Java Fern - new leaves on rhizome vs. on older leaves
Walter Wu
I've got some Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus) tied down on some
driftwood in my planted discus tank. Several of the older leaves
(larger tri-lobed) are sprouting small plantlets, but I would rather see
new leaves sprouting from the rhizomes instead (some of the leaves are
growing out of their rhizomes, but not as many as I'd like).
Are there any "tricks" to getting the plants to grow more leaves from
the rhizomes instead of the leaves? I like to get some "thick" bunches
of leaves.
Thanks for any info and you can email me back directly:
Walter
Chu...@Worldnet.att.net
patrick timlin
Walter Wu (wu00...@mc.duke.edu) wrote:
: I've got some Java Fern (Microsorium pteropus) tied down on some
: driftwood in my planted discus tank. Several of the older leaves
: (larger tri-lobed) are sprouting small plantlets, but I would rather see
: new leaves sprouting from the rhizomes instead (some of the leaves are
: growing out of their rhizomes, but not as many as I'd like).
Are the Java Fern relatively newly introduced? I have found that soon
after the plants are put into a new tank, they start to grow new plants
off the leaves first. Eventually new leaves will sprout from the rhizome
as well as the rhizome itself starting to creep out from the plant.
: Are there any "tricks" to getting the plants to grow more leaves from
: the rhizomes instead of the leaves? I like to get some "thick" bunches
: of leaves.
You might try removing the old leaves with the little plants growing on
them. Those you can leave in the tank (just tuck one side of the leaf
under some gravel so it will not "blow" all over your tank. The little
plants will continue to grow with no problem. In the meantime, with
those old leaves gone, the original plant may put most of its energy into
sprouting new growth from the rhizome.
Patrick Timlin pti...@lynx.dac.neu.edu pti...@ade.com
Cheng706
I have one of my Java Ferns in a box in my 10 gallon aquarium. The
rhizomes, unable to grow out of the box, intertwine with itself making one
big bush-like plant. I got the results a couple months after planting the
result of good light and CO2.
Happy planting,
Cheng
North Carolina