# Plant Won't Stay Rooted



## pawslover (Feb 22, 2006)

I have a plant that was purchased from a tank of "assorted plants" so I'm not sure exactly, but I believe it is dwarf Val. I am not having any luck getting it to stay planted. The substrate is small/moderate sized gravel over Flourite. The leaves combine into a single _____ (not exactly a bulb nor rhizome), but there is not really any roots from this bulb (for lack of a better word). I have tried planting this bulb just flush with the gravel and also lower, but it keeps coming up. The other plants are not coming up and I haven't observed the fish uprooting any other plants so I don't think they are contributing to the problem. I have left it floating for awhile to see if some roots would grow, but so far no luck. What can I do to get it established?


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## medowance (Mar 3, 2006)

I'm not an experience guy in planted tank as well to guide you or anything. But I did too purchase such plants without roots and only with stem.

So what I did was 2 option,
One, I attach cotton wool at the bottom of the stem and leave it in the water without planting it and eventually will grow root in a matter of time.

Second, I planted the stem into earth (I planted water lily outside my house) and leave it for few day.

So once I got the roots, I planted it into my 2" high substrate. Leave it for one week with lighting, CO2, water filtering and without any fish at 1st for the 1st week. Eventually it stays there and the roots was grounded.

Hope my experience help you.


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## BrianK (Feb 11, 2006)

Can you weigh it down? Get some thread and tie it down to something or a small rock.


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## jeff63851 (Feb 23, 2005)

I don't think that dwarf Val grows any bulbs. Does the bulb look dead? or in other words, is there any green leaves? I had a Aponogeton bulb that kept floating because it was dead...


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

If it does have a bulb, then it is definitely not a val or a sag. If what you are trying to describe are the leaves all tapering down to a single round-like point (for lack of a better word), it is probably is a sag/val. If it is a sag/val, you cannot bury that part, called the crown, in the gravel, for it will rot. So somehow you need to get some roots to extend out from it. Try some of the suggestions, or if you have something you can wedge it into, say a piece of driftwood or the filter lines/tubes, let it sit there for a couple of day, and roots should start to form from it. Good luck.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Vals send out runners and sometimes the runner just stands in the open, with no contact with the substrate. When that happens the runner plant develops roots into the water. Perhaps the runner connection to the mother plant keeps it alive while it does this, but if not, it would seem that a floating val would still send out some roots, and could then be planted. I have 5 little ones in my tank now, but all had roots. They do take quite awhile to get comfortable and start typical val growth - mine haven't done that yet.


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## pawslover (Feb 22, 2006)

Here is my pitiful little unrooted plant. It's not a bulb exactly. I have tucked it under some anubias into a crevice of some driftwood so hopefully it will stay there and put out some roots. If it's not dwarf val, I would appreciate an ID.

Thanks


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## jeff63851 (Feb 23, 2005)

I don't know if it is a dwarf val, but it looks kind of like a sag. Your right, it it's not exactly a bulb. I suggest you to wedge it between some rocks, or in a crevice of a driftwood.

-Jeff


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