• 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

Planting/Trimming Marsilea Crenata & Marsilea Histura

Andrew Butler

Andrew Butler

Member
Joined
1 Feb 2016
Messages
1,740
Location
Banbury, Oxfordshire
As the title suggests what experience do people have of Planting/Trimming Marsilea Crenata & Marsilea Histura in a carpet?
Sensible advice welcome ;)

Any information gratefully received
Andrew
 
You don't really trim it. It's not a 'stem plant' like monte carlo, it's one set of leaves on a stem growing off a rhizome/runner. It grows to the height it grows, with plenty of light it'll stay low and spread. But if the leaf stems get shaded or covered it'll grow as tall as it needs to find light, i've had stems in a neglected tank grow 20cm.

It may get too dense, in which case you could thin it out, but that would be quite messy and in my experience it grows slowly enough for that not to be a huge concern.
 
Kezzab said:
You don't really trim it. It's not a 'stem plant' like monte carlo, it's one set of leaves on a stem growing off a rhizome/runner. It grows to the height it grows, with plenty of light it'll stay low and spread. But if the leaf stems get shaded or covered it'll grow as tall as it needs to find light, i've had stems in a neglected tank grow 20cm.

It may get too dense, in which case you could thin it out, but that would be quite messy and in my experience it grows slowly enough for that not to be a huge concern.
Click to expand...
Reading is so varied about Marsilea with people suggesting trimming it and others saying the complete opposite.
I realise its the runners that spread giving you extra leaves, I guess when it becomes too dense it's just a case of trimming the taller leaves out at the runner then?
Planting just like MC though?

Thanks
Andrew
 
Kezzab said:
Yes, just cut into bits and plant. As long as yoi have a bit ofthe rhizome it should grow.

Unlike mc it doesnt just grow into a denser and deeper layer, itll cover an area but not end up inches deep
Click to expand...
I knew it wouldn't for something like MC/HC but what about spread? - if I'm to plant Crenata and Histura mixed I'm correct to think it should fill out, plan is back right; behind the wall.
Lots of individual stems with leaves on growing upwards?

20190613_211217 (2).jpg
 
Because i cant see the vision in your head it's hard to answer.
In my (limited) experience Marsilea will grow quite slowly and you'd need to plant quite a lot to start with if you didnt want to wait ages to get coverage. But exactly how it grows is going to depend a lot on your specific tank.

Glossostigma elatinoides has a similarish leaf shape and will carpet faster, but it's 'advanced'.

I don't have your patience, i'd have planted this by now and see what happens - learning by doing. The way you've done the hardscape means uprooting and starting again wouldnt be too much hassle if it didnt work as you want (ie its not super intricate and fiddly).
 
Kezzab said:
Because i cant see the vision in your head it's hard to answer.
Click to expand...
I'm unsure if you mean overall or just for the Marsilea.
Assuming it's just with regard to the Marsilea being on the right hand slope, behind the wall then I guess just a carpet filling out on the hill and combining the 2x types to add a bit of interest (hopefully)
The picture below looks quite filled in I think.

Kezzab said:
I don't have your patience, i'd have planted this by now and see what happens - learning by doing. The way you've done the hardscape means uprooting and starting again wouldnt be too much hassle if it didnt work as you want (ie its not super intricate and fiddly).
Click to expand...
I've learnt patience and I'm sure I will do it regardless but it's always interesting to hear of peoples ideas or experience.
The hardscape has always been laid out to be easy to plant, add/remove things etc - well that's the idea!

marsilea-hirsuta-600x400.jpg
 
I've used Marsilea on a couple of tanks and found it filled in as a carpet really quickly. The carpet itself becomes very thick and requires regular thinning (teasing out runners rather than pruning with scissors). The leaves are thick and fleshy and much larger than MC. Personally I don't think it would offer the finer texture required to scale with this scape, but that's just a personal opinion. Love your concept btw :)
 
Ray_Norwich said:
I've used Marsilea on a couple of tanks and found it filled in as a carpet really quickly. The carpet itself becomes very thick and requires regular thinning (teasing out runners rather than pruning with scissors). The leaves are thick and fleshy and much larger than MC. Personally I don't think it would offer the finer texture required to scale with this scape, but that's just a personal opinion. Love your concept btw :)
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's interesting to hear, I might still give it a go; more as an experiment, I can remove it easy enough. I'm not really looking to scale here; more just having a play.
I wanted to plant something with a little more height in the back right hand and thought this might work.
 
Planty said:
I just trimmed all mine back to the substrate. It’s been growing 6 months and was starting to get dense and a bit ugly. I’m hoping it’s going to grow back now. It was planted quite densely in clumps when I planted it at first. I’ve probably killed it :dead:
Click to expand...
Have you any photos or direct me to a thread of yours to look please?
I guess it would be interesting for you to report back on how it reacts to your trim back to the substrate.
 
Looks beautiful. Such a lovely carpet plant. My attempt at it failed: after a good start, the runners turned black and the plants died. I suspect it had a bad reaction to Excel, but I'm not sure. Yours looks gorgeous, and I love the school of Bleeding Hearts. :clap:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top