I agree that the roots growing through the drain holes of houseplants can simply be snipped off, and the yellow leaves are likely the result of the plant becoming too dry. Drought stress first affects (or can first be measures) in roots, and the stress begins well before any wilting occurs, so it's best to water a day or two before you think you'll be unable to detect any moisture at all in the grow medium.

While the likely cause of the chlorotic foliage appears to be under-watering, it could be a nutritional problem. If you haven't been fertilizing regularly, it increases the probability of the yellowing leaves being caused by low fertility, and especially low levels of nitrogen. What have you been doing insofar as supplemental nutrition goes. If nothing, do you want to delve into that topic with help figuring out a program that takes into account what you're using for a grow medium and your watering habits - some knowledge of both being essential to figuring out the best plan that offers you the most control.

You can get a good handle on what intervals (between waterings) are appropriate by using a "tell". See more on that below:

Using a 'tell'

Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant.

Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor.

In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water.

Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'.

One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue.

Al

i would tip it out of the pot.. snap another pic.. and then shove it back in the pot.. then post us the pic ..

most likely.. you need to repot the plant... it is the definition of outgrowing a pot.. when a root grows out of the pot.. its all the same words just rearranged ...lol ...

you dont show us the top.. but how many cuttings were planted in that pot??

not sure this is the best time to repot ... and there is no reason you cant wait until spring ...

frankly.. ignore it or cut it off... it wont matter to the plant ...

ken

Cut them off.

Here he (we named him Paul lol) is back in his pot by the window. I’m not sure how many cutlings were potted, as this is how I bought it. There are plenty of stems but I haven’t repotted so not sure how they’re rooting other than the long one I asked about earlier. I did go ahead and trim it before putting him back up.

I thought I was overwatering at first, which is why I let it dry out. Then realized it may be underwatered, so today was my first time taking him out to soak him in the shower. Any advice is welcome here, I wanna treat him the best! I’ll add another comment with the other plants we’ve acquired as well!

Here are the rest of our plants - a new croton, new bolivian wandering jew, and new snake plant (the big one).

Then our oldest plant of almost 4 years is the bigger aloe, then older, smaller snake plant, and lastly our newer aloe. These are the ones I’m most concerned about, as I’m not sure we have them in the right pot sizes, nor are watering them correctly. They have been outside the whole time we’ve had them unless it’s cold out, which it currently is. I fear we’ve underwatered the smaller aloe, and I’m not sure what’s going on with the bigger aloe or smaller snake plant, as they’ve only slightly grown since we’ve had them. I’ve accidentally snipped a few of the bigger aloe’s leaves in pruning older leaves, and I feel it might need more soil on top and/or a smaller pot. Its leaves also droop once they get lengthy, which is why I have the ones in the back propped up.

If anyone has advice on how not to kill these beauties like I have so many others in the past, I’m open to it!

P.S. I should add the only windows we have are south facing, as we live in an apartment currently. This is our brightest room with the biggest windows. We’re in central-ish Texas as well.

If Pothos is in a clay pot, you can just observe the color of the pot. Try to keep it dark, moist, and if you see that it has turned a lighter color, the soil is dry.

If the last plant, Callisia repens, gets loose on the ground, you'll probably start thinking of it like I do, a horrible pest.