Willow Hygro stem half dead, live part rooting

[vwill279]

I have a willow hygro that, like my other ones, has started rotting from the bottom up. I have no idea why they did that. 3 bottom segments of the stem (about 2/3 of the length of the plant) are now brown, but the top 3 are green, and the leaves look nice still. Today I noticed that near the top of the plant, near the leaves, a root has grown from the top of one of the green segments.

Should I cut off the brown part and try to save the green part? I am afraid that cutting the stem so short will kill it, but if there is a chance to save the whole thing from dying, I would love to.

All the other plants are doing well in that tank, its just the willow hygros that have had this problem. Any insight?

Thanks!

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Cut the dead sections off and replant the healthy stems. You could grow another stem just from the top node/tip, so don't be afraid to trim them. This is how stem plants are pruned anyway.

 

[vwill279]

Thanks! *Off to prune*

If anyone has any idea why they are rotting from the bottom up, I'd love to know. I really would like these last two hygros of the 10 I bought to survive!

 

[Slappy*McFish]

IME, lower stem rot is fairly common with stem plants in low-tech type setups. Good lighting, circulation, CO2 and spacing between the stems will help reduce it considerably. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If the tops are growing fast and healthy, just keep trimming and replanting the stems. Takes just a few minutes. Sometimes when pruning my stems, I just grab the entire bunch, tear off the bottom couple of inches of it and then replant the stems in groups of 3-4.

 

[vwill279]

The tank is a 3 gallon tetra crescent which houses a betta and an ADF. The gravel is a finer natural gravel that I bought at my LFS. The light is an LED light bar that came with the tank. The tank is filtered for up to 20 gallons (overkill, but on low flow for the betta with a floating java ball underneath to break up the current). I dose with CO2 booster every day 1/3 mL. The java fern, anubias, and other plants are thriving, but I cant seem to keep the willow hygros from rotting.

 

[jpappy789]

I had a similar issue with Hygros in a lower light setup...it would get top heavy and then start rotting at the bottom. I did as Slappy said and just trimmed and replanted. My guess is that the light wasn't able to get down all the way.