Scarlet temple planting question

[WhiteShadow]

Can I treat scarlet temple like Java fern and glue its roots to driftwood? Do I have to plant the roots into substrate? It seems to be a water column feeding plant primarily like Java fern.

[Kirsten]

Scarlet temple is a stem plant, so a little different from java fern, which feeds entirely from the water column. Unlike epiphytes like java fern or anubias which send out horizontal rhizomes, a stem plant like this grows vertically, the bottom parts often rotting off while the upper parts send out roots and find a new home.

So I wouldn't recommend trying to glue it to anything. Most likely it'll just rot away, leaving an ugly clump glued to the wood. My best success from stem plants comes from weighing down a small bunch with a lead plant weight, then let it hover at the top of the substrate. If it wants to put down roots, it can, but it can still feed from the water column along its length.

[WhiteShadow]

Thanks!

5 hours ago, Kirsten said:

Scarlet temple is a stem plant, so a little different from java fern, which feeds entirely from the water column. Unlike epiphytes like java fern or anubias which send out horizontal rhizomes, a stem plant like this grows vertically, the bottom parts often rotting off while the upper parts send out roots and find a new home.

So I wouldn't recommend trying to glue it to anything. Most likely it'll just rot away, leaving an ugly clump glued to the wood. My best success from stem plants comes from weighing down a small bunch with a lead plant weight, then let it hover at the top of the substrate. If it wants to put down roots, it can, but it can still feed from the water column along its length.