Sword plants-how can I get them to grow?

Sure, you could try the flourish iron and see how that goes. How did they look when you got them? Maybe you just got a bad bunch. Maybe it is your lighting? How do you know they are dying? I mean is it really obvious like melting leaves, holes in leaves, or yellowing of leaves. Perhaps they just haven't settled yet. I wouldn't give up on other plants just because of one bad experience. Good luck. :)
 
Sammie7 said:
How did they look when you got them? Maybe you just got a bad bunch. Maybe it is your lighting? How do you know they are dying? I mean is it really obvious like melting leaves, holes in leaves, or yellowing of leaves. Perhaps they just haven't settled yet. I wouldn't give up on other plants just because of one bad experience. Good luck. :)
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Lighting is 2 WPG. They looked great when I got them, beautiful green and very bushy. I know they are dying because the leaves turn yellow, then start to melt and if I forget to take them out they get moldy. New leaves grom but can't keep up with the leaves that die and the plant is considerably smaller than when I got it a month ago. I had the exact same problem with a swor I got 4 months ago and finally I gave up a threw it out. Since then I have increased lighting but no change. Like I said before it's not just swords I have problems with, but all rooted plants. My stem plants and moss grow like there is no tomorrow.

Other rooted plants I have tried are Vallisneria spiralis, crypts, and a rooted tall grass plant I can't remember the name of. None of which survives more than a few weeks, so it's not just the 1 bad experience.
 
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Considering that, maybe you should just try and find the kinds of plants that you both like and are able to keep successfully. What other plants does your local fish store offer? Try looking on this site for suitable plants.

http://www.aquahobby.com/e_garden.php
 
I have the opposite problem. Stem plants hate me.

Sometimes it's not even a matter of anything at all so it seems. I provide an optimal growing environment for all plants and yet only certain ones like to live. I really think that there are just some weird, unknown hidden factors with growing plants in certain water or aquariums or who knows what.

Long story short, if these plants aren't growing for you no matter how much you try to accomidate them, leave it go and move on to things that do.

For as much as I would love to grow moneywort, hygrophila and bacopa...even with high light, ferts and CO2 - they just hate me. Yet crypts, rotala, water sprite and amazon swords just love to grow for me with no effort at all. I will never know why.
 
Most swords are grown emersed by suppliers (leaves out of the water) because they grow faster & bigger leaves. When they are grown submersed (underwater) the new leaves are smaller & usually a little different shaped.The older,emersed leaves die eventually. I've only recently been able to grow swords since I started using an iron & micro-nutrient root tab. I use sera florinette-A about a 1/4 tab per plant once a month. If the leaves start looking yellow it's time for more. I have low light & until last week I had a UGF. Of course I don't have an Amano stlye plant set-up :rolleyes: .
Nancy
 
I agree. Most swords show massive dieoff shortly after they are introdcued into a tank, unless they have been at a fishstore long enough to go through that die off. My sword grows in a 10 gallon with regular gravel, 2 wpg of light, an HOB filter and no ferts. It has been alive and growing for 4 years now. I have to trim it our it will easily take over a smaller tank. It throws babies as well every so often.

Just let your fish "mulm" accumulate and you will eventually have a well soiled substrate.
 
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