I'm curious about the difference between when overwatering leads to root rot and why placing a plant in water for propagation seems to work just fine. Can someone explain how the two situations differ?
1 Answer
Root rot mainly happens because of microorganisms that thrive in oxygen-poor conditions found in soil. When you have stagnant conditions, like overwatered soil, it creates an ideal environment for bad bacteria and fungi, known as *water mould*. However, in pure water, there's less food for these pathogens, so root rot is less common unless the roots are already damaged.
Check out some articles on the differences between soil and water conditions if you're interested!
I was under the impression the roots often rotted because they died or were dying, what with the anoxic conditions & roots needing oxygen.