This TikTok Hack Helps Your Plants Avoid Root Rot—and All You Need Is Rope

Root rot is a common consequence of overwatering; once it’s noticeable, the plant typically can’t be saved. Even if you feel like you have watering down to a science, sometimes it's not enough—plants more susceptible to root rot may end up rotting regardless of how carefully they’re cared for.

On the other hand, trying to avoid overwatering can lead your plants to dehydration. One trick for keeping plants watered perfectly is via the string method: By burying a string attached to a bucket of water inside the soil of a plant, you can essentially create your own self-watering pot. The biggest issue, of course, is that having your plants connected to a gallon of water isn’t exactly aesthetically pleasing.

Enter: TikTok’s new favorite way to keep picky houseplants from sitting in too-wet soil. Creator @easygrowing posted a video, which now has nearly 70,000 likes, recommending plant owners use well-draining potting soil and coil a rope around the inside of the pot without connecting it to any extraneous water sources. This allows the rope to soak up extra moisture from the dirt when the plant is watered and prevent it from sitting in wet dirt for too long. Over time, the rope releases water into the soil, slowly and evenly watering the plant.

In order to pull off this hack successfully, make sure you’re using synthetic rope that won’t rot in the dirt. It's also a good idea to mix your own soil for this one. Materials that dry quickly and leave extra space for drainage (such as orchid bark, perlite, and pumice) work best.

For rope that soaks up the most water, nylon is a good choice—it won’t lose too much shape when wet and slowly provides the plant’s roots with moisture. Since it’s synthetic, you also won’t have to worry about the rope itself attracting mold.

If you’re looking for an easy way to get extra space in your soil, polyester rope retains a stiff shape and helps add some bigger gaps in the potting mix. Simply coil the rope to leave space for the plant’s roots to grow through. Polyester rope won’t soak up water, however, so the slow-watering effect will be fairly minimal. 

You can also match the thickness (and length) of your rope to your plant. The smaller the pot, the thinner your rope should be. Thicker pots will be able to tolerate thicker, longer sections of rope.

This technique works for all pots, although it’s especially effective if you’re having trouble watering a pot with no drainage holes at the bottom. If you’re using regular potting soil, you should wait to add rope until you’re ready to repot your plant to a well-draining soil mix. This way, your rope will have space to dry along with the roots.