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Windswept Eternity

It is difficult to grow plants emersed, obviously humidity is the main issue...nice study with the hygrometer Marcel.
I've pretty much had the same experience with the plants you mentioned, they all seem to make the transition from emersed to submersed and back again quite well.
Creating a microclimate using other plants can work well, and I think we've all had varying degrees of success at that, like Neil with his cuttings in Tripartita and Frogbit.
But best of all, like Roy mentioned, it's a learning curve and we're learning together;)
 
Indeed Tim.. :) Keep trying and beeing patient usualy pays off.. As long it is green somewhere there is life and hope.. At the time i'm wrestling with a small piece of java fern to make it more hardy to lower humidity.. Started with this last year november in a glass, it still is alive today, survived a fungus attack and now it seems to do ok without a lid already for weeks, if i see it getting in trouble i cover it again. I do not know where it ends, it might take another 8 months to fully addapt and i maybe can take out of the glass and put it above an open top tank. But it still is just a tiny plant. Trying the same with a Bolbitis heudelottii in a little green house same time period now and still alive but barely grew, not humid enough i guess. The Hetroclita next to it didn't realy make it or got overgrown. Dunno yet. Having such a fern above an open top that's my final goal, would be like a cherry on top.. :) Maybe next year.

Here it was 8 months ago and here it is today still strugling a bit but holding on without cover now for weeks.
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The heudelotii, same story, slowly addapting. Darn slowly..
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Tripartita also does relatively good in low humidity, not realy fast, planted some into the moss on a emersed piece off wood relatively high above the tank.. And is flowering now. Not realy impressive and you have to look twice, but it's a flower. In a controlled greenhouse with same light (natural) it grows 10 times faster..
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:)
 
That's really patient plant husbandry...
I think Amano had two massive Bolbitis heudelottii growing out of his home aquarium. I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that it had taken nearly 2 years for them to get to that stage...
I've found that E. Tenellus does well out of water too, as does Taxiphyllum barbieri.
 
It indeed takes a lot of time.. And the bigger the plant is the more difficult it is and the more space you need to make the transition. So i tried with very little cuttings and wait for new growth.. Btw do you have a link to that article? Do they eleborate a bit on how he did it? In my theory i think he also started with a small very young plant and what i see on the java and bolbitis, new growth wich formed emersed has more leathery shiny texture.. :) Old leaves might never addapt fully to low humidity.. Unfortenately i had a major fungus attack, it almost died on me.. But managed to make it survive, more then half of the plants in that glass didn't.

Taxiphyllum sp. Peakock also :) It's also growing on wood outdoor in my garden pond in the waterfalls splash zone.
 
Btw do you have a link to that article? Do they eleborate a bit on how he did it? In my theory i think he also started with a small very young plant and what i see on the java and bolbitis, new growth wich formed emersed has more leathery shiny texture.. :)
Hi Marcel I found it. It's an extract from Nature Aquarium Complete Works 1985-2009, p248...

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This isn't the scape he mentions above but it's one from the ADA gallery with emersed B. heudelotti growth.
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Wow! :eek: Thanks Tim.. I got to order me that book, now i'm too curious.. That's awsome.. And indeed kinda what i thought.. Years of patience and care.. :) That where Wabi Kusa comes in to prepare the plants and slowly get them hardy. I've planted a lot of java like that in my low tech, very close to the surface, only the leaves sticking out its tips survived.. One java i got from Roy from one of his WK's, planted it 50% emersed, but it was to early didn't make it.

I'm not so sure about what is written about the high light i rather believe those metal halides definitely will help to give the plant a tropical climate and probaly create a massive column of moist air above an open tank. I know those lamps get extremely hot. Hence in nature they grow in shaded spots, got a bolbitis in a WK for many months now and it has no no artificial light at all only filtered daylight and its at the base of a piece of wood shaded. In high light it probably grows bigger and faster but i can't believe that's the only contribution to make it work.

I tried to achieve the same with halogene spots to create more evaporation, they radiate a lot of heat as well. But my roof window spoiled that, have no lights at all above the tank now and a naturaly lit tank. Was the only way the get rid of the algae. I refuse to believe i need metal halides for that. So i guess it would take me 8 years to proof my theory.. :lol: See you when i get there.
 
Came home from 2 weeks holiday and found the HC cuba had gone mad forming large dense cushions.
It's also carpeting well despite less than ideal lighting.
I gave it a severe trim today.

Luckily, there wasn't any algae despite very low CO2, I guess the plants had grown so much demand outstripped supply.

I've also ordered a pot of Anubias nana Pangalino from one of our sponsors - Aquarium Gardens, and Cryptocoryne wendtii Kompakt from an online vendor.

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Thanks Neil and Ryan, hopefully I'll be getting some fish tomorrow, not sure what yet, I'll wait and see what my local has in stock.
:eek: :nailbiting:

Love that elephant's trunk.. :)
Haha it's the family pet.. a miniature elephant, Iv'e had him since I was a child. Damn thing always has his trunk in my tank, sucking it dry:D
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Yeah well...that'd be me:p
It was getting a bit cumbersome and slightly embarrassing introducing myself at events and meetings as Troi AKA Tim or vice-versa:rolleyes:
 
Thanks Neil and Ryan, hopefully I'll be getting some fish tomorrow, not sure what yet, I'll wait and see what my local has in stock.

Haha it's the family pet.. a miniature elephant, Iv'e had him since I was a child. Damn thing always has his trunk in my tank, sucking it dry:D
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I know we had one too, they can nuisance sometimes, especialy when they grow up..
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Yours is awfully cute... And indeed suits your scape.. Wet and and dry phases are good foor HC..
 
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