• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Emmersed Echinodorus Cordifolius

a1Matt

Member
Joined
10 Mar 2008
Messages
2,489
Location
Bromley
I recieved some emmersed form Echinodorus Cordifolius today (from the Greenline closing down sale 3 plants for £3 odd). I am not going to put them in my tank, but keep them emmersed.

As they are in emmersed form already can I just pot them as is and grow them 'in the open' like a regular potted house plant?
I know that if I was going from submerged to emmersed they would need a humid environment, but is this necessary as they are already in an emmersed form? I hope not!

Any advice appreaciated :) (I'm also wondering about watering them and whether I need to keep the plant pot 'boggy' )

FWIW...

They are just over 2ft long from base to tip with a thick clump of healthy roots and in great condition.

The label says:
'mixed cordifolius swords
rooted in pots
can be adapted to underwater or terrarium use'
 
Re: how do I plant an already emmersed echinodorus cordifolius?

oh bugger...

I just came across this off of 'the Krib'

This is not what I was hoping for... it looks like I now need to work out a way to keep my new plants humid :(

The best I can think of short term is to pot them like a normal houseplant and then shroud them in the equivalent of a clear bin liner, with some little holes for air.

Emerse grown Echinodorus
by krandall/world.std.com
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999
>In response to list members who pointed out the ease at which they get
>their Echinodorus sp. to emerge by lowering water level, I need to respond:
>I have no trouble with E. colifolius (green wildtype) it is the
>fancy-shmancy "tropicaesque" hybrids that are a source of frustration. E.
>rubia, E. ozelot, E. oriental and another (name unknown) that is so red it
>looks like cadaver's blood. My LFS gets them from god-knows-where after
>they have been sitting in a tank long enough to produce new shoot submersed
>leaves. I like David Wilson's 70% sun / misting method. I have had limited
>(open air) success with E. colifolius (MarbleQueen) producing emergent
>leaves, but they seem to remain tiny plants in their emergent form compared
>to the monsters they were submersed. I suspect that since "marble" is a
>natural mutation it may still possess a few rudimentary emergent growth
>survival genes. The "factory #3" Tropicaesque hybrids may have far less of
>these genes.

All of the Tropica Echinodorus, whether species or cultivars are grown
emersed. Most other commercial growers grow them the same way. The fact
that most cannot stand up to the lack of humicity in the average home is
not surprising. Many terrestrial plants need regular misting too in order
to do well. The reason Swords don't like dry air is that in nature, they
grow in bogs, swamps, and at the edge of bodies of water. They grow where
the air is DAMP. If they were desert plants, it would be realistic to
expect them to do great in dry air. As it is, they are beahving perfectly
naturally for what they are, regardless of whether they are wild species or
cultivars.

Incidentally, I've seen 'Ozelot' and 'Marble Queen' growing emersed in a
local greenhouse without any trouble at all. The plants were huge, and
covered with inflorences.

Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association

Source: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Plants/Echinodorus.html
 
Re: how do I plant an already emmersed echinodorus cordifolius?

How big are they? Have you got an empty tank big enough to keep them in? If not, could you get some "storage boxes" (clear) from a department store, or a pound shop?

Depends what you want from them - if you want them to grow and produce baby plants for you to use/sell, go for the storage box option - if you want them to decorate a room you're going to have to go down the paludarium route!

Good luck, let us know how they go!

M

PS post some pics when you get them!
 
Re: how do I plant an already emmersed echinodorus cordifolius?

vauxhallmark said:
How big are they? Have you got an empty tank big enough to keep them in? If not, could you get some "storage boxes" (clear) from a department store, or a pound shop?

Depends what you want from them - if you want them to grow and produce baby plants for you to use/sell, go for the storage box option - if you want them to decorate a room you're going to have to go down the paludarium route!

Good luck, let us know how they go!

M

PS post some pics when you get them!

They are pretty big. Just over 24" from the base to the tip of the leaves. Then another 4-6" of roots :) Unless I tip my tank on its side I don't have one big enough :lol:

I am hoping that they will reproduce, but the main aim is for decoration.

I'll do my best to get some pics posted. Will probably be next week some time.

Wolfenrook said:
Just get a plastic terrarium from your local garden center and grow it in that, keeping the compost nice and moist at all times in a warm and well lit position.

Ade

I think I can manage that :)

Thanks Mark and Ade for your posts I feel more confident now :)
 
Re: how do I plant an already emmersed echinodorus cordifolius?

I've had a good surf around tonight at different terrariums for sale and ways of planting them up etc.

I have decided to opt for a cheapo large clear plastic box\container to start with.
Then if all goes well I will look to get something that is nicer to look at as a more permanent fixture.
 
Now potted - Warning - large pictures

I opened up my 3 pack of swords yesterday... It turned out two were a 'normal size' and one was huge. So the huge one is staying emmersed and the other two will go in the tank. The tape measure is pulled out to about 32" in this pic....

Fish%20346.jpg


Here it is potted. The pot is full of normal potting compost. What a beauty!

Fish%20348.jpg


The saucer is half a casserole dish and filled with gravel. This is a drainage layer, as I have read a a common cause for failure with terrariums is overwatering (they don't need much water apparently as they trap most of the moisture in) and not providing adequate drainage.

Fish%20351.jpg


The 'terrarium' is the bag the plants came in with some PVC electricans tape holding it in place. Blue Peter eat your heart out :lol:

I was in a real rush so had to use whatever bits I had around the house. I think it will do OK like this for the short term :D Although knowing me, it will probably stay like this for a while though :rolleyes:

Fish%20352.jpg


After a few hours it was misted up nicely. After one day it is still misty and the soil is moist to touch but not waterlogged. So far so good :D

Some more pics can be seen here... http://www.djrollin.co.uk/fish/ukaps/emmersedsword/

Cheers for reading\looking :D
 
Back
Top