Almost all of the Alternanthera in my tank has these long white things growing out of them at their nodes. Are these roots or are they going to be new leaves?
What is This Growing from Alternanthera reineckii?
- Thread starter DGalt
- Start date
Almost all of the Alternanthera in my tank has these long white things growing out of them at their nodes. Are these roots or are they going to be new leaves?
i think that the scchool of thought is that they produce those roots when the plants are searching for nutrients they are lacking
jinkz is correct. When a plant cannot get a stable amount of nutrients from the substrate or even if the nutrient level in the water is low, it will grow more roots all along the stem searching for what it can get
btw this might point to nutrient deficiency but it also shows that your plant is trying to grow and is converting to its submerged growth
btw this might point to nutrient deficiency but it also shows that your plant is trying to grow and is converting to its submerged growth
hmm
I'm dosing with Excel daily and Flourish 2x a week. I know I should probably get Iron, Phos, and Potassium but none of the LFS carry it and money is a bit tight right now.
Should I be concerned or should I leave it be and see what happens?
they are quite normal and dont indicate any kind of deficiency. They are truly aerial roots, but the plants make them to reach down anchor themselves in the soil so it can produce new side shoots off the main stem to grow into new stems.
I have seen my plants grow aerial roots into the substrate and pull the main stem all the way down and start making new shoots at the nodes.
I have seen my plants grow aerial roots into the substrate and pull the main stem all the way down and start making new shoots at the nodes.
irishspy
There is a stargate in my aquarium.
I'm beginning to think that's right. My wisteria was sending out a lot of "aerial" roots. Since I started dosing regularly with Flourish, Trace, Nitrogen, Potassium, and Excel, not nearly so much. :read:
The "Seachem routine" can get expensive, however. For a tank larger than 20g, dry ferts might be a better way.