Rotting stem plants

[Lady Hobbs]

Something happened with my new stem plants. They all rotted off at the roots (or melted) and none of them made it. My red temple and ludwigia both. Everything else is doing fine.

186 watts/55 gallon/Flourish fert and Flourish tab/CO2

[Sasquatch]

I'm having the same problem with my pennyworts ...

With my hygrophilas I find it useful to leave the stem free floating for a while (week or two) until roots start to develop and then plant it. I've done this several times and have yet to loose a hygrophila.

But it doesn't seem to be working with the pennywort .... :c2:

Best of luck.

[Lady Hobbs]

Thanks Charles. The guy I get my plants from says to do the same thing. Leave the lead weights on and just leave the clunk in the tank somewhere. Put a fert tab near where you want the roots to grow to and let it go until you see roots.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Actually, stem plants tend to do this as a survival mechanism. If they are not getting enough light the stems will rot off just above the substrate and the plant will let go and float to the surface where it can get more light. I suspect the plants are being shadowed and not getting enough light. These plants need to be planted out in the open until they can grow tall enough to get sufficent light.

[xoolooxunny]

Actually, stem plants tend to do this as a survival mechanism. If they are not getting enough light the stems will rot off just above the substrate and the plant will let go and float to the surface where it can get more light. I suspect the plants are being shadowed and not getting enough light. These plants need to be planted out in the open until they can grow tall enough to get sufficent light.

I would think 186watts would be MORE than enough for temples/ludwigia, as mine do well at 1wpg. do you have any floating plants in there shadowing as ILMGB suggested?

[smaug]

rotting stems are happening with my diandra as well.I have 270watts, it didnt make sense to me as to why till GBs post.I get shadowing from the ludwigia and occasionally my water lettuce.I shall relocate the diandra.

[Lady Hobbs]

No floating plants at all. When I used just soil master select, this was not a problem I had but it's light and dirty and was hard to hold in the stem plants so I put gravel on top to give some weight to it. Been having that problem since the gravel went on top.

This "melting" has been more than with just stem plants. My vals keep melting, too, and the cardinal plant I liked so well is gone. Just melted away and that come in a pot, all rooted.

I need to change out my substrate and get something for plants I see.

[LORENZO]

:fish: just has a meltdown with a new polysperma. Strange for that plant. The sword I bought with it is just fine. I usually leave the lead weight on it where it just holds the plant down and in a few days there will be some new roots. i will take what is left of the polysperma and re-plant in the red fluourite substrate in the other tank. Flourish fertilizer is fine and also Kent plant accelerator.Kent Freshwater Plant is also a good one I use. :fish:

[Lady Hobbs]

This thread is 7 months old and by now the plant is long gone.