae8 plants
Rutaceae7 plants
Asteraceae5 plants
Asparagaceae4 plants
Ericaceae4 plants
Crassulaceae3 plants
Acanthaceae2 plants

When to treat

There is no spray for it. Fix the drainage, water less, and repot if it is in a container.

Timing only — the label is the law

This page tells you when to watch for root rot and when treating is worth considering. It is not a recommendation to apply any particular product. Read and follow the product label before you spray — under federal law the label is the legal instruction, and using a pesticide against it is illegal.

Check the pre-harvest interval. Every product that’s cleared for an edible crop sets a minimum number of days between spraying and picking. Find it on the label before you spray anything you intend to eat.
Check the re-entry interval before you or anyone else works in the treated area again, and use the protective equipment the label names.
Confirm the product is registered for your crop in your state. This page groups many different crops together, and a product legal on one of them is not legal on all of them — state registrations differ too. Your state pesticide agency or local extension office can confirm both.
Rates and mixing instructions come from the label, never from us. We don’t publish them because they differ by product and formulation.