aponogeton bulb

[TheZoo]

Others on this forum helped me identify this super-fast growing bulb... I read on the net that if you let it go to seed, the whole plant may die. So, I took off the long seed-stalk, and it immediatly sent up another! This one too is out of the top of the 20 gallon tank. Should I just let it be this time? Will it reproduce if its the only Aponogeton in the tank?

[Danny-O]

OK, no one else seems interested, so I'll take a stab at it.

I don't think the aponogetons die if they are allowed to seed; rather, I think they need to "rest" after doing so. They'll come back, but after a period of dormancy. Keeping the flowers nipped off may delay the dormancy.

Mine are constantly putting up flower stalks, and I keep yanking them off--though sometimes I let them go for a while before pruning. I have not had one (I have four in the tank) go to seed yet, at least not what I recognize as seeds. They keep growing. I've had these about 7 months or so.

[TheZoo]

well, I'l let it go for now and see what happens!

[Captain Hook]

I've been told that for swords if you take a q-tip and touch each flower it will produce seeds. I'm guessing this would apply for Aponogetons as well but don't know for sure.

[yonukka]

mine are doing the same thing. I'll trim them and they just grow back. I dont know what to do with them. I've had them them growing up to .5 cm. an hour.

[RockabillyChick]

the plant will die back and go dormant, but the bulb will only sprout again if you have very nutrient rich substrait so it can soak up nutrients and store them for "next time" if it can't soak up enough nutrients to get started after it goes dormant for a while, it won't sprout again.

[rodmarquezjr]

It depends. What Aponogeton species do you have? If it's Asian (crispus, longiplumosus, rigidifolius, undulatus), the plant may self-pollinate and produce bulblets on the flower stalk. Leave them on the stalk until the stalk rots and the bulblets float. Eventually they'll sink and grow into new aponogetons. I don't have experience with Australian and African aponogetons though but I've read they do go dormant, flower stalk or no flower stalk.

[TheZoo]

can someone point me towards a good website that shows the different Aponogeton species? (Pictures!)