• 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

The best tissue culture plants for low tech

Kattis

Member
Joined
25 Aug 2017
Messages
49
Location
Blairgowrie
I’ve been trying to increase plant species and density in both my low tech and high tech tanks. I noticed that some tissue culture plants do really well and some I get no luck at all from both low and high tech. Are there species that are inherently better if they come from in vitro pots and some that just are more robust from pots?
 
I can say I've not had luck with hellanthium tennelum from in vitro... but echinodorus parvula I have... not sure I've tried much else in vitro and potted to be able to compare sorry...
 
Good question, maybe if we all answer with our own experience we could build up a picture, or list of tissue culture plant plants that do well.

Personally, I'm not sure about specifics...I think that mostly it's a bit hit and miss. Some batches seem to have difficulty transitioning from emersed to immersed growth forms whilst others of the same species don't. Stauro can be a bit temperamental. Plants from the same batch can do well in one part of my scape and rot in another. I've had two goes at Ludwigia sp. "Mini Super Red", first time it all just rotted Second time, pretty much the same but I managed to keep a few stems alive and it's now thriving.

Then there are a few plants that are difficult to grow submersed anyway, like Utricularia graminifolia and Bolbitis heteroclita ‘Difformis’, so they're probably going to struggle either way. Conversely, others like MC, HC, and H. tripartita, always do very well for me.

Undoubtedly, unique aquarium conditions and the quality of the plants are going to be factors. For the latter, how healthy the plants were in the first place, and how long they've been sitting on the retailers shelf etc. I don't think you can go far wrong buying Tropica from a retailer with a high turnover like AG.
 
Oh interesting! I have got very rampant growth from Helanthium tenellum Green in lowish tech and Alternathera reineckii 'mini' in high tech, ok from Micranthemum Monte Carlo, Nymphoides hydrophylla Taiwan and Hydrocotyle tripartita (Japan) and no luck with Cryptocoryne crispatula or Pogostomon helferi
 
Oh interesting! I have got very rampant growth from Helanthium tenellum Green in lowish tech and Alternathera reineckii 'mini' in high tech, ok from Micranthemum Monte Carlo, Nymphoides hydrophylla Taiwan and Hydrocotyle tripartita (Japan) and no luck with Cryptocoryne crispatula or Pogostomon helferi
There is an obvious pattern in your list: the first 5 species are plants that will start their growth very soon after planting in your tank. The 2 last plants are species, that need some time to establish themselves in your tank, before they start growing.
 
I’m hoping the crypt will feel like growing in some point but has so far neither melted nor put out any significant roots in neither lowish or high tech tank. P.helferi is the most recent addition to lower tech tank and is just melting so I’m not holding my breath for its resurrection. I’m under impression that melted plants grow back from roots but I’m not sure if that will happen from minute amount of roots in vitro pots
 
The plants do not really re-grow from roots after a "melt". They re-grow from a "grow-point".
The "melt" of Cryptocoryne species usually only kill off leaves, so the plant actually just need to grow new leaves from basis. Crypt. crispatula is known to need longer time to establish then the Crypt. wendtii types.
For a stem-plant (which include your Pog. helferi) the actual stem need to be present after a "melt". It also needs a "grow-point" at this stem, to be able to produce new growth. Such "growing-points" are present at the bais of each leaf and are usually capable of growing new roots and/or new stems. This is why it is advisable to remove lovest leaves of a cutting and put this part of the stem under the substrate. This will usually induce new roots. The part left above the substrate will then produce new stems.
 
Thanks for the very detailed info! Suppose plants chosen for in vitro should be both easy to propagate in a lab and not too temperamental when added to aquarium. Not all of the individual crypt has melted which is probably good news so I’ll just keep waiting to see if they get around to the idea of growing. I’m not holding my breath for the P.helferi but will leave the remains where they are if they find a will to live
 
Back
Top