What does root rot look like, and can a plant recover from it?
Root rot is not really a disease you catch — it is what happens when roots sit in water long enough to suffocate, after which opportunistic fungi move in. It is the leading cause of houseplant death, and it is reversible if you catch it before most of the root mass is gone.
The causes, and how to tell them apart
How to confirm it diagnosis
How to tell: Slide the plant out of its pot. Healthy roots are firm, pale and springy. Rotting roots are brown or black, limp, and the outer sheath slides off between your fingers leaving a thin thread. A sour, swampy smell confirms it.
What to do: Confirm before you treat — the leaf symptoms of rot and of drought are nearly identical, and treating the wrong one accelerates the loss.
Why it happened cause
How to tell: Almost always one of: no drainage hole, a decorative outer pot holding water, soil too dense for the species, a pot far too large for the root ball, or simply watering on a fixed schedule regardless of whether the soil was dry.
What to do: Fix the cause or it recurs. A drainage hole is non-negotiable, and pot size should match the root ball, not the plant’s eventual ambitions.
Treatment action
How to tell: Recovery depends on how much healthy root remains. Above roughly a third, odds are good.
What to do: Rinse the roots clean. Cut away every soft or brown root with clean scissors. Remove up to a third of the foliage to rebalance what the reduced roots must support. Repot into FRESH mix — never reuse the old soil — in a pot only slightly larger than the remaining roots. Water lightly and do not fertilize until new growth appears.
Plantroster compares this month's photo against last month's, so slow changes — the ones you stop noticing because you see the plant every day — get flagged.
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General horticultural guidance, not a diagnosis of your specific plant.