# Roots growing on my plant stems?



## Alin10123 (Jan 3, 2006)

Hey guys,
New to the forums here. Hopefully you guys can help me out here. I recently bought this "starter package" plant package here:
http://www.aquabotanic.com/abstore/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d2.html

Previously i had an algae problem but now that i've added CO2, the algae seems to have died down quite a bit.

Anyways... it seems that if between the joints of some of the stems, there seem to be roots sprouting. That's something i've never seen before. It's only happening on some of the quicker growing plants. It didn't look too bad at first but they seem to be sprouting up everywhere. There seems to be almost too much to trim.

Here are my tank specs
55 gallon glass
DIY CO2 
130 watt PC coralife lighting
lights on for 12 hours /day
tahitian moon black sand
PH 6.4
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrates 20

I dose with regular flourish and flourish iron every 2 weeks. I also dose with flourish excel every other day.

Here are some pics:


























Any help is appreciated.

thanks


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Alin, welcome to APC! Those roots growing from the Nodes ("Joints") are called aerial roots and natural. It helps anchor the plant, and gather nutrients from the water column.

The Ludwigia Repens (?) in the first pic always sprouts out aerial roots, and so does the Wisteria in the second pic. You can trim them off, or leave them be. Since they always grow back, I try to trim the visible portions and block the lower portions of the plant with another plant.

The fact that they are growing, and your plants look healthy means you're doing a good job! Congrats! 

-John N.


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## yildirim (Nov 25, 2004)

Aerial roots are so common for healthy growing stem plants. For visteria there is nothing you can do about it other than pruning regularly as they will come back again and again. However for most of the other stem plants these factors worked good for me:

1. Pruning the roots as they appear will prevent them from coming back from the same internode again and also will encourage undergravel root growth.
2. Preventing the stems from being shaded by themselves or by other plants and scape (usualy shaded parts grow much more of these roots).
3. Keeping the plant always vertical. When they start to grow horizontal aerial roots and side shoots will increase and all the side shoots will also throw out some of these roots.
And the following are for living with them together while being bothered less.
4. Try to plant some other low height plants to hide the lover lewels of the stems.
5. Group them in bunches and the leaves will hide most of them.
6. Plant them at the back sides of the tanks.

I hope it helps.


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

My Anacharis just started throwing out side roots a couple days ago. Wasn't sure what to do with them until I read this topic (was just about to post my own). 

Back to trimming for the third time this week!


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## jeffk (Apr 14, 2006)

Ahh, thanks. I was meanign to post this too, but didn't get the camera out yet.
Yes, my wisteria does this tons [but grows like mad], and my purple camboba does it as well.

Thanks for the advice, and hearing that it's normal.

Jeff


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## aquariageek (May 27, 2006)

Will the side shoots eventually make their way to the substrate and root?


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

> Will the side shoots eventually make their way to the substrate and root?


If allowed to, yes.


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