# methods wanted to adapt echinodorus to emersed form



## a1Matt (17 Dec 2009)

Has anyone successfully transitioned a sword from submersed to emersed and if so could they tell me their method.

I am getting an echinodorus plant (submersed form) sent to me (thanks Wraithio) and my goal is to have it as a pot plant on display in a narrow topped vase\container as I have read that once established emersed swords do not need especially high humidity.

In the past I have unsuccessfully tried...

potting the plant and leaving 50% of the pot submersed and the rest of plant emersed, situated in a tank of 80-90% humidity.
This method worked well for every other plant I tried (crypts and stems mainly), but failed for a sword - the leaves were dessicated after a week or so.

Maybe I need nearly 100% humidity while they are transitioning?
or, I was thinking of maybe planting it in compost (capped with some gravel) in an open topped container filled with water to just above the leaves then let it evaporate slowly.
I have a feeling that if there is not sufficient water tension to hold the old leaves against the water while the new leaves grow through and above the water that this will not work.
I will be miffed if I just end up killing it slowly with this method!


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## wearsbunnyslippers (17 Dec 2009)

i have got a couple of swords to go emersed. i potted them in pots, and filled the water to just above leaf level.

i trimmed off the large leaves, when it started putting out smaller leaves i drained the water down to the tops of the smaller leaves, as they grew, they grew out of the water. i dropped the water level to about half way down the pots, so the plants was almost totally out of the water, just its feet were a little wet...


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## Ed Seeley (17 Dec 2009)

I've done it by potting them in a plastic pot and then putting them in a glass jar filled with water and allowing the water to slowly evaporate.  By keeping the water topped up and slowly allowing it to drop steadily then the plant produced emersed leaves.


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## a1Matt (17 Dec 2009)

Thank you both for the quick and very helpful replies.
Now I know that the 'slowly let the water level down' method works I feel more confident trying it   

How are those swords coming along that I passed on to you earlier in the year Ed? It was a marbled queen or two, and a rubra (I think, but I might be remembering it wrong).


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## dw1305 (18 Dec 2009)

Hi all,
I've grown the adventitious plants ("plantlets") from the flowering stem emersed. I potted them into net pots of perlite, stood in about 2cm of water, and placed under a propagator lid.  I occasionally sloshed some tomato feed in the water (not very scientific, but you could do better) and they grow very well. I didn't try it, but I'd be pretty confident that if I'd transferred the plants to a pot of potting compost, stood in a tray of water and placed a 1/2 a 2l lemonade bottle over them, I could have grown quite big plants relatively quickly.

cheers Darrel


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## a1Matt (18 Dec 2009)

cheers Darrel    

When you did this were the plantlets in emersed or submersed form to start off with?


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## AndyOx (18 Dec 2009)

Hi Matt, 
            I used a similar method with E. ozelot, just planted it in JI NO. 2 and submerged the pot inside one of those outer planters and it transformed really well, god knows how many flower stems it had!! Mind you that was in summer in a sunny windowsill. Still worked a treat tho, then in autumn I transferred it into my main tank and submerrged growth. That transition took a couple of months but then it looked really stunning! I'm currently trying it with another ozelot and barthii however the meagre daylight is scuppering my efforts somewhat but I intend to supplement the lighting now. 

Andy


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## Ed Seeley (19 Dec 2009)

a1Matt said:
			
		

> How are those swords coming along that I passed on to you earlier in the year Ed? It was a marbled queen or two, and a rubra (I think, but I might be remembering it wrong).



No mate; they're both in a tank.  This one is a different E.rubra; much smaller than yours.  It flowers it socks off but has always been rather small emersed.  I'm going to try re-potting when I get time into a larger pot and using some aquasoil to see if that makes it grow larger.


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## dw1305 (19 Dec 2009)

Hi,
I took the plantlets off when they were submersed, but quite small. I just wanted to bulk up some plants fairly quickly.
I'm not sure what would have happened if I'd left them longer, they might have grown bigger, quicker or they might have struggled with the transition from submersed to emersed. 
cheers Darrel


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## a1Matt (21 Dec 2009)

thanks for all the replies everyone    

I will be getting the sword\s in the next couple of weeks or so and am looking forward to planting them up.


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