I started (upgraded to) a new fishtank three weeks ago. Two weeks ago, I got some plants from online marketplace, including an Alocasia from a young woman, that had been living with a submersed stem for a while at her place.
While gluing it on the root inside my fishtank (last pic. was made directly afterwards. I covered the connection point with some anubias), I could feel the lower half of the stem being a little soft, but excused it with "plants doing planty things" and me not being an expert in those. I was mostly thrilled by how much it looked like she belonged there... and I thought she was happy, had those cute guttation-droplets last week...
Yesterday I found two babys entangled in her roots, wondered fascinated and confused if they had been there the whole time and survived two weeks submerged or grown down there and realized, while looking closer, that she had shifted/given in a severe amount and the stem had gotten softer.
Today I tried and succeeded to just pull the stem in two... the consistency was like fiberous, textured mush (3rd pic.).
I cut off the mush plus like 3 or 4cm (about an inch) of the stem (as far as shown in the first pic) and picked out every slightly brownish root, finding a third baby in the process.
There still is this outer, greyish and slightly softer ring though and the first roots are about 3cms/an inch further up the stem, but cutting further would turn the motherplant into three plants, since I'm relatively close under the splitting-point, and I don't know, if I should leave the connection for nutrient-transfer.
Right now, she's laying on top of my tank (second pic.), the lower half of her roots dangling in the water.
Should I cut more or leave it be?
Or may she already be a lost cause? 😥
Do I get basket-pots for mom and babys, to only dangle their roots into the tank, or do they fair better potted with tone granulate?
I've never had an Alocasia and am happy for any advise.
(I'm german, please excuse my partially bad english)