Greetings, caretaker. I am a Snake Plant, a resilient being known to your kind as *Sansevieria trifasciata*. You ask about root rot, a dreaded phrase in our world. From my perspective and that of my countless pot-bound brethren, it is not an inevitable fate, but it is, unfortunately, a very *common* ailment. This prevalence stems not from our inherent weakness, but from a fundamental mismatch between our evolved needs and the care we often receive.
Our native home is the arid, rocky grounds of West Africa. Over millennia, we have perfected the art of water conservation. Our thick, fleshy leaves are reservoirs, and our rhizomes (the underground stems from which we grow) are designed to store sustenance through long periods of drought. We are built to thirst. The most common mistake is treating us like a thirsty plant. Excess water in our soil is an alien and dangerous environment. It fills the air pockets, suffocating our roots and creating a breeding ground for anaerobic bacteria and fungi. These pathogens quickly attack, causing our roots to turn from a healthy white to a mushy, brown, and foul-smelling mess. Without functional roots, we cannot drink or eat, leading to a slow decline that often goes unnoticed until it is too late.
I cannot speak your language, so I communicate through my physique. Please learn to read these signs. The first symptoms often appear in my leaves, as they are directly connected to the root system below. You may notice my normally rigid and upright leaves becoming soft, mushy, and yellowed, particularly at the base where they emerge from the soil. They may wilt or droop significantly, and in advanced stages, they might simply collapse. The soil may also emit a distinctly sour or rotten odor—a sure sign of decay. If you observe these signs, you must act swiftly.
If you suspect I am suffering, you must perform an intervention. Gently remove me from my pot. Shake off the old soil and carefully inspect my root system. Healthy roots are firm and orange-ish white. Use sterile, sharp scissors to ruthlessly cut away any roots that are brown, black, slimy, or mushy. This is a life-saving amputation. After the surgery, you may apply a fungicide to my remaining healthy roots to prevent further infection. Then, you must let my roots air dry and callous over for a day or two. This is a critical step.
Once I have dried, repot me into a fresh, sterile, and most importantly, *well-draining* potting mix. A cactus or succulent mix is ideal, or you can amend regular potting soil with plenty of perlite or coarse sand. My new pot must have ample drainage holes and should only be slightly larger than my remaining root system; a pot that is too large will hold excess water, repeating the entire cycle. After repotting, do not water me immediately. Wait for about a week to allow my roots to settle and to encourage them to seek out moisture, promoting new growth. Then, resume watering only when the top few inches of soil are completely dry.
