Help With Plants Roots Whats Wrong?

[aibo210]

Hi

I put some plants in about a week ago most of them of cuttings. I have my lights on 8 hours a day and doing EI doseing with seachem florish k2p04 and kn03 and using 2 nutrafin canisters alternating them.

Problem is alot of the cuttings are not producing roots and float I dont know if its because they are new aint takeing crap plants or lacking something. the bottem of the stems look like they have died turned dark green and hollow and about inch up the stem yet the rest of the plant is fine.

all the water cheaks out fine too.

the plants was from java-plants part of one of there 30inch aquarium pack.

Any ideas?

Carl

 

[fozziebear]

could you post some pics of the offending plants, also what is your substrate.

i dont like java or plants alive myself, id only ever buy greenline or tropica plants to be honest.

 

[aibo210]

could you post some pics of the offending plants, also what is your substrate.

i dont like java or plants alive myself, id only ever buy greenline or tropica plants to be honest.

Yeah the plant is the one on the pic at the back. Im using lakeland pea gravel and tetra substrate wich is about 8 months old so ive used some JBL balls recently recomended by aqua essentials.

 

[fozziebear]

ahh that looks like cabomba, can be finickity have you got it in bunches? i find mine took a while to produce roots, and they have a tendency to float.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

I think you will have to wait more than a week for a cutting to develop roots that will hold it into the substrate. Fix them down with a lead strip, or a small stone until established.

 

[frozenbarb]

Maybe add more lights?

 

[sjdriscoll]

Did you 're-cut' the stems?

Often the base of the stem will blacken and go 'mushy' which will delay it's growth. It will try to send out roots from the next node up.

It's always a good idea to re-cut a new base of any cutting, just below a node. I do it on a slant and you should see roots growing from the node within a week. Weight the plant down with a foam (inner) and a lead strip (outer) before you plant it into the substrate.

Good luck.