It must be spring...

At least a couple Aponogetons in my 45G think it's spring...



A. undulatus, perhaps? One of those mystery 'betta bulbs' I had sitting around and threw in the tank last November.



A. ulvaceus -- one of those boring-looking bulbs from the December plant auction! The leaves near the glass are in a bit of rough shape right now, but there are lots of new healthy leaves, so no worries. It's a beautiful plant, well over 2 feet tall!


I want more snow! Ski season isn't supposed to be over yet

Just a quick note on the Aponogeton species:.... You made note of the Ulvaceus having some rough looking leaves. Cut them off down by the bulb. As fast as these grow, you will have the leaves back up to a foot+ in no time at all. I have had many customers e-mail me, and say: "Send me 6 more of these bulbs, because these things Rock !!!" You can almost watch these plants grow right in front of your eyes !!!

Apons are like outdoor bulbs like Tulips, Daffadil, etc. They are "seasonal". Meaning: After they have started to look like they are going to completely die, you can pull the bulb from the tank, cut off all the leaves right down to the bulb. Toss the bulb in some sawdust to keep it dry. A month or two (even up to 6 months) later, put it back in your tank, and watch it grow like wild fire. As long as the bulb stays firm, you are good to go. IF the bulb becomes "mushy", you might as well toss it in the trash.

Madagascar Lace is an Aponogeton, which I find that a lot of people weren't aware of. Madagascar Lace is a plant that is absolutely Awesome, but a lot of people kill it. The best way to keep Madagascar Lace plants looking great, is to provide them with shade. Indirect lighting is the key to success with them. Also; You want to keep water temps around 65-72 range.

Another one of the Apons that I find interesting, is the Boivinianus. Those get HUGE. I always have them shoot out a ton of leaves that reach the top of a 125g, and start going different directions once they reach the top of the tank. Nice dark wavy leaves.

The Longiplumulosus are pretty cool also. They lave a narrower leaf, that gets the notorious wavy leaves.

All in all; The Aponogetons are one of the coolest plants out there.

Jeff
ThePlantManager

Wow, thanks for the info!

Mine are doing great from the auction. Took over the 75 gallon. My fish hid in leaves and sleep in them like a bed. Kind of funny. Everone did it at one time or another.

Mike

Close up of a Madagascar leaf:.....



Here is a very young one in a 20g long:......



Here is a flower of a Madagascar Lace:....



Close up:..........



Hopefully the pictures will load correctly.

Jeff
ThePlantManager[/url]

what's the best fertilizer method for saint paul water: tabs into substrate; liquid into water; other? thanks in advance...

The best piece of advice that I can give you on frets, is: Plant Tabs are the way to go !!!! I like API tabs the best.

Here is why I say this:.... Where does Algae grow? In the open tank !!! Why would you want to provide Algae with a liquid dosing? With Root Tabs, it focuses the nutrients to the root system, and keep from giving nutrients to the Algae. Heck of a concept. LOL

Jeff
ThePlantManager

Thanks for the tips, Jeff. I cut off the worst looking leaves (the outermost ones when I followed them down to the bottom, as expected). That plant is already appreciating the increased water circulation around the crown -- it's sending up a couple more new leaves and added close to a foot on the flower stalk today!

Funny you should mention the Madagascar lace plant; I moved one last week to a slightly cooler tank with my Celestial Pearl Danios, and aside from the mature leaf I broke off, it's doing great. There are already 2 new leaves poking up from the bulb, along with 3 remaining mature leaves. Yup, this was another "brown lump" I took a chance on a couple months back! I hope to keep it alive long enough to get flowers; that would be really cool.

I think most of my plants are happiest with an enriched substrate (root tabs), getting nutrients on an as-needed basis. However, there are floating/rootless plants that will benefit from liquid dosing. I end up using both methods.

ThePlantManager wrote:

The best piece of advice that I can give you on frets, is: Plant Tabs are the way to go !!!! I like API tabs the best.

Here is why I say this:.... Where does Algae grow? In the open tank !!! Why would you want to provide Algae with a liquid dosing? With Root Tabs, it focuses the nutrients to the root system, and keep from giving nutrients to the Algae. Heck of a concept. LOL

Jeff
ThePlantManager

thanks; that is what i was getting at. since you mentioned these are grown from bulbs i suspected you would say tabs.

Got flowers on the ulvaceus today, and another stalk is on the way!



Yup, my loaches like the leaves as a bed, too.

Jen,

Aren't these plants just too cool !!!! I guess I really need to grow more of these, due to the fact that every time a customer comes to my hose, they see them, and buy almost every Aponogeton in stock. LOL.

Have a most wonderful day, and try to stay warm up there. I won't tell you that it was 64 degrees here yesterday, because I don't want you sticking your tongue out at me.

Jeff
ThePlantManager

My A. ulvaceus is still sending up flowers!

MAS question:
Would I be able to get HAP points for it flowering? Who needs to verify it?

Thanks!