Long Leaf Hygro Experiment

[TwoTankAmin]

I have always preferred the look of single stems. I know theycan be made bushy by pruning them and leaving some leaves below the cut which would cause them to put out miltiple new stems creating more of a bush look. So for years I have mostly pruned stem plants by pulling them out of the substrate cutting them about in half and replanting the top half. I threw out the lower half. This way I always has single stems.

Now and then I got lazy and lopped off the top and elt the bottom do its thing while I replanted the top elsewhere. This ended me with multiple stems and the next prune I harvested my normal way and returned a single stem or two to the tank.

In a couple of tanks I have a number of long leaf Hygro stems. In my 75 gal. there are so many plants the hygro gets leggy. When I prune it there are no leaves on the lower 6 inches. So I pull up the plant cut it leaving the lower piece without leaves and that is thrown out. I have always wonder what would happen to a lower lower stem with 0 leaves if it was replanted. So about a week ago when I did a prune in the 75, I planted three stems pieces in a pot in the 75 and another stem I pushed into the gravel at the from of a 29. Some had a decent amout of roots and some barely had any.

What do people think may have happened or will will happen. Did or will the stems just die because of no leaves? Will the bare stems develop new leaves and then turn into typical hygro?

 

[fishorama]

I've never grown willow leaf? angustifolia hygro well. I may be the only 1. I'm guessing the rootless leafless cutting will not grow unless floated & I'm doubtful. The rooted 1 might try to grow some stunted leaves at first then may recover. This is assuming that both stems are still green.

 

[dougall]

I will say it depends on the actual species of hygrophila as well as what is actually in the substrate glfir each, if anything

 

[fishorama]

Uh oh, dougall, what does glfir mean? You know I have no clue...even if it's a typo I can't guess

 

[dougall]

It was supposed to be 'for'

I should read next time ?

 

[fishorama]

LOL, that was some fancy lack of typing skills, 1 of your best!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

OK- more info to clarify,

F fishorama
I did say that there were roots on all of the piece and some had a decent amount. But one at lease has just one thread of a root.

The three pieces in the pot went into fresh gravel in the pot. However, it was gravel removed from a planted tank before it dried out and was in a shoe box sized rubbermaid with no top. The gravel is small and a mix of Estes Bits of Walnut and Fluorite. There may have been a bit og laterite in it as well.

The single piece went into the substrate of an well established planted tank. So I could easily observe it I put it almost agaist the front glass. The substrate has great mulm, get spot gravel ferts and also water column ferts as well as Excel. The water ferts and Excel are dose after the weekly water change and the substrate spot fert is Jobes Fern & Palm Spike cut into a proper piece size. these are added every 3 months. Iy is possible a nearby compacta sword which gets gravel ferts is close enough for a bit of the piece on the front side of the plant makes it to where the Hygro is. But it can't be much if any at all.

D Dougal
Don't feel bad, 2 of the 5 letters you typed were actually in "for." If this were baseball you would be batting .400 and a super star.....

I used to think I could not spell and am still a hunt and peck typist for going on 60 years. I finally realized these were not my problem. My problem is my fingers are dyslexic.

The hygro is one of two vatieties. I have to look them up I have had them for years. I got them with shrimp from rachel many years ago.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I found the description for the Hygro. I was not 100% certain of the variety but I had narrowed it down to
salicifolia or Corymbosa var. 'Angustifolia.' I think it is most likely the latter.

 

[FJB]

How about a picture of the Hygrophila ?

 

[TetraFreak]

If you're running high lighting and good ferts, beware of the corymbosa! that grows just as fast as Water Wysteria!