A good place to start is a mix of mild liquid soap and water, sprayed onto houseplants. One teaspoon of soap per litre of water will do the job. It sounds simple, but this formula will treat a lot of common houseplant pests. Add just a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and it becomes a great fungicide as well.
If you catch the disease early enough, it is possible to rehabilitate your plant. You will need to take the appropriate steps to treat the root rot to give your plant a second chance. Unfortunately, if the root rot is left for too long and there are no remaining healthy roots, your plant can't recover.
Another product that'll help prevent the spread of root rot is non-flavoured cinnamon. After having removed the dead roots, sprinkle a thin layer onto the healthy tissue before placing into a bed of new compost.
Dealing with Root Rot
Prepare plants for replanting by cleaning the roots gently under running water and removing all brown, mushy roots with a sharp pair of scissors. Cut the healthy root just above the damaged area. Work quickly to replant within a few hours.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an effective and inexpensive antifungal agent that is readily available at a supermarket. It is an organic and eco-friendly remedy for black spots and fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Fungus can quickly damage plants and cause plants to wilt and die.
That is why an alkaline fungicide like the baking soda solution will be effective. Baking soda has a pH of around nine, and its alkalinity will act as poison for fungi. It will eliminate it from the roots by alkalizing the soil and preventing it from developing.
Baking Soda Fungicide
Mix 1 tbsp. of baking soda with 2-1/2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in 1 gallon of tap water. Mix them together thoroughly.
You can treat the roots with a topical fungicide, such as organic Neem oil, or a water and hydrogen peroxide solution. Mix one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water and spray the roots down well. Hydrogen peroxide can be used to kill off the organisms responsible for root rot.
Wash the pot thoroughly with a bleach solution. If possible, dip the remaining healthy roots in a fungicide solution to kill off any possible root rot fungus. After treating root rot in the plant, repot the plant in a clean potting mix.
Once established, root rot is hard to treat. The best you can do is remove the parts of the plant that are dying (including the roots) and provide it with fresh soil. If the root rot is widespread and has affected most of the plant's roots and foliage, the plant may be beyond saving.
The good news is that most plants will bounce back between 7-14 days if they're given proper care (which includes rehydration). If this isn't possible because major damage was done or little healthy root system exists then expect about 2 weeks until improvement can be seen.
Will baking soda safe kill plants? In the same way that baking soda will kill and prevent weeds when used full strength, it will also kill plants. So be careful not to get the baking soda on desirable plants nearby or your lawn.
Sprinkle baking soda on your soil with a flour sifter to keep ants, roaches and slugs away from your garden. (Be sure to avoid your plants!) It's a safe way to keep beneficial insects around and say sayonara to the ones you're tired of seeing.
Apple cider vinegar as fungicide on plants- To make a fungicide out of this, take one tablespoon of vinegar and mix it with a gallon of water. Shake this well and add to a spray bottle. Vinegar mixture can treat most fungal infections on any plant, without causing any harm.
Wait a half hour or so and pour a cup of vinegar on the mound. That combination will kill most ants. You can make a bait with half baking soda and half sugar to control ants and roaches. You can put it around your plants as it will kill slugs that crawl through it or if you dust them with it.
You may wonder about bicarbonate of soda vs. baking soda, but they are simply alternate terms for the same ingredient. If your recipe calls for bicarbonate of soda, it is simply referring to baking soda. Baking soda is a quick-acting leavening agent.
Can you reuse soil with root rot? We recommend sterilizing the soil before reusing the soil. This will ensure there were no diseases or fungus that were growing in the soil while the roots were rotting. Once the soil is sterilized, mix with new potting soil 50/50.
We advise not to right away, but within the same week of repotting is fine. The Soil should be slightly, naturally moist, so water when the top few inches feel dry as per normal. If you have treated your plant, it shouldn't be a problem again. Lastly do not fertilise your plant after root rot for a few months!
Spores from root rot causing agents do contaminate other plants, but the rot cannot take hold unless there is adequate moisture. Spores are not only airborne, but are also carried by insects and other arthropods in the soil.