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RE: Growing large amounts of Elodea
> > Chris Thompson wrote:
> I am new to the list, and need some advice. I work at a
college Bio.
> > Dept., where we use a HUGE amount of Elodea for teaching plant
> biology
> > and basic microscopy. We have been buying batches of Elodea every
> > semester, and to assist in my effort to get a tenure-track position,
> I
> > volunteered to grow the plants, so we wouldn't have to spend the
> money
> > on it. A quick inventory of existing equipment:
> >
> > 1 20 gallon long tank w/~3 inches plastic gravel
> > Hood with 1 flourescent fixture
> > Air pump
> > An ancient canister filter that I don't trust
>
Hi, Chris--
Since this is plant biology you're teaching, I won't bore you
with the
taxonomy and environmental requirements for this North American
cool water species. ;-))
This is a fast-growing stem plant. Huge amounts simply means
huge amounts of space, and lots of light (it's a fast growing
plant).
Since you didn't indicate the amount of biomass required, adjust
these numbers accordingly.
I can get 1-2" of growth per day per stem in my tanks. In a
dedicated
20 gallon tank, I'm guessing you should be able to harvest 10" a
day
in maintenance. If you prefer to clip the terminal meristem and
want to keep propagation from the base, you will take a time hit
until the lateral buds develop after IAA drops off from clipping
the top.
One flourescent fixture isn't enough... you probably want two or
three, or just stick it in the window. I have a 55g here at
work
with tons of the stuff and I haven't had a light bulb over it in
three
years.
Do NOT spend a lot to grow this plant, or you lose all your
motivation to stop buying it (it's cheap). I recommend you
don't fertilize at all (the plant will do better with a couple
of
fish, though...) For your needs (and mine), I recommend
less than 1" of fish for every two to four gallons of water.
If you must have a steady supply, you want either several
tanks for redundant (backup) systems in case one crashes,
or a very large system that isn't likely to crash. I prefer the
latter.
If 10" a day isn't enough, you want the cheapest body of water
available. Go get a $150 stock tank used to water cows. These
above-ground fiber-glass tanks are the cheapest way to hold
a *lot* of water, and you should be able to generate all you
will
ever need. Keep it outside if weather permits, because sunlight
is free. The plants over-winter pretty well if you have 3'-4'
of
depth and you don't get a solid freeze in the tank. You can
aerate and heat (very modestly) if you don't have that depth (a
stock tank usually gives 24-30" of water). You can bring some
Elodea sp. indoors to grow in the winter. If growing outdoors
you will probably want to put some fish in there like the
ever-famous Cyprinus sp., to keep the mosquito larvae down.
If you do it right, the stock tank is a beautiful thing that
functions
best sitting next to a lawn chair, good books, and a chocolate
malt machine.
--charley
charleyb at cytomation_com