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Broken Sword
Alysoun wrote:
>Should I expect the leaves on the broken section to decay? (Obviously, a
>few will. I suppose it depends on how badly the growing tip is mangled.)
>If so, should I be aggressive in removing them, or hesitant? Will I risk
>damaging the plant further by removing such leaves while it's trying to
>recover?
I'm not sure what you mean by "the broken section". If you mean that the
leaves are completely separated from the vegetative cone, then yes, they
will decay. Echinodorus do not have the ability to regenerate an entire
plant from leaf material alone. (some plants, such as Java Ferns can) If
you mean that the vegetative cone split, and there is a piece of this with
each group of leaves, there is a good chance that each piece will become a
whole new plant. If you are not sure whether there is enough material from
the vegetative cone with a particular section, I would plant it as you
would any other sword and watch it carefully, removing any parts that show
signs of degeneration. (cut back to healthy tissue) Any leaves that are
clearly damaged at the base will definitely die, and should be removed
before they deteriorate further.
Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association