Knew tooth is Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 Could someone please tell me what's going on with my Java Fern? I didn't want to glue the plant to a rock or a piece of driftwood. So, I anchored it to the substrate with some lead weights. There are these stringy brown threads coming out of the rhizome. Are these roots? How come the roots aren't going into the substrate. What can I do to help this plant grow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 those are roots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 (edited) On 7/31/2024 at 9:12 AM, Knew tooth is said: What can I do to help this plant grow? It might like some more potassium… As to gluing it to a rock, it doesnt have to be a big decorative rock. You can glue it to a smallish rock, just big enough to weigh it down reliably. You can submerge the majority of the rock under the substrate so it isnt as visible. To my eye it looks better than a metal plant weight. Edited July 31 by Pepere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 Thanks, so they're roots. Aren't the roots supposed to grow into the substrate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 On 7/31/2024 at 9:41 AM, Knew tooth is said: Aren't the roots supposed to grow into the substrate? Plantlets typically go with the flow until they snag on something like a rock or driftwood. The roots than tend to attach to the rock or driftwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 Don't plantlets grow out from the leaves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 (edited) On 7/31/2024 at 9:45 AM, Knew tooth is said: Don't plantlets grow out from the leaves? Yes, then they dislodge and free float in the water column…. Until they snag on something… Edited July 31 by Pepere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 These roots look like they're coming from the rhizome, not the leaves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 On 7/31/2024 at 10:00 AM, Knew tooth is said: These roots look like they're coming from the rhizome, not the leaves. They are. When a Java Fern starts having plantlets they form on the leaves and at the base of the plantlet you will see the rhizome and rootlets form. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach Cruiser Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 They are coming from the rhizome. Plantlets form their own tiny rhizome & roots before they detach. Java fern feeds mainly from the water so roots are kind of haphazard. You can tuck them gently into the gravel if you want. The above advice about glueing to a small rock is what i do. They are super slow growing but making sure they have all the ingredients for growth helps. They don't like to be moved once established. They wont die back, but they will stall for a bit. One thing that really helped mine was to up the gH with Equilibrium buffer...but i have really soft water so they were missing calcium & magnesium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 On 7/31/2024 at 11:05 AM, Beach Cruiser said: One thing that really helped mine was to up the gH with Equilibrium buffer...but i have really soft water so they were missing calcium & magnesium. Equilibrium also has a healthy amount of potassium as well. Java fern is a bit of a potassium hog.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach Cruiser Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 Agreed. I get best growth around 15/2/25 NPK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 On 7/31/2024 at 9:11 AM, Pepere said: Equilibrium also has a healthy amount of potassium as well. Java fern is a bit of a potassium hog.. Love the "potassium hog" 😄 They definitely are that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 thanks everybody for the advice. Java, Java, Java Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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