Plant ID

[Andy Thurston]

I aquired this plant with some shrimp around 6 months ago.
I've just started dosing EI and its starting to turn red
Any ideas folks?

 

[Mick.Dk]

Hygrophila polysperma. Tends to go a bit mauve in higher light-levels 🙂
Mick.

 

[Andy Thurston]

If i can get the bottom half the same mauve colour as the top i'll be happy. I'm a bit worried about switching on the third t5 because the tank is algae free and this plant grows 6" per week with 2x t5. Will the higher light make this plant more compact like the pics on the tropica website, if I can keep algae under control

 

[Mick.Dk]

The plant on photo looks pretty much what to expect from this species. It won't grow very much more compact and it will continue to only have the colouration on the nevest leaves. I've never seen the colouration stay on lower leaves.
A "cheap trick" is to re-plant cuttings, thereby "lowering" the coloured part - but it will fade over time.
Hyg. polysperma is by nature a really fast grower, and does not need more light then tbis, judging from photo.
Mick.

 

[Andy Thurston]

Thanks
I'll keep the lights the same and keep ticking over until I get pressurised, then i'll increase the light. At the moment the top of the plant is much more compact than the bottom but you cant really see from that photo
Its easier to see in this one

 

[Yo-han]

When I bought H. polysperma 'Rosanervig', half the pot contained the classic red with white veins. The other half was like yours, the veins where lighter than the regular polysperma I had next to it and more red. Looked like a hybrid or something.

 

[Mick.Dk]

Hi Yo-han
That's because the 'rosanervig' is a variety of sp. polysperma. Therefore the 'rosanervig' has a (sometimes stronger, somwtimes weaker) natural tendency of going back to the original plant ( the species: polysperma ). All sp.-varieties will have this tendency to some degree, unfortunately.
In commercial production such varieties are "cleaned up" now and then, to preserve the variation.
Mick.