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Re: anubias leaves cupping
Ed Hengel writes:
> Does anyone know what causes an otherwise healthy, flowering, Anubias
> barteri's leaves to cup?
Sounds like a shortage of calcium however I would expect to see symptoms
of deformed leaves on faster growing species long before Anubias. It is
difficult to diagnose a deficiency or nutrient toxicity problem from
visual symptoms. At best its educated guesswork however the guessing can
be assisted by understanding if the water supply is lacking in one of
the major nutrients. Sometimes the problem can be caused by a viral
infection in the plant itself and the symptoms will persist with
cuttings transplanted into new and different conditions. Other times, a
surplus of one mineral such as magnesium can interfere with the uptake
of other nutrients however I can't provide much help with that.
Troubleshooting a nutrient problem can take several steps taken one at a
time patiently (don't shotgun):
1) if everything is working, don't tinker
2) establish a good balanced nutrient regime (see the PMDD articles or
visit my website for my own version)
3) if that doesn't cure it, learn more about the water supply parameters
and adjust the dosage regime if necessary.
4) test for a shortage of certain nutrients by adding an extra dose and
observing for a couple weeks
5) if you have a home-brew substrate, ask for advice; there can be
problems here
6) if using a soil substrate, the mixing of peat or humus greatly
detoxifies potential excess of trace metals such as copper, zinc,
manganese and so forth. Pure mineral soils should be mixed with peat
(IMHO) unless they are known to be inert. Topsoil rarely has a problem
because the humus it contains detoxifies any excess metals that might be
present in the parent rock that the mineral component of the soil
originates from.
7) submit a tissue sample to a lab for analysis. Hey its cheap and
quick. Maybe this should be step 1) ??
8) submit a soil sample to a lab for analysis. I doubt that you need to
ever go to this extent but I need to mention it for completeness. It is
an inexpensive and educational option.
Steve Pushak Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Visit "Steve's Aquatic Page" http://home.infinet.net/teban/
for LOTS of pics, tips and links for aquatic gardening!!!
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