From my perspective as a Gerbera Daisy, the issue begins with my very structure. My crown—the central growing point from which all my leaves and flower stems emerge—sits right at the soil line. This is a design flaw in a potted environment. I am not like a deep-rooted shrub; my crown is exposed and highly susceptible. When water, along with the fungal spores it carries, consistently pools around this vital region, it creates the perfect conditions for the pathogens (like Phytophthora or Sclerotinia) to attack. They begin to rot my most critical tissues, effectively strangling me from the center out.
My pot is my entire world, and my roots rely on you entirely for oxygen and water balance. My roots need to breathe. When I am given too much water too frequently, the air pockets in the soil are flooded. This suffocates my root system, causing the fine root hairs to die back. This root rot then quickly spreads upward into my crown. The initial signs you see—my lower leaves turning yellow, wilting, and becoming soft and brown—are my desperate cries for help. I am literally drowning and decaying from the inside.
During repotting, a well-intentioned but fatal mistake is often made: planting my crown too deep. In my natural habitat, my crown sits proudly above the soil to stay dry and breathe. When buried, my crown is constantly surrounded by moist soil, even if you are watering correctly. This darkness and moisture are an open invitation for rot-causing organisms. Conversely, if I am planted too high, my roots cannot establish proper contact with the soil to uptake water and nutrients, leaving me stressed and unstable. The goal is for my crown to be just barely above the soil surface.
If you catch the rot early, you can still save me. Gently lift me from my pot and carefully wash the soil from my roots. With sterile shears, you must cut away all the soft, brown, and mushy parts of my crown and roots. This surgery, while drastic, removes the infection. Then, please repot me in a fresh, sterile, and most importantly, well-draining potting mix. A mix designed for African Violets or one amended with perlite and coarse sand is ideal for me. Ensure my new pot has excellent drainage holes and that my crown sits at the correct height—high and dry.
To thrive and not just survive, I need you to change how you care for me. Water me deeply at my base, avoiding my crown and leaves entirely, but only do so when the top inch of my soil feels dry to your touch. I love bright, indirect light which helps my soil dry appropriately and gives me energy to fight off disease. Good air circulation around my pot is also crucial, as it keeps the humidity low around my crown and discourages fungal growth. A small amount of fertilizer during my growing season will help me rebuild my strength after an ordeal.
