How come many houseplants will rot if their roots sit in waterlogged soil but when you propagate plants you let the roots sit in water to grow?

Question

How come many houseplants will rot if their roots sit in waterlogged soil but when you propagate plants you let the roots sit in water to grow?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Waterlogged soil is anoxic – there is no oxygen for the roots to “breathe”, so the cells die and are consumed by soil microbes. Additionally, the roots which plants grow when cut and placed into water are slightly different than “soil roots” and are designed for metabolism in water rather than an aerated medium.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7902513/