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Re: [APD] Plant Tabs and Bloomstalks



"Thoroughly disturbed" meaning you rasied up allthe sedimentary detritus in the gravel (and perhaps vacuumed or drained much of this off). I've had the same sort of result without using root tabs -- well, the same if your Kleiner bar is the same gets-too-big-to-really-be-Kleiner-Bar that most of us with"KB" obtained. Sometimes stirring up a stale substrate, releasing lots of nutrients trapped in the muck of the bottom, lessening the shade by mov ing plants about, and even some careful pruning can seem to bring a plant out of it's Sleeping Beauty coma -- sometimes works with ocelots and Amazons, and other swords. So I don't think it was need for root feeding so much as a need for more food, and perhaps more light if they got more. If I was going to suspect a plant of having a pref for root feeding it would be some members of crypt rather than Echinodorus. Crypts seem to love it more the muckier the substrate gets.
 
Hard to figure seasons in house. Besides the tank lighting there's room lighting, no dry season, and the temp can be relatively constant, within about 10 degrees F. You can have flower stalks going pretty much all year round.
 
The Veronica's and KBs, whether true progeny of their namesakes or just similar plants are real beauties though, aren't they?
 
Ime, Veronica and the "KB" tolerate low levels of light and nutirents and both enjoy ample nutrients and light. The KB especially becomes very timid and reclusive if put on diet or kept out of the "sun", so much so that you could almost forget it was there. Although less attractive, imo, Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica' has the same timidity, controlled by diet and light. It's as if they need a bit of a party to come out of their shells.
 
Have plants, 
sh
 
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----- Original Message ----
From: RMGTBTS at aol_com
To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 12:44:47 PM
Subject: Re: [APD] Plant Tabs and Bloomstalks


I had not been using any plant tabs in two tanks that have  some E.  var 
"Kleinar Bar" and "Red Flame". The oldest of the Kleinar Bar had not put out  a 
bloom stalk for over a year and the two others had, while growing nicely had  
not bloomed  for 9 months.  These are in a 135 tank housing some  discus while 
the Red Flame is in a 75 with a large number of Rainbows.  

In early April i disturbed the substrate thoroughly in both tanks replanted  
the swords put plant tabs under them and now have in the last 90 days a total 
of  6 bloomstalks on the four plants and have harvested over 20 pups.

In the 75 there was also a sword that had been sold to me as a "Veronica"  
and which had done basically nothing for a year, putting out a few leaves but  
not really thriving.  It was next to the Kleinar Bar and i moved it to the  75 
and put it next to the Flame.  

Last week it put out a bloom stalk. A really brick red  bloomstalk.

Three questions. One, are swords truly "root feeders"? Two, is the  blooming 
tied to the seasons? Three,  could the spot fertilizing have  prompted the 
production of the bloom stalks, could disturbing and replanting  "woke them up" 
or was i just a little light on the ferts and they needed the  boost? Or 
something else? <grin>
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