---
title: "This is my first time propagating and I’m trying to use my little…"
description: "This is my first time propagating and I’m trying to use my little fish tank. I noticed the ends of the propagations are brown on two of them and it seems to be…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/mbhXGO86fLw5lOTSDYa6eC"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "Diana"
published: "2026-08-25T15:00:25.856799Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/qf3L2aeEwH4XZRQ7ibEh7t8RyzXTZWNTCGVUgFwZP6s/YBBwOyZeTCaUTvWiulfDow.webp?size=large"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Anything about plants](https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg.md)

# This is my first time propagating and I’m trying to use my little…

_Posted by Diana on 2026-08-25_

This is my first time propagating and I’m trying to use my little fish tank. I noticed the ends of the propagations are brown on two of them and it seems to be spreading… Are they rotting?? On the lighter stem you can see little white roots starting to poke out but it’s really close to the brown area. What should I do if anything?

Just for reference the water is moving and they are near the filter so get some circulation.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/qf3L2aeEwH4XZRQ7ibEh7t8RyzXTZWNTCGVUgFwZP6s/YBBwOyZeTCaUTvWiulfDow.webp?size=large)

## 11 comments

### Diana commented on 2026-08-25

Here’s some more pictures and a different angle!

![Attachment 1 of 2](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/qf3L2aeEwH4XZRQ7ibEh7t8RyzXTZWNTCGVUgFwZP6s/EPX_9ceSTH-nGow_v0Wp8w.webp?size=large)

![Attachment 2 of 2](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/qf3L2aeEwH4XZRQ7ibEh7t8RyzXTZWNTCGVUgFwZP6s/2Dv9bcNaRPikleqUnIcjzA.webp?size=large)

### Sterling0230 commented on 2026-08-25

It does look like they are starting to rot, make sure you let your cuttings callous over before putting them in water to help prevent rot

#### Diana replied on 2026-08-25

😭 So should I take them out and cut it off then let it sit out to dry and put it back in?

### Sterling0230 commented on 2026-08-25

I would, that would probably be your best bet. Cut the parts that are rotting off, then let it callous for a few days. Make sure you still have a node left on the cutting for roots to grow from

#### Diana replied on 2026-08-25

They still look a little dark on the inside, I’m not sure if that’s normal/okay. That’s as far as I can cut it to keep the node though. Think this will be okay?

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/qf3L2aeEwH4XZRQ7ibEh7t8RyzXTZWNTCGVUgFwZP6s/NywyqiQxQjyTpsu1LXu9Hg.webp?size=large)

#### Sterling0230 replied on 2026-08-25

It should be fine, after they callous and you put them in the water you might notice the ends turns brown again, that’s ok as long as it doesn’t start spreading quickly like before

#### Diana replied on 2026-08-25

Sounds good! Thank you so much for your help! Hopefully they turn out well, but at the very least I know for next time.

#### plantgeek replied on 2026-08-25

that is bacterial infection in the stem. you need to cut it until the stem is completely clean and white. unfortunately that means sacrificing these nodes

#### Diana replied on 2026-08-25

Oh no 😭 thank you though!

### Cindy Branson commented on 2026-08-26

I do a lot of propagation and I have best results with straight fresh water and a partial plant spike, usually within days they sprout the little hairy looking roots, at 2-3 weeks I plant them.

#### Diana replied on 2026-08-26

Maybe I’ll try putting these ones in fresh water after they callous over just to be safe. Thank you!

---

_Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_