Growing Sagittaria Sabulata

[cs_sg]

Hello,

I just got some emersed form Sagittaria sabulata from NA today, didn't know it was the plant. Thought it would make some good foreground plant.

However, from the Tropical Plant profile, I read that this plant can get to as tall as 30cm when they mature.

Anyone knows how can I keep these Sags short for my foreground?
If its going to be difficult to keep these runners short, I'll remove them and replace with something else.

[Justikanz]

Yes, they can grow tall (long) leaves... To keep them short, maybe good lighting is an important factor. My saggis grew leaves almost 2ft (60cm) long when the tank lights was 1Wpg. Unfortunately, I removed all of them when I rescaped and is unable to find out if they will grow shorter with 2Wpg.

To trim them, removed their outer (taller) leaves as you would trim an Echinodoras sp..

[vinz]

Yes, good amounts of light will keep them short. You have to thin the field once every one or two months. Once they get dense, they shade themselves and subsequent leaves become taller.

They will stay reasonably short in low tech/low fert tanks too. The lights aren't very bright in those tanks, but the low fert will keep them short and slow.

[Justikanz]

Oh, now I recalled, they grow tall when they start spreading like mad over one another...

[vinz]

..and when they spread under the taller plants. They create a nice natural look when a few strand of their leaves stick out here and there among the other taller plants. As the shaded light limits their growth rate, they won't take over the other plants at all.

[cs_sg]

So... they will grow tall. I used Japonica as my mid and background, so I don't think I'm going to keep the sag in that case.

My initial plan was to create a 'lawn' or something with it..:O.....now I guess I'll get a field of chives instead.


what else looks close to it (leaf shape and structure) and remains short as a runner? Something like a height of 5cm max.
Something like the height of dwarf hairgrass.

[Justikanz]

You can try:

Echinodoras tenellus:

Good light makes it grow smaller and reddish leaves

Eriocaulon spp.:


Pogostemon helferi, downoi:

Slow growing. If too tall, just trim and replant.

Lobelia cardinals:

Also rather slow growing and trimmable.

Stargrass:

Have the potential to grow tall, but seems to grow slowly and stays short in low tech tanks.

Marsilea quadrifolia

Can stay low for a long time as it is quite slow growing.

Hygrophila sp.(紫紅針葉柳):


There are more... such as Ranunculus papulentus, Cryptocoryne parva, Glossostigma elatinoides (glosso), Hydrocotyle spp. (pennyworts), Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) etc... Or try moss lawn on wire mesh lor.

[cs_sg]

Thank you for the pictures, Justikanz.

I might go for the E. tennellus. I just helped cousin replant them last weekend and they are beautiful when they grow compactly.

Cheers.

[Justikanz]

Can mix it with some normal or dwarf hairgrass.. Think it will look better.

This talk about plants is making my hand itchy for a re-scape... Haha... Wierd, right?

[cs_sg]

i bought some hairgrass yesterday too. And I chucked them all in the bin when I saw all covered with green hair algae. Should have just bought those small quantity in pots

Yes...get another tank and scape..no need to rescape.. :P
wish I have a good camera to show you my 'potential' field of chives.. The thought of it gives me the nightmare

[Justikanz]

What chives, Chyrl?

Feel like rescape cos my tank now messy, like plant warehouse...

[cs_sg]

What chives, Chyrl?

Feel like rescape cos my tank now messy, like plant warehouse...

Well, when the Sagittarria sabulata reaches 1-2ft, looks like the chives ("Gu Chai" in dialect) to me . Also resemblance the common Val in a much darker green, don't they?

[Justikanz]

Err... Not really... The saggis will be narrower and in a lighter shade of green.

[cs_sg]

Err... Not really... The saggis will be narrower and in a lighter shade of green.

I agree that they are narrower but those matured ones that I've seen are really dark green. Have you got a pic of your sag?
Are we talking about the same plant?

[Justikanz]

I'd given all mine away liao... But this is a pic showing some Sagittarria sabulata together with some chain swords... Maybe because of the lower Wpg, the leaves are light green in colour...

[cs_sg]

Yeah, those are the 'chives' I was talking about :P
They are pretty but.....imagine as a foreground.
The emersed form look so short and sweet... I wished I haven't planted my whole 3feet foreground full of it..now I've to remove them all out (**faints**) when I find a substitute.