Growing Echinodorus emersed

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I remember seeing someone's pictures here that included a tall emersed Echinodorus plant at his balcony or something.

How do we go about growing them emersed?

[valice]

Think that is KF's setup...
He planted them into those betta tanks... Maybe can ask him to explain more...

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Yes yes! Juggler's! What intrigued me was he left them entirely in open air... you can grow Echinodorus like that? I had the impression they needed the same sort of setup as crypts.

[Justikanz]

Well, actually, crypts also dun need so humid leh... See Teo's plants? Granted that they are watered frequently, so I guess it is most important that their roots (and soil) are kept wet...



Those plantlets, often also just grow right out of the tank, remember?...

[joydiv]

In nature, most echi are land plants or semi submerged.

If you want to grow it from submersed to emersed, you need to keep some of the leaves wet first. After new leaves have grown and get accustomed to growinng out of water, you can grow it normally like any plant. Just need to keep the soil moist all the time.

I have ozelot, red flame and Barthii growing in emersed setup and they flower very readily.

Hope this help.

[juggler]

Yes yes! Juggler's! What intrigued me was he left them entirely in open air... you can grow Echinodorus like that? I had the impression they needed the same sort of setup as crypts.

Oh. Yes. Sounds like my setup. The post is here: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...&postcount=179

I was impressed with Roland's setup. So I tried to plant them emersed. He kept the Echinodorus outside his home just like other household plants.

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Juggler, that's the post! So you can keep Echinodorus just like any other house plant? That's great.

joydiv, if I buy them from shops (already grown emersed) do I still need to go through that acclimatisation phase, or can I just put them in soaked soil like how juggler does it right away?

[joydiv]

If the echi is already grown emersed, like those from Teo, you can plant them like any house plants. Just make sure the soil is moist all the time. A liberal dose of fertiliser will see them flowering continously.

[Justikanz]

Oh, do E.tenellus flower too when grown emersed? Am thinking of trying them in a vivarium...

[yorky]

By the way, emersed Echinodorus and Crypts are real popular in Japan..
All they use is a small container filled with ADA Aquasoil.
And then put several such containers into a small tank filled with water just slightly above the container level.
And a light about 2ft above the tank.
There you have a collection of diff Echinodorus emersed!

[primavera]

I grow some of my echinodorus 'emersed' too. Orginally left them growing with some waterlilies in a big vat sometime ago, submersed. Then they started growing emergent leaves. Now they have their roots in mud, and only 1/3 of the stem in water. Echinodorus 'Marble Queen" looks especially nice with emersed leaves as it has a more distinct white marbling. Submersed, it just looks like light green streaks. Also, they throw flower spikes continuosly with dainty white flowers, and later bear plantlets along the flower stem too.

Be careful when acclimatising them to emersed growth, especially in a windy outdoor location. I once bought a bunch with waxy emersed leaves, but exposed them to outside air by planting them halfway in water. The leaves crinkled up and died. A terrarium should be alright though as humidity will be kept constant.

[Xema]

I think, if the air humidity is over 60%, echinodorus can grow easyly emersed.

Greetings from Spain

[joydiv]

E.tenellus do flower although I have never seen it before. In fact all Echi flowers.

Perhaps will try growing tenellus emersed.

[Justikanz]

I am looking for emersed E.tenellus now...

Anyway, saw this emersed Echinodoras sp. at Teo's plant. Any idea which Echi this is? This proves that Echis can be grown emersed without fear of the plant drying up as long as the soil is kept wet.

[Goondoo]

I think, if the air humidity is over 60%, echinodorus can grow easyly emersed.

Greetings from Spain

If my dumb brain serves me correctly, Singapore's air humidity is 90++%?

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Thomas, that picture gives me hope! I'll be trying once I get the time to get a emersed specimen.

[Justikanz]

Got time and transport, go Teo's, Terence. You will be terribly inspired by the emersed plants they have there! And you can get the emersed specimen from there too. Maybe you can join us for one of our trips. But you have to tahan the 'uncle' humor, haha...

[wong1979]

just keep in moist sand/soil, they grow like weeds.