Everytime I prune mine, the bottom part only sends out a single side-shoot, but the original rooted part (where the new shoot is coming from) seems to brown off. But I've seen bunches with up to three growing tips. Is there ways to stimulate the plant into putting out more shoots? What about leaving it grow along the surface a bit before pruning?
How to make Elodea bushy
- Thread starter janger
- Start date
mine look like little bushes. I pinch the main top off and it shoots 2 in its place. Then when another main shoot is established, pinch that off too and 2 more will shoot. This is the best way to "bush out" most stem plants.
I wonder if light has anything to do with it.
in my lower light tank..I get single sideshoots..in my higher light tank I get 2 sideshoots.
in my lower light tank..I get single sideshoots..in my higher light tank I get 2 sideshoots.
I have elodeas that are sending two sideshoots... A 20H with 15W PowerGlo fluorescent bulb, It just floats around everywhere, even in the lower level of the tank. I don't fertilize that tank. Since it's floating, there doesn't seem to be any direction to the growth :S
Yeah, I was going to mention that. Though my brother has less light over his tank and his elodea is branching heaps. At the same time most of it is floating. Mine is growing fairly fast, but I wonder if not only the intensity but the spectrum of light makes a difference. I have DIY lighting, and haven't put the Sylvania bulbs in yet. Was going to put a mix of growlight/cool white and see what difference that makes.
Dave
Just posting an update.
I changed one of the fluoro tubes for a warm white but it didn't seem to make much difference. But I also realised our very soft water could be the culprit. After adding shell grit to the substrate and putting some bicarbonate in change water, some of the elodea plants are getting up to 3 shoots each now. I'd had a bag of shell grit in the sump, but since ripping the sump out, I forgot to mix some in the sand. All fixed now.:dance:
I changed one of the fluoro tubes for a warm white but it didn't seem to make much difference. But I also realised our very soft water could be the culprit. After adding shell grit to the substrate and putting some bicarbonate in change water, some of the elodea plants are getting up to 3 shoots each now. I'd had a bag of shell grit in the sump, but since ripping the sump out, I forgot to mix some in the sand. All fixed now.:dance:
no janger....my KH is zero...I have extremely soft water with no problems~ It must be something else...
Hmmm, I think you may be right fresh_newby.
Yesterday I went to my brothers to test his water parameters. His tank is smaller than mine but we originally set them up at roughly the same time. Same substrate, same plants, keep the same sort of fish etc. The difference is he doesn't maintain his tank as much as I do. However, his plants are growing amazingly and the water is crystal clear. The only difference in water parameters is his nitrates are huge, 60-80ppm. Whereas the ambulia in my tank dissolved away to nothing, his are lush and bushy. Light is about the same considering the different tank sizes. Really have no idea what's going on.
Yesterday I went to my brothers to test his water parameters. His tank is smaller than mine but we originally set them up at roughly the same time. Same substrate, same plants, keep the same sort of fish etc. The difference is he doesn't maintain his tank as much as I do. However, his plants are growing amazingly and the water is crystal clear. The only difference in water parameters is his nitrates are huge, 60-80ppm. Whereas the ambulia in my tank dissolved away to nothing, his are lush and bushy. Light is about the same considering the different tank sizes. Really have no idea what's going on.
maybe it's like amazon swords. planted, they grow leaves up and roots down. let them float, and they grow into a ball of leaves with root tendrils coming out everywhere.