🌿Photo coming soon
Crown and Stem Rot 🦠
At a glance
- Cause: Wet, airless crown/stem tissue plus rot organisms
- Tell-tale sign: Soft, dark, mushy stem base or crown; plant collapses from the bottom
- Severity: Serious — often too late once the crown is mushy
How to identify
Crown and stem rot shows up at the soil line or plant center: soft black or brown tissue, a mushy base, sour smell, or leaves/stems detaching from a rotten crown. On rosette plants, water sitting in the center can start the collapse.
What causes it
Crowns and stems rot when tissue stays wet and oxygen-starved. Dense soil, pots without drainage, buried crowns, cold wet conditions, and standing water in rosettes all increase risk.
Treatment & management
Following Integrated Pest Management:
- Stop watering and inspect the crown/base.
- Cut away rotted tissue only if firm healthy tissue remains.
- Repot into fresh airy mix and keep the crown above the soil line.
- Take healthy cuttings if the base is gone.
- Discard severely rotted plants rather than spreading contaminated mix.
Prevention
Use drainage, airy mix, correct planting depth, and avoid letting water sit in crowns or leaf rosettes.
Affects (in this guide)
Snake Plant, ZZ Plant, Peace Lily, Alocasia Polly, succulents, rosette plants, and over-irrigated natives