Stem Cuttings Die

[bobfloyd]

Hi.

I have a 6 foot planted tank, 100% flourite substrate, CO2 injection, 2.5 wpg lighting.

If I pinch the top off either my H. polysperma or Ambulia sessiflora, strip the lower leaves, and plant it, both plants fall apart and rot away.

I have always been able to do this in the past successfully, but for some reason I no longer can.

Does anybody have any idea what could be causing this?

 

[Colin_T]

I would guess you are damaging the cuttings. It also depends on how long the cuttings are. If they are short (less than 6inches, this could be an issue).
Try using a sharp knife to cut the plants rather than pinching them. A knife will give a cleaner cut, whereas pinching can cause bruising and cell damage that will lead to infection and rotting.

 

[hondadal]

an easy way with the ambulia would be to layer it thus stopping any infection. Lay the stem along the gravel pin the top down with a little substrate and new stems will start to appear along the stem laying down. i havent tried this with the polysperma but may be worth a try

 

[Colin_T]

Hygrophilla polysperma, Ludwigia, Elodia and most other plants with a similar flexible stem can be propogated in the same way as hondadal suggested for Ambulia.
It's a good way to get a hedge effect.

 

[bobfloyd]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice.

I don't think the way that I am pinching off the stems with my fingers is the cause though, as I have done it this way for years and never had a problem before. Nevertheless, I have tried cutting them with scissors and making sure that the stems are nice and long but still they rot.

Could this be a boron deficiency?

 

[Colin_T]

are you still stripping the lower leaves off before planting? If so try planting some with the lower leaves still attached.

Boron deficiency shouldn't be an issue.

Have you checked the nitrates & phosphates? High levels of these could cause it. Low iron levels might be an issue to but less likely than nitrates and phosphates.

The other thing would be to leave the plants for a few weeks so the stems can harden up (so to speak) and then take cuttings. New growth often has softer stems and this could be a problem. Older stems should get damaged less easily.

 

[Themuleous]

What ferts are you using? With that much light you should really be supplementing PNK and trace.

Sam

 

[bobfloyd]

I am using Aquasonic Basic/Daily Gro.

NPK can't be a problem - nitrate is about 15-20mg/L so it can't be limited, nor can phosphate, and I have dosed potasium just to be sure.

Iron levels are also good.

 

[Colin_T]

the only other thing I could think of would be to leave the plants for a few weeks before taking cuttings. Allow them to toughen up a bit before cutting them back.

 

[bobfloyd]

The plants have been in the tank for about a month now so taking cuttings shouldn't be a problem.

I have a fairly high GH, around 14 degrees. Could that be the cause?

 

[Colin_T]

High GH won't be a problem

 

[bobfloyd]

Yeah, I've read a number of articles/books and high GH doesn't seem to be a problem (it would appear that very low GH is more of a problem than high).

Is it possible that there could be something in the town water supply? Although, one would think that if the water was safe for humans to drink, which it is, that it would be perfectly ok for growing plants in!

Any thoughts on this?

 

[ICEEGRL]

Have you tried floating the cuttings for a little while before planting them to let a little root get started? I have to do that with some of mine.

 

[Colin_T]

the town water supply is unlikely to be the cause. If there was a problem with it the plants would not be growing at all and you would lose the original plants as well as the cuttings. Plants can also tolerate a lot more chemicals in the water than people or animals.

 

[bobfloyd]

I'm surprised that nobody has a sure fire answer for why this might be occuring. I would have thought somebody would have seen this type of thing and know the cause. Even the pet shops can't help me!!

Bizare!