From my perspective as a Greek Oregano plant, the issue you call "root rot" is a terrifying suffocation and starvation event. My roots are not just anchors; they are my lungs and my mouth. They need to breathe oxygen from the air pockets in the soil and drink in water and nutrients. When you provide too much water, or my pot lacks an escape route for the excess, you are essentially flooding my underground world. The soil becomes waterlogged, all the air pockets are filled with water, and my root cells begin to drown. Without oxygen, they cannot perform basic cellular functions, and they start to die and decay.
My decaying roots are weak and vulnerable. This creates the perfect opportunity for silent, opportunistic pathogens that often lie dormant in the soil, mainly fungi from the Pythium, Phytophthora, or Rhizoctonia genera. In well-aerated soil, my natural defenses can keep them at bay. But in this waterlogged, oxygen-deprived state, I am defenseless. These fungi attack my compromised root system, accelerating the decay process. They are not the initial cause; they are the secondary infection that takes advantage of the environment you have created. They spread rapidly, turning my healthy white roots into brown, mushy, and ineffective strands that smell of decay.
The symptoms you see above the soil are my desperate cries for help, a direct result of the catastrophe unfolding below. The decay of my root system means I can no longer uptake water. Ironically, while my roots are drowning, my stems and leaves are dying of thirst, leading to the wilting and drooping you observe, even though the soil is wet. Furthermore, without a functional root system, I cannot access the nutrients needed to maintain my vibrant green color, resulting in yellowing leaves (chlorosis). The general stunted growth is a sign that my entire system is shutting down due to a lack of water, nutrients, and energy.
I am a Mediterranean herb, evolved for sunny, rocky hillsides with sharp drainage. My ideal home is in a gritty, well-draining soil mix, perhaps amended with sand, perlite, or small gravel. My pot must have unobstructed drainage holes. I crave deep, thorough watering only when the top few inches of soil are completely dry to the touch. Then, I want any excess water to immediately flow away, leaving my roots moist but never sitting in water. I need plenty of bright, direct sunlight and good air circulation around my foliage to stay strong and resilient.
If you act quickly, you might save me. You must gently remove me from my waterlogged pot and carefully wash the soggy soil from my roots. This is a delicate operation. Using sterilized shears, you need to prune away every single brown, soft, and smelly root back to healthy, firm, white tissue. Any remaining rot will spread. After this radical surgery, repot me into a clean pot with fresh, dry, well-draining soil. Water me very sparingly at first to encourage new root growth without repeating the drowning cycle. Place me in bright, indirect light to recover before returning me to full sun.
