# Anubia emersed: roots in the air, on a wood



## jonny_ftm

Hi,

I just put this night some anubia nana petite plantlets in my emersed setup (moisted soil, no water level above soil). I soldered them on a wood, no soil contact. I'm wondering if they will do it with the roots exposed to the air, no water, 80% humidity?

I was afraid, so took some of the wool they came with and slipped it over the roots on the wood to maintain them wet. I wouldn't like to keep the wool too long to avoid rooting in it. It will be then a pain to remove it once the aquarium will be submerged few weeks later.

Please advice me on this way of growing anubia emersed, roots in the air, on a wood


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## armedbiggiet

In asia there roots is hanging in the air... than again when I was there the mositure is like 70 to 80% high.


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## jonny_ftm

Great, many thanks for the answer. I keep moisture above 80% all the time. I'll try to remove the rockwool I layed on it


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## armedbiggiet

Wow, that down noi doing very good with out water... and this is how you going to keep it? no water?


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## jonny_ftm

No, it will be submerged in 3-4 weeks, so quiet 3 months emersed


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## Tex Gal

I was wondering about the downoi. It's emergent form is pretty ugly. How long have you had it out of water?


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## orlando

Here is a video by Tropica showing both forms of Dao Noi growth.
They say it looks the same in both conditions, both below and under fast flowing water.

http://www.tropica.com/default.asp


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## Tex Gal

orlando said:


> Here is a video by Tropica showing both forms of Dao Noi growth.
> They say it looks the same in both conditions, both below and under fast flowing water.
> 
> http://www.tropica.com/default.asp


That's interesting. I read your link and see where it says that it's found in both submerged and emersed, but don't see where it says that it has the same form.

I've bought the emersed form. It's ugly. I have watched it change to the submerged form in my tank. Look at the 2nd px in this link and you can see it's emersed form. That px is the plant I got that then changed into the downoi plant we all know and love. 

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&hs=Cz1&resnum=0&q=Emersed%20Pogostemon%20helferi&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi


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## orlando

Read the little rotating captions


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## orlando

Thats the same photo(AB.com) I sent to Lars at Tropica! He said he had never seen it look like that before 

Strange weeds That sure was a not so attractive plant in that photo


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## FernMan

Hmmm... Plant adaptability! It never ceases to amaze me! I would be very interested in following up and see what results you get. Anubia plants do have a thicker leave layer and probably will do fine in high a high humidity environment in cool temp. ~20-25 C. The idea is to reduce the transpiration rate and slow it's metabolism which probably will benefit from lower light level as well. 

Keep good records... be nice to know the outcome!


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## jonny_ftm

P. Helferi is 9 weeks old now.

New stems in deed tend to send a less organised form with less undulation in leafs. Old ones seem ok. The most interesting part, is that the onces under the root, with higher humidity and less light tend to maintain the best their form. I, indeed, doubt that on the long run, it will be much less organized then submerged form. But, it surely depend on humidity in air. Now, I try to keep it between 85-90%

The anubia, I used cotton, and in 3 weeks it is sending emersed leafs. I also added some new plantlets on right


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## Tausendblatt

COOL anubias!

I bought some yesterday and I decided to grow it emersed thanks to http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Plant, Anubias.htm this.

I put it in a pickle jar with a bit of gravel and an inch of water, setting the rhizome on top. WILL IT DO OK?


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## FernMan

Tausendblatt said:


> COOL anubias!
> 
> I bought some yesterday and I decided to grow it emersed thanks to http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Plant, Anubias.htm this.
> 
> I put it in a pickle jar with a bit of gravel and an inch of water, setting the rhizome on top. WILL IT DO OK?


UUuuuu... had a piece of drift wood and attach the anubia to the upper section and watch those roots grow... aerial roots hanging from the drift wood !!! It'll eventually look like a rain forest!


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## griffin7882

sounds pretty nifty!


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## jonny_ftm

That's what I did with my plantlets on the wood you see in my above shots. Under +85% humidity the roots are heading down to the substrate and they didn't rot. New leafs are being sent quickely.

I won't let water above substrate in an emersed setup ---> calls algae and mold. Just keep humidity high. Emersed is no water


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## jonny_ftm

Here's the P. Helferi moving to emersed less organised form 

First, how it looks in the middle parts of the tank. Also, note how anubia roots are heading to the substrate. They don't dry in the moist air and I could remove cotton now:



Now, the P. Helferi is showing an interesting move to the emersed less sexy form:



The P. Helferi in middle of the tank are still showing a nice submerged form (look at the one in 1st photo, on the right of the anubia). The front lateral plantlets you see in the second picture are loosing submerged leaves and sending emersed ones. I don't get it why, but the light, more intense in the middle, can be an explanation 

Here's how the tank is looking now


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## Tex Gal

Interesting. Wonder what makes the difference. The one that is changing would have more water as it's down hill. If it gets more light it might be a little dryer on it's leaves. You know there is some reason. Aren't plants amazing?!


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## jonny_ftm

Yes, I thought at small microclimate differences inside the aquarium, but I have noting to monitor small humidity variations. Also, I find it difficult to have a so big difference that can induce emersed leaves when total humidity is above 85%

Really hard to say. The front and lateral plantlets are also near the borders, where the top cover can let some air pass and lead to decrease in humidity ---> more dry would give emersed leaves in this case? Or simply, less light will induce deorganised leaves? Maybe both or something else? To be sure, I'll have to add another source of light, to rule out that parameter


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## Sherryazure

Hello, don't post much, but wanted to add that Anubias often are found in nature emersed (along waterfall spray areas) and reason why those roots hang like crazy to anything they can attach to (tendons). The rhizome stores co2 and other nutrients during emersed states (easier to obtain from air then water) and then while submerged it uses this food stored. Most are grown in huge greenhouses emersed but as other's have mentioned very high humidity.

Often when mine seem to need it.. I create a covered high humidity environment with a bit of water for roots (why make it harder for them - much more delicate - see the growing tips on the ends - the fuzzy part.... that is where the absorption of nutrients, gas exchange take place and if damaged plants suffer or die (reason why potted land plants if left water logged die, the die from oxygen starvation basically). The growing root tips are and will seek out the soil - it's in their nature. (I would not cover with the spun rock wool, as it may create nasties under there - ever smell it after a while, lol).

When my plants get bushy again, like nature, I slowly raise the water level and then put them back into the aquarium (also, like you have grown them out in terrariums... I have many photos of people with vivariums using this plant, mosses and other plants emersed).

This adaptability (millions of years worth) was brought home to me once while hiking along the Rogue River in Oregon (background in biology and love of plants so would always be observing and taking photos) (or a tributary actually) during different seasons when ever I visited home and went to crater lake.... While not a tropical setting, the area along the banks had reeds (from dinosaur age as are ferns) and other plants that would depending on the level of the river (raging with snow melt or low and slow during dry period) would be very much under water, or above it.

Meaning the adaptability mention is from their spot in nature over millions of years of evolution (survivability of those that match environmental conditions).

Here is a link to Russian guy who has one of the most informed article's I've found.

I've read but can't find right now (thousands of links) science on why the leaves look different submerged verses emersed... it all has to do obviously with the survivability of the plant in hugely different conditions! Like us living on the moon, would not be possible so our adaption involves man made systems. It truly is an amazing reality of nature.

(if I find it will post later) ps... algae and molds have their place in systems as well - extremely important in nature (no life without them)... harder to balance in enclosed limited systems...

(has been hard to obtain lately, so email if it won't open - it is an excellent article on this plant - one of those who would study them in nature as well as connections to professors on the subject)

http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cach...rticles/aqua/anubias&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us


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## Sherryazure

PS... your set up looks beautiful... what type of lights are those if you don't mind? Thanks S


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## jonny_ftm

Many thanks for your link, didn't read fully yet, but will be, it looks passionating

Lights are the Arcadia 11W arcpods, two of them

Now, I have one new question: 

I'd like to grow moss on the woods. Do you think that they could do it emersed without daily misting in +80% humidity? I only saw emersed moss with waterfalls or water recipients in contact, but would really like to put there my weeping and christmas moss that I'm growing submerged in small containers close to the window


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## Holy Samosa

Hey Johnny: Your tank looks great! Hopefully, this isn't hijacking your thread but how's your experience been with growing your submerged mosses in the window?


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## jonny_ftm

Sorry to be late, missed the post.

The weeping moss did great. The Christmas was invaded by green algae despite daily WC using a 10%of my EI dosed aquarium + 90% distilled. However, they grew greatly during 6 weeks and rather quickely.

Now, here's the tank, immersed on 7 nov after 4.5 months emersed









I missed the scaping on the right, I'll have to change the anubia and java moss disposition later


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## snail_chen

I didn't know Downoi can also be kept emerged. Do they grow faster?


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## jonny_ftm

Hi,

They get an emersed ugly unstructred form. Since I submerged them, they got a nicer emersed form like we all like. I finally found that they grow much better submerged and also far faster in my case despite 11W instead of the 22W of light they had when emersed


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## bratyboy2

any news on this tank?


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## jonny_ftm

Hi,

Yes, here are some news

First, continuing P. Helferi adaptation, it showed an incredible variation: albino new growth



Then, after few weeks:







Albino leaves never rotted, they turned again green from center/base to top/sides
I think it was an adaptation phase to the immersion due to teh abrupt change in CO2/O2/temperature/moisture...

It's not an iron/micro issue like many could think as it grew 4.5 months emersed, so only feeding with roots from the soil, but really an adaptation process. This plant is incredible. As you see, new growth has again the nice submerged form instead of the ugly emersed form it had.

Anubia had more difficulty to adapt with many rotted leaves once submerged.

Eleocharis grows much taller once submerged. Leaves were much shorter when emersed

Light was decreased to 1xPLL 11W instead of 2x11W in emersed phase, yet I find the growth faster then when it was submerged. So now, I'm very low light: 11w/12 gal (0.9 wpg)

About algae, starting was a complete success, no algae, except the usual brown algae short visit then green hair only on moss (it was on the moss when put in water) that went by its self. None of the other plants was affected. Also, on start, had a BGA issue that needed erythromycine (actually, clarithromycine in my case). It was my error as I didn't remove organics from soil before immersion.

I had to remove the rocks because they were very calcareous and the KH and GH were very unstable
Used petrified wood instead

Eleocharis was never trimmed till now, only delimited to not invade the front. Glosso is growing so slowly, but it roots and grows. Very low light doesn't help, but CO2 does help. Hopefully I will prove that we can carpet glosso with so low light. Sadely, I didn't grow it emersed as I didn't plan at first to cover all soil.


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## 954baby

I've never had luck with P. helfari, your tank looks amazing. gl


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## oscarjamayaa

Awsome experiment, the change is noticible in underwater conditions.


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## jonny_ftm

Thank you for the comments

Glosso adapted to extreme low light and now grows quickly and responds to trimming by launching many shoots. I trimmed and spaced the P. Helferi as I think I planted it too dense. It needs a little more time to cover the left side in few weeks. Eleocharis was never trimmed or maintained at all yet.

Growth is very slow, no decaying leaves over months. Except for waterchanges, no work, no trimming (except mosses after 4 months).


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