Reply With QuoteHigh nitrate and PO4 level means that something is limiting your plants uptake...Your K level is low..get it to 20ppm using K2SO4 (cheaper). How about CO2? You need to maintain it at 20-30ppm during your lighting period.
Hi,
for those who have tried growing this plant, can you advise what is the best way to trim it? Is it like normal stem plants where it will sprout new shoots from the cut area?
By the way, is it suppposed to be bright red? the LFS in Bishan (I think it's called Pet Junction) told me it's supposed to be bright red. well, my plant is dull green and is growing pretty slowly.
Running on 2.5x1x1 ft Juwel tank. 2x36W PL + 2x18W PL. NO3>40ppm & PO4>2ppm. Dosing TMG 5 ml and Seachem K 1 mg per week.
TIA[:]
Cheers
Boon Yong
High nitrate and PO4 level means that something is limiting your plants uptake...Your K level is low..get it to 20ppm using K2SO4 (cheaper). How about CO2? You need to maintain it at 20-30ppm during your lighting period.
Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
haven't tested my co2 yet. but running at >3 bubbles / sec. my KH is at 4 dkh. supposed to use some chart and match against my ph to get my co2 level right?
By the way, how do i measure K? Sera doesn't have test kits for K as far as I know.
Cheers
Boon Yong
Don't be afraid of my duck!
There are no hobbyist K kits around as far as i know. But you should try for 20-30 ppm of K, which means roughly 1.5 teaspoons of K2SO4 (get cheap from Dr Mallick) every time you change water. Use this site to calculate the proper dosage for your tank. Overdose of K isn't really a problem, except it can lead to Ca or Mg deficiency in plants (distorted new growth), but it's nothing that Ca/Mg supplementation can't cure. A good dose of K in the morning should result in evident increase in plant pearling by afternoon.
To trim stellata, just use a sharp scissors to trim the old stem... you can replant the top and if the old stem is still robust (not stringy and totally leafless), it will develop new shoots from both the top and base. But after 2-3 rounds of trimming, I prefer to throw away the old (worn) stem and only use the top cuttings. The stems need to be planted individually, with sufficient light reaching the lower parts or the plant will look pathetic. The stems are also prone to rot if handled or squeezed too much. Some folks posted a while back about how low NO3 leads to redder red plants... maybe you could try getting your NO3 down to 5-10 ppm (with PO4 at 0.5-1 ppm).
Search the web too for the pH/KH/CO2 table.
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