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Red lotus Bulb not growing

Bhavik

Member
Joined
17 Feb 2017
Messages
250
Location
London
i have a red lotus bulb which shot out quite a few plants but has now stop growing and producing any more plants. ive heard about them going dormant is this true.

If so how do i get the plant to start growing again
thanks
 
I found one that's been dormant for a year plus buried in the substrate when I completely emptied a tank out a couple of weeks ago. After a google, I put it in a ziplock bag sat on a good scoop of the wet substrate (no standing water but quite wet muddy substrate) sealed it up and left it. Just checked it and it has tiny (5mm) shoots! I've just dropped it in a tank to see how it does.
 
hi there thanks for that i will try that!
how long did you leave it for and where did you leave it?

thanks
 
It was the end of April I broke the tank down and I left in on a bookshelf at room temp - would have had some indirect light. I noticed a few days ago it had sprouted and moved it to the window sill. It doesn't seem to have grown much more so I've dropped it in the water to see if that encourages it to continue. So I would say 2-3 weeks out of the water and it showed signs of life. The bulb felt firm - which I understand is the important thing. If it's squiggy then it's rotted and no good.
 
So this is how the bulb looks right now it’s been in the tank all this time just put it in a bag and some sand

Do you think I should keep it in the tank or leave it out?
 

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That's what I did with mine, however mine didn't have the little shoots. It's just grow them so I've put it back in the water. I shouldn't think leaving it in the back for a couple of weeks would hurt it so you could still try that and see if it triggers a growth spurt when you put it back in the water.

I'm no expert though - just sharing my experience with one bulb!
 
I would stick it back in the tank and forget about it, I got given one for free by my lfs that they thought was dead.. It sat in my tank for about a month before bursting into life.
 
Assuming the "red lotus" is Nymphea lotus (in its red form), my advice would be to add a nutrition capsule (= root tabs) right under it (buried in the substrate) in the aquarium.
Nymphea are really very hungry plants, and I often experienced them not really growing. A bit surprising, since they should have stored energy in the bulb or tuber. I now introduce a nutrition capsule right under the plant, which allways induce growth within a week or two.
 
Most of bulb type plants that I have grown if they went dormant,they did so in late fall into winter .Springtime usually brought growth spurts.
Have also buried bulbs too deep,or upside down when first I tried them.
 
ok thats fine i will try that out tomorrow

speaking of bulbs i have a aponogeton ulvaceus bulb which is growing and has sprouted a couple of plants from the one bulb i was wondering how i would go about removing it from the bulb or propagating it

thanks
 
ok thats fine i will try that out tomorrow

speaking of bulbs i have a aponogeton ulvaceus bulb which is growing and has sprouted a couple of plants from the one bulb i was wondering how i would go about removing it from the bulb or propagating it

thanks

That is a tricky thing to do.. Bulb or tuber plants in general depend on this bulb for energy storage. Bulbs develop grow eyes from which new young plants sprout. You can dig up and divide bulbs and grow on the seperate plants. But this is a tricky thing to do, damaging and cutting the bulb can definitvely weaken the plant and they might both die. How to go about is not easy to explain in words.. Because depending on the sp. the bulb rizome can have odd shapes and need to be closely inspected to find the best place to cut.

As seen bellow thsi rhizome developed 2 grow eyes from its bulb till now and growing 2 plants from the same bulb. It could be cut in half and grow on the plants seperately. But as said you end up with 2 severely damaged bulbs with a huge open wound. This can go either way, 2 plants or death. Much older bulbs can have much more grow eyes and plants growing fro it.
1280.jpg


The plant depends on its bulb as energy storage, dividing it you will make seperate plants with a smaller and damaged storage facilty at their roots.
As said it can be done, but succes is not garanteed.. Where yoy need to cut, i can't tell you from a picture, if the bulb is mature and big enough i would need to see it in person and inspect it. Than if cut you need to work very cleanly with causion to nurse the cut bulb back to good health. Prevent rot from kicking in.. :) I had my fair share of failure and succes with bulb division.

But we have to start somewhere, we all have to learn at a cost (or not).. Success if you are willing to take the risks.. :thumbup:

Google for dividing bulb plants and you'll find enough tutorials how to go about. The division of a tuber rhizome is pretty general prosedure if you know where to cut.. The draw back in our hobby is a wounded plant in soaking wet (submersed) invironment, making it tricky.
 
That is a tricky thing to do.. Bulb or tuber plants in general depend on this bulb for energy storage. Bulbs develop grow eyes from which new young plants sprout. You can dig up and divide bulbs and grow on the seperate plants. But this is a tricky thing to do, damaging and cutting the bulb can definitvely weaken the plant and they might both die. How to go about is not easy to explain in words.. Because depending on the sp. the bulb rizome can have odd shapes and need to be closely inspected to find the best place to cut.

As seen bellow thsi rhizome developed 2 grow eyes from its bulb till now and growing 2 plants from the same bulb. It could be cut in half and grow on the plants seperately. But as said you end up with 2 severely damaged bulbs with a huge open wound. This can go either way, 2 plants or death. Much older bulbs can have much more grow eyes and plants growing fro it.
View attachment 124531

The plant depends on its bulb as energy storage, dividing it you will make seperate plants with a smaller and damaged storage facilty at their roots.
As said it can be done, but succes is not garanteed.. Where yoy need to cut, i can't tell you from a picture, if the bulb is mature and big enough i would need to see it in person and inspect it. Than if cut you need to work very cleanly with causion to nurse the cut bulb back to good health. Prevent rot from kicking in.. :) I had my fair share of failure and succes with bulb division.

But we have to start somewhere, we all have to learn at a cost (or not).. Success if you are willing to take the risks.. :thumbup:

Google for dividing bulb plants and you'll find enough tutorials how to go about. The division of a tuber rhizome is pretty general prosedure if you know where to cut.. The draw back in our hobby is a wounded plant in soaking wet (submersed) invironment, making it tricky.


Thank you for your reply I appreciate the problem I have with my bulb is I have a quite a few plants growing from the one bulb and so I’m not sure where to cut
Here is a picture any help will be appreciated i’ll have a look on videos too

I know eventually the bulb of this plant will stop producing new plant after it runs out of energy but I’m assuming after left alone in the tank it will grow more? Is this true?
 

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These plants we call bulb plants in the hobby.. But bulb is more used as a universal term for anything that grows from a bulb. Tho these bulbs can be devided into, Rhizomes, tubers, Corms and bulbs. Each type needs its own approach with trying vegitative propagation. It is not realy plant specific but more type of bulb specific for what is the most succesful approach.

Your aponogeton has a Tuber..

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/weekly_Q&A/f&b-13-propagation-bulbs.htm
Tubers are thickened terminal portions of the stem. They are usually fat, round and knobby and do not grow horizontally. They have eyes or buds that create new shoots which will become new plants. Tubers can be cut into sections containing at least one eye per section.

From these eyes grow new young plants out of the tuber.. If you have difficulty identifying the eyes on the tuber. Than cut only a piece off that already contains a new young plant and leave it intact for the rest. Obviously you need to leave enough tuber material around the new young plantlet.

This you do by inspecting the tuber and decide from there where to cut it off. Than replant the new piece the same, with the crown or the new plants base above the substrate.

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Succes and be carefull. :) It takes practice and maybe failure sometimes..

If you want some examples to learn what to look for identifying eyes on the bulb, than take a Potato.

These are fresh
5230f1d5371a3.image.jpg


If you wait long enough than the eyes shoot out new growth. Than do this
potato-67633_1920-1024x517.jpg


And plant all cut pieces back into the ground and you vegitavely propagating Potatos. Same thing actualy, it just looks a bit different and its a different bulb plant.
googly-eyes-funny-cute-brown-260nw-1366393970.jpg
.
 
Hi there thank you for the response and thanks for taking the time to explain the difference and how to go about doing so I appreciate it!

I ended up cutting the plant about and this is how it looks. Is that good enough? I thought it would be fine seeing as the plant is shooting out roots as well
 

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I do not know it's plant it and wait and see.. The little part of tuber left looks rather small.. Now it comes down to fertilization, light and above all co².
Bulb plants depend a lot on the size of the bulb as energy storage, if there aint much bulb, it needs to come from somewhere else.

Long time ago i got 2 cut parts from an Aponogeton robinsonii, i only have low light low tech aquariums and never could get it to go for real. All large foliage died off and it always stayed super tiny plant. It didn't die and it also didn't realy grow. I gave one baby bulb with foliage to a fellow member @Tim Harrison with a high tech setup. And it started readyli growing. I actualy haven't asked about it a long time if it still is and how it is now. But i remember the tuber i send wasn't bigger than a pincky fingernail.

Anyway now it comes down to going high tech on it or have tons of patience.. :thumbup:
 
The A. robinsonii does not really develop big tubers, so finger-nail size is probably quite the standard to expext. It is not amongst the easiest Aponogetons to grow, but really not difficult, either. I have grown it for years, and it would be labelled "Tropica medium category" if ever commercially produced.
As for the general re-production of Aponogetons from tuber-splitting, it is really much more dependant of having the right conditions, to grow the new plantlets. If your plant was growing fast and well before splitting, chances are high the offspring will, too.
Its quite like "some people can just grow anything"..........(but there is usually a reason for that. )
 
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