# "Potted" plants



## BarryH (26 Feb 2017)

Never having bought any, can I ask what you get when you buy an aquarium plant that comes in a pot? Will the plant have a root system and be in soil?

Just wondering mainly why there is quite a large price difference in potted plants and those that arrive with a ring or lead weight.


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## GHNelson (26 Feb 2017)

Hi
Potted plants 9 times out of 10 have roots!
Usually the media which the potted plants are in, is Rockwool.
Bunched stems are usually cuttings....rootless!
Potted plants are also more expensive to ship...as they need to be sent as small parcel rate!
Cuttings can be sent in a 25mm thick box!......Large letter rate price!
hoggie


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## BarryH (26 Feb 2017)

Thanks for the help, really appreciated.


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## Mick.Dk (26 Feb 2017)

Potted plants have spent some time - mostly emerse - in a nursery, establishing a root-system, growing leaves and gathering energy. Usually grow in rock-wool, that should be removed before planting. Some of this energy is stored in the plant and will be used as plant adapts to life submerged. This generally quarantee high chance of success. A very high number of plants can be grown healthy and afordably this way, making a very big variety to choose from.

The ring or led is used for "bunched" plants. These are usually cuttings of stem-plants, sometimes young plantlets. These must use energy for adapting to submerged and furthermore for producing new roots, when planting in a tank. To ensure highest chance of success, good suppliers only sell these cutings from plants that very easily root and adapt to submersed. This means a relatively limited number to choose from.

Hope this is of help........


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## BarryH (26 Feb 2017)

Thanks again for all the help. I think I've learned more on here in a couple of posts than from asking questions at my local fish store in 18 months. Thank you.


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## BarryH (3 Mar 2017)

I bought a number of "Potted" Elodea Densa from Aqua Essentials. They arrived and I was very disappointed when I removed them from their baskets and not a root in sight at all. The plants look as though they were simply stems that had been put in rockwool and then placed in a basket and sent out.

Am I expecting to much to hope for roots as they were "Potted" plants at over twice the price of stems in a ceramic weight?


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## zozo (3 Mar 2017)

BarryH said:


> I bought a number of "Potted" Elodea Densa from Aqua Essentials. They arrived and I was very disappointed when I removed them from their baskets and not a root in sight at all. The plants look as though they were simply stems that had been put in rockwool and then placed in a basket and sent out.
> 
> Am I expecting to much to hope for roots as they were "Potted" plants at over twice the price of stems in a ceramic weight?



Elodea doesn't need a pot, don't ask me why they would put it in and send it on. It only makes shipping more expensive than the plant is.. But it can be put in the substrate and it will readily root.. It is a very fast grower and it will also shoot roots into the watercolumn. Actualy is best to just let it float.. If this plant roots in the substrate long enough, especialy high tech it can take over a tank in no time and shoot up everywhere and you'll never get rid of it again.

Many lfs sell elodea cash and cary in a small and narrow sealed plastic bag stones at the bottom to keep 'm stady down in the water.


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## BarryH (3 Mar 2017)

Thanks Zozo. In the past I have always bought plants from my LFS, Elodea included and after asking about "Potted" plants on here I thought, wrongly so as it happens that if I bought the plants "Potted" they would come with roots and give them a better start.

As I say the ones I got from Aqua Essentials looked as though they were freshly cut stems that had been simply stuck in a basket and posted out.


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## zozo (3 Mar 2017)

BarryH said:


> looked as though they were freshly cut stems that had been simply stuck in a basket and posted out.



Well you have to start somewhere whit propagating, likely if you waited or got plants which were 2 or 3 weeks in the pot already they would probably have rooted.

But as said, elodea in a pot is a bit of a marketing illusion..  And if potting plants is their policy, than what you see is what you get.. Most internet shops have a one way generalized policy for everything they ship to avoid confusement.. Unfortunately not always to our benefit.

Not so long ago i wanted to order some spare parts costing € 2,- charging €10 P/P. , I asked the seller why, it fits in an envelope.. And they said, we ship everything in a box so shipping is €10, take it or leave it.. 

If that's the way it is, it's the way it is.. Take it or leave it.


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## BarryH (3 Mar 2017)

Thanks again. When you say a Marketing Illusion, they certainly had me fooled, getting me to buy plants at twice the cost of stem plants.

With regards to potted plants from this supplier I think I'll Leave It. For me it's a case of Once Bitten Twice Shy as far as Aqua Essentials go.


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## abutterell (3 Mar 2017)

3 potted plants I picked up Wednesday evening, all 3 had substantial roots growing well out of the bottom of the pots.


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## Mick.Dk (3 Mar 2017)

This is IMO how a "potted plant" is supposed to look, root-wise .................


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## BarryH (3 Mar 2017)

Thanks for posting the images. Good to see what a "Potted" plant should look like.


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## BarryH (3 Mar 2017)

Just to add to my "confusion", I contacted Aqua Essentials and was told "Elodea Densa does not have roots when it comes in pots".

Can I ask here on UKAPS what is the point of putting the stems in a pot then?


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## zozo (3 Mar 2017)

Why didn't you ask them?


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## BarryH (3 Mar 2017)

zozo said:


> Why didn't you ask them?



I have and I'm still awaiting a reply.


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## Reayman (7 Apr 2017)

@abutterell how is that Nymphoides Taiwan getting on?
I picked one up from a local P@H a little while back- an absolute showstopper!
Unfortunately a BN plec I'm babysitting likes the taste of it, but I bet yours is your centrepiece right now


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## abutterell (7 Apr 2017)

Reayman said:


> @abutterell how is that Nymphoides Taiwan getting on?
> I picked one up from a local P@H a little while back- an absolute showstopper!
> Unfortunately a BN plec I'm babysitting likes the taste of it, but I bet yours is your centrepiece right now


It grew like mad at first but seems to have slowed down quite a bit now


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## Reayman (10 Apr 2017)

@abutterell it will pick back up I bet.
I have it in two tanks, reached the top in both tanks, one being a 30G Juwel Lido. The largest rosettes were about 10-15cm. When it reached the top though, it then propagated new plantlings and the original rosettes died off.

Keep me updated... and sorry to hi-jack the thread


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## HiNtZ (16 Apr 2017)

The less roots my plants have when I buy them, the better. Nothing more tedious that removing rockwool from a mature root system.....


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## abutterell (25 Apr 2017)

Reayman said:


> @abutterell it will pick back up I bet.
> I have it in two tanks, reached the top in both tanks, one being a 30G Juwel Lido. The largest rosettes were about 10-15cm. When it reached the top though, it then propagated new plantlings and the original rosettes died off.
> 
> Keep me updated... and sorry to hi-jack the thread


@Reayman I've been on holiday for a week and left the niece in charge of the ei dosing, think she might have Been a bit generous with it as theyve shot almost the the surface in a week!


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