root rot

noun

: any of various plant diseases characterized by decay of the roots and caused especially by fungi

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Many plants shut down during high heat, such as several days over 100 degrees, and aren’t able to absorb any water, so leaving them in a pot of warm wet soil could lead to root rot. —

Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2023 YouTube and TikTok videos provide an unending number of tutorials for how to rescue your collection from pests or overwatering -- in one viral video, TikTok user @the.plant.baddie gives helpful tips on anxiety-causing root rot, set against a soothing soundtrack of lo-fi beats. —

Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 Resist the temptation to douse the dirt even more if the foliage perks back up again in the evening or under cloud cover, as overwatering can contribute to root rot. —

Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 29 June 2022 This looks more like cotton root rot. —

Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, 27 Aug. 2020 Keeping the soil constantly wet promotes root rot. —

Dan Gill, NOLA.com, 22 Dec. 2020 There is also a disease that sets in, Phytophthora root rot, that is caused by over-watering. —

oregonlive, 25 Feb. 2023 Be sure to stick to the watering schedule that is recommended for your plant—overwatering could result in root rot, which could be detrimental to your plant’s health. —

Kaitlyn Mcinnis, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2023 Clear crop-health differences in images – diseased areas appear much darker in this case – have been used to delineate the presence of cotton root rot, a devastating and persistent soilborne fungal disease. —

Alex Thomasson, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2015 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'root rot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.