[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #862



Holly,  I had this same sort of experience.  I bought an 
Echinodorus osiris early on in my plant tank experience.  I used it 
as a foreground plant in a 30 g tank, and it didn't do much.  Then I 
began to figure out, little by little, how to do this aquatic culture 
stuff, and added proper fertilization, and then CO2, and suddenly I 
had a goliath.  It was a very beautiful plant, and I allowed it to 
dominate the tank until finally I had to decide between pulling up all 
the other plants in the tank, or pulling up this one.  The sword plant 
lost.  I had already tried cutting off the older, outer leaves so that 
only the more upright newer leaves remained, but it was still just 
too big.  It put out about a leaf a day, and if the CO2 dropped too 
low it did the biogenic decalcification thing and white powder 
covered its leaves.  It had a root system that extended from one 
end of the tank to the other, and had extended its rhizome forward 
toward the better light at the center of the tank about 6 inches.  

How do you feel about having to take care of just one plant?

Cathy Hartland


> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 10:32:05 EST
> From: HWagner490 at aol_com
> Subject: Giant sword plant
> 
> I never thought I'd regard this as a problem, but I have a sword plant that's
> too big.  When I bought it at the local huge commercial pet place (I *know*
> what you're thinking but they keep the plants in a separate tank) it had a tag
> that said "Echinodorus osiris."  For a long time, I had trouble getting it to
> stay alive, let alone grow.  Then I potted it with some richer substrate and
> it improved, and it became a darker green with sturdy leaves that were about
> 3" long.  Then I put it in my 55 which has better light and substrate.  Well,
> now it's the Sword Plant that Ate Manhattan.  This thing gets a new leaf every
> day, and the leaves are now at least 6" long.  I'm about to introduce a yeast
> CO2 bottle, and I'm kind of afraid of what's going to happen to this plant!
> Does anyone have any advice on pruning sword plants?
> 
> Holly