And these are the roots. the majority look healthy however, some of the inner ones are darker in color and pull off easier. the plant itself looks very healthy.

This post was edited by CactusBoss on Wed, Aug 14, 13 at 19:37

Root rot doesn't look like your first image. It looks like blackened roots.

I think the white stuff is fungus degrading the organic stuff in the mix.

CactusBoss,
I hope you read this in enough time, but whatever you do, don't soak your plant's roots in bleach. THAT is a sure way to kill it.

Our apartment hired some people to pressure wash the apartments, and we were never notified. Long story short, my plants were drenched in a bleach/water mixture and they all died within a day (well, actually, my cacti took a couple of months to show the ill effects of it). It is caustic to plants, as is vinegar (that's also a no-no). :\

Planto

I agree, just let it dry out, until the pot feels virtually weightless or the leaves start to lose turgidity. It's normal for some roots to be occasionally discarded, just like leaves. With a vine like Pothos, it can grow new roots almost instantly. Think about how in nature, it would have a small bit of roots in the ground, with most of the plant and aerial roots up in the air, climbing on a tree trunk.

Saw this earlier this year in NOLA.

Is there another way to rid of the bacterial infection? I think i cut all the rotting roots off but I'm not sure.

Dessication is the usual remedy for rotting roots. I would spread them out in the pot, cover with soil, leave it alone to get its' grip back.

Soil staying too moist is usually the cause of rotting roots. I don't know if that means there's a bacterial infection, but it's an extremely common occurrence and most people agree, the most common cause of death for most plants that are no longer with us. Probably equal to all other plant accidents combined, like forgot to water, pests, left outside in the snow, cooked in the sun, thought the microwave would kill pests, thought 5x as much fertilizer would be like medicine, yada yada yada. (Yep, Seinfeld again. I'm about to pull an Elaine with your watering can... "I don't like this thing, and here's what I'm doing with it" and throw it out the window like George's head rug.)

Dude, for real, let the plants dry out once, each, until the plant looks/feels like it's about to wilt (without actually wilting, the leaves will feel limp before there's actual wilt, on most plants, definitely Pothos,) and see how much lighter they are to pick up. If you're hovering, wondering if it's thirsty yet, pick it up. If it's still heavy, it's not thirsty yet. Assuming your plants are going to grow great, they'll get heavier 'cuz they're bigger. You'll get to know them. By the time they get too big to pick up, you should know them well enough to deal with that. The biggest pots I have, I can't pick up, but I can tilt them if close inspection of the leaves leaves me unsure.

It's all about the soil, so roots are healthy, as you seem to know. Once you get that down, it's OK to water when you feel like it, but the practice of watering not-thirsty plants is just not helpful. You gotta do what you can with what you can find, but please try to find something besides peat or anything with tiny particles. Fluffy is a good word, but also think chunky, porous, so there's tiny air pockets in the pot. Perlite is just taking up space in the pot. I don't like it 'cuz I think it's ugly, dump used pot contents into flower beds so would look at it forever, and I need pots to be heavier so they don't blow around so easily, but used to 'cut' peat, it's seems a good idea and definitely a commonly touted one.

"I don't like it 'cuz I think it's ugly"

We were separated at birth,weren't we? LOL

KInda scary sometimes how much I read and find such familiar thought pattern in your posts Purp!

Just sayin. lol

Where did you get that bleach ratio for a plant dip? Good grief. Plants can be safely dipped in a 1:20 bleach to water solution. NOT 1:4, which is what you've suggested. Dip the roots into such a solution, do not soak.

The AV soil is the culprit. You shouldn't even have that in the house, lol.

Give the roots a haircut to stimulate lots of new root growth and repot into a FAST DRAINING, COARSE TEXTURED potting medium. Water the plant in thoroughly and then allow to dry out somewhat before watering again. By 'haircut ', I mean just cut the mushy roots....not all of the roots.

With a coarse textured mix, you will never have to worry about root rot. You've been given all kinds of ideas on potting soil brands and amendments....why not try one of them?

I re potted them with my chinese evergreen. It was a pretty tight fit but i hope it'll work.

That looks like something I would do. I like it.

purpleinopp, just so you know the roots are barely below the surface. I hope it's okay, I don't want to to strangle the other plant. If anything the chinese evergreen would strangle the pothos.

All I can say is it looks good. Now the hard part, leaving it alone when it's time for that, being attentive when you should. Figuring out what time it is - that's the great mystery! And the reason people are so passionate about using soils that don't harbor excess water. People who like plants usually like to water them, a lot, almost erring on the side of "I'll just give it a little sip." Don't think I don't know! So if it's OK to water when it didn't really need it, so many fewer plants are going to die.

At some point, repotting will be necessary anyway, then you can decide if this romance continues, or a trial separation, or divorce and re-marriage of another couple. As of a couple weeks ago I don't have any lone plants in pots. That may be taking it a bit far, but each pot looks like a mini tropical paradise to me.

"I don't have any lone plants in pots"

I seldom do this but with winter looming in the distance it makes me wonder if I shouldn't get on board the companion planting train(just checked that forum and it's a pity it's one of the slower ones).
ANYhoo,..
Space will be a premium,and even though I've moved into a room with a touch more space,let's face it,the plants just aren't going to fit...but it will be easier if I start consolidating them.

Companion planting isn't about combing ornamental plants, (unless you think there's a symbiotic reason for the combination,) and is almost entirely focused on edibles, guilds. Like planting squash, beans & corn together (3 sisters,) or if you put garlic near tomatoes in hope of deterring pests. I think it's fascinating, but I've never done more than dabble ever so lightly in it, veggie gardening isn't my forté. ...but it does beg the question, are there any 'house plant' legumes?

I really believe these companion pots will do better, dry more quickly, more plants can fit by the windows. And hey - a pot with 3 plants, one dies, it's still a pot with 2 plants, right?

I feel the same way, Asleep, I know I'll end up with 120+? pots in here again this winter anyway.

I guess that's the part that makes me nervous...The whole "oh well,still got two outta three" mindset could be a slippery slope for me. Once lost,some of these will be hard to get back.

Not much of a vegetable gardener,eh? Me either(go figure). Got a few tomatoes at the moment and that's it.

So companion planting isn't just about compatability as much as mutual benefit...that makes sense.

Most of my collection would be fine in the same pots as they(for the most part) have similar cultural requirements.

120+....Yep,..you DO know how I feel!
The administrator of the facility at which I reside has expressed a concern that there will not be enough room for everything to come back inside ..and would like to know what I plan to do about it.

...I changed the subject. :P

Well, see - now you have a plan to do something about it! LOL! I don't plan on losing any plants this winter, last winter went great, but you never know, right? I guess there's a downside too, this way a dead plant does NOT equal more space/an empty pot. Um, it's hard to be "glass half full" if you keep saying stuff like that. It's not a mindset, don't go there!

More hanging? That helps with space...

Hanging! YES!

Key will be putting hooks in his ceiling when he's not around and facing the music later...if you ask up front he will only say no without even pondering on what you asked(I'm learning!).

Yes! And don't forget about sitting little pots inside the bigger ones, like they're only dating, not necessarily companions yet.

Back to hanging, next to/above windows, you can put hooks that come out from the wall or window casing if it's a nice strong piece of wood. I even have a wooden shelf thing strong enough to handle a hook attached to the top/side of it.

I have an idea for a pole, like a landscape timber standing up on end, with a base of some kind, kind of like a Christmas tree stand but attached, with 4 hooks at the top, on each side.

Clothing rack? Tension pole?

One hook can hang more than one pot. This pic is from May, but shows a double-decker hanging pot I did with plastic coated steel wire ($3 for a 25-foot roll at hardware store.) I like being able to make the 'hanging thing' longer. Dracaena 'Janet Craig compacta' with Tradescantia zebrina on top, wax Begonias under. Attach bottom pot to top, hang top pot. Yes, I use wire coat hangers too, to vary the heights so more pots fit in a horizontal space if they're not at the same level.

That's a good idea! I've done a little bit with fashioning tomato cages into hangers and even taken them apart to make hooks of various sizes but that wire looks very doable! Three evenly measured wires later and a second pot hangs below. I'll have to remember that trick!
Thanks! :)