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Can you train an Echinodorus cultivar to stay smaller ?

stu_

Member
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9 Nov 2011
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Location
Gloucester
Hi
in the past i've successfully trained a Red Lotus plant to stay smaller & more compact, over time by constantly removing its larger leaves.
Can you do this with an Echinodorus sp.? Not sure which hybrid it is,as it was unlabelled and cheap.
I tried growing it emmersed but it refused to flower, so i gave up.It doesn't get much bigger than this, but that's just a bit too much.

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Look suspiciously like a 'Reni' - leaves a bit slim, though (but individuals have small variations, due to being hybrids).
- I believe you can actually "starve" Echinodorus to stay small(er)........but you would need to find the quite precise line between "just staying alive and still healthy" and "slowly starving to death".............
This would involve same techniques as is used for standard bonzai-growing, I guess.

As for Tiger-lotus, I'm sorry to say, that this species has very huge individuel variations in how fast they want to go to surface, leafsize, vigour and colouration (just to name some). Some individuals can be trimmed into a long life submersed - some just want to go surface as fast as possible, and will not be held back very long, by trimming.
 
And for clarification: I would really not recommend the "bonzai growing" of Echinodorus for smaller growth. They are defenitely not the obvious choice for this technique, being so vigorous growers.
As per my usual dogme : "choose the plant, that suit your needs"........instead of trying to force a plant into something against its nature, since this will only bring continuous frustrations.........
- for the fun of it, though - never let "difficult" stay in your way...........
 
Thanks for the id Mick.
I guess I got lucky with the Lotus.
The alternative to using the Echinodorus,was to bin it,and its far too nice to do that.:D
I like a challenge.
 
Hi all,
The alternative to using the Echinodorus,was to bin it,and its far too nice to do that
I'd give it a go in the tank, it is a beauty.
I believe you can actually "starve" Echinodorus to stay small(er)........but you would need to find the quite precise line between "just staying alive and still healthy" and "slowly starving to death".............
This would involve same techniques as is used for standard bonsai-growing, I guess.......They are definitely not the obvious choice for this technique, being so vigorous growers. As per my usual dogma : "choose the plant, that suit your needs"........instead of trying to force a plant into something against its nature, since this will only bring continuous frustrations.........
I agree with "Mick.Dk", you have to be good with observing your plants to balance the "just staying alive and still healthy" and "slowly starving to death".

Assuming you don't want to reduce the level of nutrients and starve all the plants? You can remove the older leaves from the edge of the leaf rosette, but you will need to find the optimum number of leaves to leave to keep your plant from terminal decline. If the new leaves (from the centre of the rosette) start to get noticeably smaller I'd leave a few more of the older leaves on until the new leaves are larger.

You can "bonsai" a lot of plants, but with really fast growing vigorous ones they can only grow when the "amp is set all the way up to 11".

cheers Darrel
 
Assuming you don't want to reduce the level of nutrients and starve all the plants?You can remove the older leaves from the edge of the leaf rosette
Putting it in a co2 tank, with Amazonia, probably isn't helping :D and that's what i'm currently doing with the leaves.Luckily, its not too vigorous
 
If it really is the Ech. 'Reni'......it is one of the "smaller" Echinodorus. This still mean a final hight of anything between 25 and 40 cm. though !!
Colour will be an intense, beat-red colour on good light and high fert (incl. CO2) conditions - it really is one of the most intense-coloured types !!

(- and now I will leave you to your project, Stu............. :shy: )
 
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