# Water Wisteria stems



## xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx (Jul 12, 2011)

It's because you have a "weak" substrate that's not supplying nutrients to them. You can add some SeaChem root tabs to your substrate to give it a better nutrient base.


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

I have wisteria planted in inert blasting media and they root like crazy. No ferts.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

I doubt it. My water wisteria is in several tanks without any sort of fertz...
I don't dose and I have inert substrate and it still grows and roots like crazy.
What kind of substrate do you have?


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## kcartwright856 (Jan 16, 2012)

Another thing to consider may be how recent is "recently".

They could just be adapting to their new environment if we're talking about a few days here!

Other than that, I don't really have any suggestions or solutions.


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## Studman0143 (Mar 20, 2011)

I'm voting that it is just adjusting to its environment. I have wisteria planted in just a pile of rocks in my shrimp tank and it grows fine. So yeah, keep cutting and replanting, it'll turn around.


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## BBradbury (Nov 8, 2010)

*Your Water Wisteria*



CHM said:


> I recently added wisteria to my tank. The bottom portion of the stem keeps turning brown and soft, so I have to cut that piece off and replant. Why is this happening? I don't add CO2 or flourish/excel. Could that be the reason?


Hello CHM...

I've found if you plant Water wisteria, it needs to be trimmed short. If it gets tall, then the upper leaves cut off the light to the leaves below and you have a tall plant with leaves at the top. The stems aren't really healthy either. 

If you attach the plant to a piece of driftwood with thin sewing thread and float it close to the light source, it will grow across the top of the water and the entire plant gets good lighting. Then, it can be trimmed between roots and planted.

I don't use CO2, its not needed for a nicely planted tank. I do dose a micro nutrient weekly, and use 6500 K bulbs from the hardware store. The fish take care of the macro nutrients.

Plants do best in pure water with high levels of minerals. So, I change out half or more of the water in my tanks every week.

Just some suggestions to consider or not.

B


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## CHM (Mar 8, 2012)

By recently, I mean one week. I'm using plain gravel for the substrate, so that might be it...but then again Studman0143 uses gravel too. There's growth only on the top and new roots grow off the side of the wisteria stems. Should I cut where the new roots are and then replant?


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## BBradbury (Nov 8, 2010)

*Water wisteria*



CHM said:


> By recently, I mean one week. I'm using plain gravel for the substrate, so that might be it...but then again Studman0143 uses gravel too. There's growth only on the top and new roots grow off the side of the wisteria stems. Should I cut where the new roots are and then replant?


Hello again CHM..

I trim about three inches of a large plant just below a good root system. I use plastic pots with a little pea gravel on the bottom, then organic potting soil, put in the plant and cover with more pea gravel. The wisteria loves the potting mixture and it fertilizes for several months.

B


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## WendyRob (Feb 9, 2012)

CHM said:


> By recently, I mean one week. I'm using plain gravel for the substrate, so that might be it...but then again Studman0143 uses gravel too. There's growth only on the top and new roots grow off the side of the wisteria stems. Should I cut where the new roots are and then replant?


 Hi, I'm going through the same thing with mine. I had pea gravel until last night. I just redid my tank with sand. Maybe the wisteria will take to the new substrate better...
Do you know if you bought the emersed or submersed form? Mine looks like emersed & I've lost leaves on each stem as well as the bottoms rotting :icon_roll


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## CHM (Mar 8, 2012)

WendyRob said:


> Hi, I'm going through the same thing with mine. I had pea gravel until last night. I just redid my tank with sand. Maybe the wisteria will take to the new substrate better...
> Do you know if you bought the emersed or submersed form? Mine looks like emersed & I've lost leaves on each stem as well as the bottoms rotting :icon_roll


Good to know that someone else has the same problem! What do the emersed and submersed forms look like? Mine was a tube plant from Petsmart, if that makes a difference. It's a long stem with just a few leaves. The bottom leaves fall off, and I only get growth on the tops.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

CHM said:


> Good to know that someone else has the same problem! What do the emersed and submersed forms look like? Mine was a tube plant from Petsmart, if that makes a difference. It's a long stem with just a few leaves. The bottom leaves fall off, and I only get growth on the tops.


Its emersed growth that is dying off...
thats normal...
The stuff in the tubes is grown above the water. give it time to acclimate...


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## WendyRob (Feb 9, 2012)

I'm new to plants so please anyone correct me if I have this wrong. But what I've read is the emersed form has small roundish leaves with notches in it and the submersed form is the one with the really cool looking leaves, like here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/170-Water_Wisteria_Hygrophila_difformis.html

Mine was a tube from Petsmart too, so it sounds like we have exactly the same thing going on!
Wendy


CHM said:


> Good to know that someone else has the same problem! What do the emersed and submersed forms look like? Mine was a tube plant from Petsmart, if that makes a difference. It's a long stem with just a few leaves. The bottom leaves fall off, and I only get growth on the tops.


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## CHM (Mar 8, 2012)

WendyRob said:


> I'm new to plants so please anyone correct me if I have this wrong. But what I've read is the emersed form has small roundish leaves with notches in it and the submersed form is the one with the really cool looking leaves, like here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/170-Water_Wisteria_Hygrophila_difformis.html
> 
> Mine was a tube from Petsmart too, so it sounds like we have exactly the same thing going on!
> Wendy


Has your wisteria grown into the submersed form? Wisteria from the tubes have never gone well for me...


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## WendyRob (Feb 9, 2012)

CHM said:


> Has your wisteria grown into the submersed form? Wisteria from the tubes have never gone well for me...


 No, still new-ish to the tank though. I'll let you know if it does anything but make me weep :wink:


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## ZLogic (Aug 7, 2011)

Give it time, Wisteria has got to be the most indestructable plant I've ever had. My father in law had clipped a piece that turned brown and tossed it off to the side. I grabbed it 4 hours later and shoved into my tank, haven't touched it since and it's grown to the top of the water and spread across the surface. 10 gallon, 1.5wpg, no co2, plain gravel, Flourish Comprehensive once a week, if I remember.


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## WendyRob (Feb 9, 2012)

I've got new growth! It looks like the pics of submersed growth, and my stems haven't rotted again that I can see. I haven't pulled them out of the sand to see if any roots have developed; I'm too chicken


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## Fdsh5 (Jan 3, 2012)

Sounds like your off to a good start. It should start growing like crazy now. I know my wisteria does. Take some pictures once a week and you can compare the growth. You won't notice it that much day to day but when you compare weekly pictures, it really shows you the new growth.


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## CHM (Mar 8, 2012)

I have new growth too! But it's like two leaves per week...and there's lots of roots randomly coming off the sides of the stems. Should I cut the wisteria?


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