The reason why your flowers have yellowing leaves and are falling off but cannot grow is that the roots are not well maintained!

1. Orchid

A common problem with orchids is that their leaves dry up, turn yellow, and become uneven. Many flower lovers say that it is a problem with watering. Watering is indeed one of the reasons, but these orchid symptoms that we can see are actually a manifestation of problems with the orchid roots. Because there is a problem with the orchid's roots, the orchid cannot absorb nutrients and various problems will arise with the entire orchid plant.

Orchid root emptying & root rot treatment

Empty roots and rotten roots are also common problems with orchids. There are many reasons for empty roots and rotten roots. Many people say that it is because the orchid's roots are not in complete contact with the soil. This is actually only the surface reason. The deeper reason is actually the breeding of microorganisms. So what should we do after the roots rot and become empty?

▶Root rot

1. Cut off all rotten roots.

(Author: chenglru Source: Orchid Bar)

2. Disinfect the orchid in a plant sterilization and disinfection solution such as carbendazim to avoid fungi. Bacterial infection.

(Author: The name has been registered Source: The name has been registered)

3. Place the processed orchid in a cool place to dry. It will take about 1 to 2 days.

(Author: RyanCC Source: Stepping on Flowers)

4. To root the orchid in the pot, wrap it with sphagnum moss and place it in the pot, and also stuff it with sphagnum moss around it.

(Author: Pinlanju Source: China Orchid Trading Network)

5. After potting the sphagnum moss, water it thoroughly. Be careful not to press the sphagnum moss, as it is not good to press it too tightly.

(Author: Pinlanju Source: China Orchid Trading Network)

6. After the orchid has taken root, you can plant it in a pot with orchid soil.

(Author: Pinlanju Source: China Orchid Trading Network)

▶Empty roots

And what is the empty root? Empty roots are orchids whose fleshy roots are reduced to a layer of skin on the surface. There is also a short fiber inside.

▼Look at the picture below. This is a section of empty root, but it is not very visible from the outside.

How to prevent orchid root rot and empty roots

▼After cutting it open, it becomes much clearer to everyone.

How to prevent orchid root rot and empty roots

▼A normal Langen should be like this.

How to prevent orchid root rot and empty roots

The method of dealing with empty roots is the same as that of rotten roots. All damaged roots must be cut off, and then re-rooted and potted again. The steps are the same as above, so I won’t go into details here!

How to grow roots

It is almost a consensus that one should take care of the roots first when growing orchids. So, how should one take care of the roots of orchids?

1. Soil. If the soil is well configured, loose and breathable, water will not accumulate and the roots will respire normally, which will naturally greatly reduce the risk of root rot and allow the rotten roots to grow in a good environment. The simplest soil formula is leaf mold + river sand, the ratio is 3:2, or 50% leaf mold + 50% perlite, which is also acceptable.

(Source: Baidu Post Bar)

2. When transplanting, there should not be any gaps between the soil and the roots. When transplanting, hold the orchid plant and fill it with soil. Do not fill it too full at one time. Tap it gently first to allow the soil in the pot to fully contact the orchid roots to avoid gaps, which can effectively prevent empty roots.

3. The orchid pot should be suitable. Remember to use a large pot for small plants. Large pots are prone to water accumulation after watering, which is not conducive to the growth of orchid roots.

(Source: Plant Network)

4. Watering is the key. Generally, orchids should be watered when the planting materials are dry. If you are a novice and are not sure, don't mind the trouble. Dig up the planting material on the surface of the pot two or three centimeters deep. If the soil you touch is dry, it means you need to water it immediately. If it is not dry yet, you can water it after one or two days. When watering, be sure to water the entire pot thoroughly. Do not stop when the water starts to flow out of the gaps underneath. You can water it for a while longer to allow all the planting materials to "absorb" the water.

5. Light. No plant can live without light. In spring and winter, it can have full sun. In summer and autumn, if you feel uncomfortable when basking in the sun, it means that your orchid also needs proper shade.

(Author: The Frog at the Bottom of the Well Source: China Orchid Trading Network)

6. Fertilizer. The roots of orchids are constantly absorbing nutrients from the soil. If you don’t fertilize them, the nutrients in the soil will be consumed and it will be difficult for the orchids to grow. For vigorous and healthy orchid plants, apply thin liquid fertilizer every 10-15 days, and make sure the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content is uniform.

If you feel that you cannot control the amount and timing of fertilizer application, you can choose to spray fertilizer on the leaves. This will prevent the fertilizer from contacting the roots and causing fertilizer damage. It is the best way to fertilize orchids. During the growth and development period of orchids, spray fertilizer on the leaves every 10 days or so, using 1:1000 potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 1:1000 boron fertilizer.

You can also use aloe vera liquid. Aloe vera contains a large amount of nutrients such as polysaccharides and amino acids, and more than 20 kinds of minerals, which can meet the nutrient needs of orchids. Aloe vera also contains aloe vera tincture that can kill almost all bacteria and viruses. After application, there is no need to apply pesticides to prevent diseases.

7. Regularly cut off diseased roots, rotten roots, and empty roots. This can be done when changing pots.

2. Chlorophytum

Chlorophytum is almost one of the must-have plants for novice flower growers, but there are also many problems with Chlorophytum. For example, the leaf tips of Chlorophytum are prone to dryness, yellowing, and wilting of leaves, and some may even die. Ultimately, there is something wrong with the root system of Chlorophytum. Whether it is improper watering or improper fertilization, the first thing to be destroyed is the root system of the plant.

Root growth

The propagation of spider plants is very simple. You can directly divide the seedlings on the runners of spider plants. However, the survival rate of simply inserting the seedlings into the soil will definitely be very low. Before planting, Huahua recommends letting the spider plants take root first.

1. First prepare a spider plant with creeping stems. It would be best if the young plant has aerial roots, but it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t.

2. Cut a plastic bottle in half and adjust its position so that it can be placed about 20 cm below the aerial roots of the young spider plant. Then add water into the bottle and control the water level about 10 cm below the aerial roots of the spider plant. Do not soak the aerial roots of the spider plant in water.

3. Place the spider plant in a sunny place and wait for it to take root.

(Source: Baidu Experience)

4. After the spider plant has taken root, adding appropriate nitrogen fertilizer into the plastic bottle can promote its growth.

5. After the roots of the spider plant grow out, you can cut off the runners, cutting them close to the young plants. Then put the spider plant in the pot.

In addition, some flower lovers have provided their own method, which is to directly cut off the young plants of spider plants and throw them into water, and they will slowly take root on their own.

(Author: Years of Peace_Wht Source: Chlorophytum Bar)

How to grow roots

1. Light. Chlorophytum likes light, but it does not like strong light, but scattered light, so it is best to place it in a brighter room.

2. Temperature. The suitable growth temperature for spider plants is 15~25℃. The room temperature should not be lower than 5℃ in winter. If even the suitable growth temperature cannot be guaranteed, the spider plants will die directly. How can they grow roots?

3. In terms of watering, spider plants like water, but are afraid of waterlogging. Its root system is also fleshy and has a strong water storage capacity, so it can also withstand drought. If you want the spider plant to grow new roots, you can first clean up the old and dead roots, and then control the water. In order to absorb enough water, the spider plant will start to grow many new roots. Please pay attention here~ You must trim the old roots first before controlling the water, otherwise new roots will grow on the basis of the old roots. The old roots have a relatively weak ability to absorb nutrients and water, which will directly limit the absorption capacity of the new roots.

(Author: ぁ吻风沁泪ぁ Source: NetEase Blog)

4. Chlorophytum is a plant that is more tolerant to fertilizer. For those that have begun to grow small plants, you can apply nitrogen-based topdressing once every half a month to promote their growth. However, if the spider plant is growing well, you do not need to apply fertilizer.

5. Soil: Chlorophytum likes fertile sandy loam, and requires the soil to contain humus and have strong permeability. Huahua recommends that when planting spider plants in potted plants, you can use leaf mold or peat soil, garden soil and river sand mixed in equal amounts and add a small amount of base fertilizer as the substrate.

6. Repotting. Generally speaking, spider plants need to be repotted every 2 to 3 years. However, when it comes to specific maintenance, if your pot is obviously not enough, you can repot the spider plant in March. When repotting, remove old roots, broken roots, and diseased roots appropriately.

3. Schlumbergera

Christmas cactus blooms in winter, and it is a beautiful scenery in the winter when everything is withering. However, there is a problem with Christmas cactus. Its root system is relatively fragile. If it is an ungrafted Christmas cactus, the root system is even more fragile.

1. Prepare a piece of Christmas cactus stem and place it in a cool and ventilated place to dry for 1 to 2 days.

2. Prepare a hydroponic