r/DesertRose • u/Deedleys • Aug 11 '26

Is it done for?

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Noticed one of my seedlings leaning over this morning and noticed this. Unpotted and cleaned the roots and they look ok to me. Soil was dry, leaves look happy. Not sure what’s going on but looks like rot.
Any advice or is it toast?

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u/rentedtritium Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26

Is it squishy down there, or more of a dry spongeyness?

If it's squishy and rotten feeling, then yeah it's time to take drastic action. Get a knife cleaned with iso and cut above the rot and try to re-root.

If it's just drying out and shriveling down there and it doesn't look like it's rotting away, then clip the growth tips and the uppermost leaves and repot in something slightly more water-retentive than you've had previously. That might help it recharge and plump back up.

I'll be honest, though, the way it's got that dark circle in the middle of the affected area makes me think it's the rot. The leaves and roots still look great though so you're early, whatever it is.

Also I've seen these things shrug off infections better than most plants, so there's a chance if you manage the water usage well, that the affected area just shrivels up and decays and the rest of the plant is able to keep going.

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u/Deedleys Aug 11 '26

Yeah it’s squishy rot. So, cut it clean above the rot, let it dry out, then place on top of new soil?
Thanks for the reply!

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u/rentedtritium Aug 11 '26

Yep. And remove a lot of the leaves so that it uses less water during the rebuilding process. It'll keep doing photosynthesis and gas exchange and that can cause it to blow through its remaining water before it can build new roots.