Can plants grow in rocks?

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stephen

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Stephen
I just got a new plant. It has some small roots but would it be able to grow in the rocks?
 
Depends what it is
happy.gif

If you don't know, throw us a picture, we might be able to help.
 
This is a pic of the plant I got
83004.jpg

These are the roots
83005.jpg
 
Would agree with Kaysie, but it's PRETTY!
Keep a careful observation of it however, you don't want it suddenly keeling and rotting in your tank.
 
It is an aquatic plant because I bought it from the pet shop and they had it in water. It has small roots on the sides. Normal plants dont have these, there roots come out from the bottom of the plant.
 
That's aluminium plant (http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week052.shtml]Pilea cadierei[/url]). It's also sold potted as an indoor plant.

It will probably live a few weeks in water before it rots. Lots of 'normal' plants have aerial roots - usually it indicates that a plant will root when stams touch the ground.

Pet shops often sell terrestrial plants for fish tanks and often don't know the difference. Your best bet is to have a look online for a plant/s that suits your setup and then find a supplier or ring around until you find it. Don't trust the pet shops to know what's going on.

Good luck,

Peter
 
You can also keep the roots in the water and the leaves outside, that works for a few plants like the Hemigraphis colorata... Worth a try.

If you want to try with something else, I would suggest an Anubia. That's a low-light big leaved aquatic plant, and it grows in rocks.
 
Stephen, I know you're not a botanist, but feel free to look at any of the climbing vines, or plants that propagate from stems/leaf cuttings. Pothos is a great example. Roots of terrestrial plants don't necessarily come from the bottom.

Don't believe everything the pet shop tells you. They just want your money.
 
I still think that my plant is an aquatic plant because the roots have got huge!! I will post a picture of it soon.
 
Last edited:
Hi Stephen, if you get a chance go to a plant nursery and ask them about aluminium plants and get them to show you one. It will look the same as yours with 'small roots on the sides' if it's been kept moist. They will tell you it likes to be kept wet and that it can be grown indoors in a well lit position or in a shaded spot in the garden. It can be grown emersed (roots underwater and leaves above) and is quite popular as an indoor hydroponic plant because of this. If you want to keep it submerged it should last a fair while, but I would keep an eye out for rotting stems and leaves because they'll pollute the tank if they're not removed.
 
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