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It seems I overwatered my pothos. This plant has been through it the… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta-Community

Julia Elliott

It seems I overwatered my pothos. This plant has been through it the past year as last winter I didn’t realize the stem in the middle was touching the window when we had subzero temps. That section died and I eventually cut off the part ahead. It didn’t do much the past year as I somewhat neglected it. And now that I have a better routine, I have watered too much. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Do I cut off the part that is rotting and let it start over? How can I encourage it to make more shoots above the rotting branch? There is only one leaf left on the initial section.

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4 Kommentare

  1. Miranda

    I think what I would do is chop it up and propagate all the bits and see what grows and what doesn’t. If it’s overwatered there might be root rot and that will be hard to get rid of. PLUS propagating in water is so easy you don’t have to worry about overwatering and underwatering, AND it’s fun to see the roots grow! My suggestion is to cut it between the nodes, probably discarding the bad leaves, and then stick the stems with leaves in water. If you chop some nodes without leaves, you would want to lay those on dirt probably.

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  2. Madison

    I think you have two options: do a full repot where you treat for root rot or go with what Miranda suggested which is to propagate it. If it were me, I’d go the propagation route, but it’s your call at the end of the day. I agree with everything Miranda said about how to propagate except for one minor thing, which is that I would lay the nodes without leaves on moist perlite rather than dirt inside a diy propogation box. In my experience, using dirt to propagate this way makes the cuttings more susceptible to mold/rot, whereas perlite greatly reduces the chances of that happening. To make a cheap propogation box, I just find use old (but clean) clear food container that either has a clear lid or I use saran wrap to close it in. Drill or poke a bunch of little holes in the lid/saran wrap. Fill with about 1-2 inches of evenly moist perlite- it should all be wet but without standing water. Place the cuttings without leaves on top of the perlite, mist, cover, and then give plenty of light. Check on it every 3-7 days to keep it evenly moist. Once they grow roots that are 2 inches long and have an off shoot (root growing from a root), it’s ready to be potted into soil if you want. If you decide to try to repot and treat for root rot, use clean scissors to prune away any dead, mushy, or rotten-looking roots. You may have to gently remove/hose off some of the soil to see the roots well enough or if it’s really wide spread. Then, spray the roots down thoroughly with 3% hydrogen peroxide to prevent the spread of any other bacterial/fungal issues. Repot into new potting mix that’s chunky and well draining (for example, equal parts potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark). Make sure the new planter is only 1-2 inches bigger than the size of the root ball you have left and has good drainage. Wait at least an hour to water so the roots can callous over, but I’d probably wait to water for a few days or so / once the soil is mostly dry since overwatering was the problem to let those roots dry out some. Good luck!

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    • Miranda

      I have had less success with propagating leafless nodes as I do always do it in dirt and I rarely use a cover (😬) which I’m sure doesn’t keep them moist enough to thrive. I am thankful for this insight! Thank you!

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  3. ThatTattedPlantLady

    Hey! If you change your mind about propagating, try rooting hormone powder!! I honestly swear by it. All you do is dip a node in the powder, leave that baby in water for a month and you’ll have healthy long roots! If you want to leave it potted and encourage some aerial roots you can dust some powder on the desired nodes and wrap it with some damp sphagnum moss! Just remember to keep her damp. Goodluck with your plant child! ❤️

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