Root rot in potted plants: how do you prevent it in very wet weather?

[CTMIAMI]

In So. Florida it has been raining all day for I don't know how many days now. I have mushrooms growing in my potted  plants and I'm running with a fast draining soil mix.  Root rot is around the corner. I will start tomorrow with a drench of  Phosphoric Acid   (Agri Fos)  1.5 oz to the gallon.  Any other suggestions?

[kh0110]

Being in SoCal, I don't have rain problems but my wife tends to over water and that gives the same result. What I do is I systematically add more holes to the bottom of pots and I raise the pot by about 2-3 inches by placing them on bricks or pieces of scrap 2x4 wood.

[cuban007]

In So. Florida it has been raining all day for I don't know how many days now. I have mushrooms growing in my potted  plants and I'm running with a fast draining soil mix.  Root rot is around the corner. I will start tomorrow with a drench of  Phosphoric Acid   (Agri Fos)  1.5 oz to the gallon.  Any other suggestions?

Carlos, AgriFos killed a nice orange tree that I had. Be careful with your nice citrus trees!!!

[fruitlovers]

It's all about good draining soil medium. What you are experiencing right now we experience it all year long. I like to use 1/3 to 1/2 cinder in the soil mix. I guess you could substitue pea size gravel, or if you want a light mix use large sized perlite. Down side of using such a porous medium is that when it gets dry again you're going to have to do a  whole lot of watering because the pots will dry out very fast.
Phytophora can be main problem for avocado growers here. Best way around that is resistant cultivars. Also in very rainy areas it's good to plant them in the ground "high and dry" on a mound of cinder or similar material.

[Kay]

also avoid lots of organic stuff in soil.  here we also get long rain periods and root rot is very serious problem.  the fix here is to use clay soils mixed with coarser minerals like pumice then cat with a small percent of something like coco coir.  Here 50%+ coco and you will have rot in summer.  Same with various bagged "potting soils".  too much organic matter, and mushrooms are the proof.

Like above said, light mixes can be bad in dry weather, we have months of no rain.  so that why clay soil is also important.  I worst sun we have to water 27cm pots every 2 days or they die.

[puglvr1]

I would suggest raising your pot/container using a couple of Pavers or blocks and adding a "wick" insert the wick around the center hole of the pot...this will give the excess water a way to exit the pot...make sure its raised up high enough so the wick is off the ground a few inches...if not it will soak up the water laying on the ground 

This has worked for the few Potted trees I have...I've had almost 12" of rain since July 1st!!

[Kay]

yes, that's good point.  raising off ground.  we use plastic bench tops laid on top of some bamboo for this, allows easy drainage.  wont help in constant heavy rain but really helps in "normal" rains.

I didn't understand what you mean by wick, can you explain again?  Sounds interesting and would like to try, but i just don't get what is meant sorry

[puglvr1]

Sure...I'll show you a picture (its much easier than trying to explain it,lol...) 

You can use strings, preferably cotton or thin rope...anything similar should work

Also found this... a nice little explanation I found on GW

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg030652376428.html

[Slopfog]

Does anyone use a fungicide drench?  Seems like a nice dose of Daconil now an then would keep the fungus at bay.

[puglvr1]

Does anyone use a fungicide drench?  Seems like a nice dose of Daconil now an then would keep the fungus at bay.

Not sure? But, I'd be a little leery using it on Fruits/Vegies...using a drench could cause some of the chemicals to leech into the fruits absorb through the roots? But, I'm sure if they're not producing fruits or the trees are young it should be fine...

[Doglips]

Broken record,.... gritty mix.

Other than that I'd say an ounce of prevention, keep to water out in the first place, put a hat on the pot.

[CTMIAMI]

Thanks for all the good suggestions

[JeffDM]

I'm guilty of over watering and it's hard to break the bad habit.
I've had good luck with my container plants after I started adding perlite and cactus mix to the packaged outdoor potting mix I had been using and drilling lots of extra 1/2" holes in the bottom of the containers.
I also have put as many containers as possible on dollies,  which gives good airflow under the pots, helps with drainage and makes them easy to move around.

[fruitlovers]

For plants that are super sensitive to root rot then during rainy periods you can keep them under clear plastic. You can even set up your shade house so during rainy periods you roll out the clear plastic and during dry periods you store it away and let the rain through.

[digigarden]

-containers not too large for the plant.
-sand and small rocks around the plant or top soil.
-plant feet slightly above soil for better aeration/prevent rot.
-tea or water with few drops of honey for natural fungicide.
-containers at higher ground...stairs,windows or balcony.
-rocks in bottom of containers gives good drainage.
-if plant is going to rot use cinnamon.