# Alternanthera aerial roots



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

My A. reineckii sends out "aerial roots" from the nodes along the stem and they look _awful_!

I am about ready to throw this plant down the garbage disposal.

I have seen other threads on this topic and most folks seem to think that this is just normal plant growth and nothing can be done about it.

However, I have seen these plants in people's tanks and the plant is not sending out all these aerial roots.

Is there anything that can be done to prevent them? It must be something in the fertilisation regime that causes them to throw out these roots in some tanks but not others. What could it be?

I like this plant, it's very attractive but it's just not acceptable the way it looks with literally hundreds of long white roots all over the stem.

I have noticed mayaca sends out the occassional aerial root and so does my ludwigia repens x arcuata. They do it much less though so I don't mind it so much but the root production in the A. reineckii is simply prolific!!

Ideas?


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## Salt (Apr 5, 2005)

In all likelihood the aerial roots were trimmed off before the pictures you saw were taken.

It takes patience.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Mine gets them too, especially in the lower half of the plant. It either isn't quite as bad as yours, or it just doesn't bother me as much.  I do trim when I can/feel like it. One thing you might try is to plant something in front of it so the roots aren't as visible.


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## yildirim (Nov 25, 2004)

Aerial roots are common nearly for all stem plants having a nice growth. That's one of the main reasons hobbyists plant these stems at the back sides, corners and in bunches also hide lover parts with other midground plants. The aerial roots development may increase in two situations especialy and these are first, if the plant is shaded and can not get enough light (especialy the lover nodes) and second when the stems start growing horizontaly instead of verticaly. As long as you keep the plants well lit and vertical you will see that it will not be a big problem. Besides, aerial roots are more common when you cut the top and replant it. This is where patience becomes a virtue. You just cut off the roots a few days after they appear, they will not come back from the same place again and the undergravel roots will grow and in time you won't have them anymore. I also observed that lighting with greater K rates (>6700) also reduces aerial root forming.


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