propogating Ceratopteris cornuta?

[plah831]

How do I split up a big head of this water sprite? It's just exploded into this big lettuce-sized head of like 20 leaves. How do I get a few little plants out of this one giant plant so I can spread it out between my other tanks?

I've also noticed that pruned leaves of this species will also begin to sprout new leaves on their surface. But these look much uglier than the original plant. So is part of the root the key to a pretty water sprite?

 

[fishorama]

Mine grows entire small plants near the center of the big ones. Have you tried picking them loose? The leaf pieces do seem to grow very slowly but ugly? I don't know...Have you gotten the duckweed-like babies? Now there's a PITA, the fish think they're flakes, sucked into filters. I like it though.
Fishorama

 

[fresh_newby]

You can breat up the water sprite however you want. It is a fast grower and you have to thin it out at times. Real propagation is done by adventitious shoots.

 

[fishorama]

While we're on the subject of c. cornuta, has anyone tried planting it in the substrate? Tropica says it works but it didn't the 1 time I tried it, maybe too shaded? :huh:
Fishorama

 

[plah831]

mine are planted in the substrate. I think they do a little better. They develop really nice roots and grow leaves like crazy. They grow leaves pretty easily floating, anyway, but now they're REALLY taking off. Hence my "problem" with huge heads of them.

If I just cut off a green leaf and plant it, will it grow new roots?

 

[fishorama]

I think it might grow baby plantlets, at least that's what the pieces do floating. Maybe try a "sprig" rather than just 1 leaf. How much light does yours get? Mine's just under a single tube, maybe I'll try it in a different tank's substrate, but still low light. So, does it look more like regular (c. thalcritoides) watersprite with a stem then? I only have a little regular, I think it's still working on submersed growth or else isn't really happy.
Fishorama

 

[plah831]

yeah, the problem with this water sprite species is it doesn't grow in "sprigs". It has no real plant base, it's just a collection of large leaves bunched together at the bottom with a bunch of roots growing out. I guess it's the "fern" species of watersprite. Here's a pic http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/otto/Aquarium/Pictures/Pflanzen/Ceratopteris cornuta.jpg

I've seen pics where the leaves get really long, but mine haven't done that. They all grow to about the same size and then more little ones come out from the middle and reach about the same length (4-6 inches) and seem to max out. So it's getting wider more than anything.

I still don't know what to do with it! The leaves I've cut off and grown floating don't develop roots and seem pretty different from the parent plant.

Mine are under low light, too. I was using just a single tube fixture, but have upgraded to the double tube flourescent fixture this weekend. I also have some growing in my snail breeding buckets, under ambient light from the window only.

 

[fishorama]

Sorry, I thought it was like the tropica drawing when planted (I can't get the link to show). Looking closer at the drawing it does seem like all leaves start at the roots just longer & thinner, no stem. Your pic looks like mine except mine is a more tangled mess. Hopefully someone else has suggestions, I'd like to know what's up with this plant too. Maybe the new light will help. How about razor cutting a clump in half to get some roots & leaves, there could be enough base to get both. Now I'll have to try & see the other kind, maybe it does the same thing & I haven't noticed it behind other stuff...
Rooting a leaf has not worked with bolbitis for me so you're probably right about the fern thing. The leaf piece hasn't rotted so I left it, ever hopeful.
Nancy

 

[plah831]

How about razor cutting a clump in half to get some roots & leaves, there could be enough base to get both.

Thanks for the replies, Nancy! I'll try that suggestion. I actually thought of it, too, but didn't know if it was too far-fetched. Perhaps I'll try asking this question at plantgeek.net and see what they say. I'll let you know!

 

[plah831]

fresh_newby, you were right. It seems I can cut them anyway I like and they will sprout new plants, roots and all, in true weed fashion

See my thread at plantgeek.net http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=49152#49152

I was reassured that basically any green part that gets detached from the parent plant will start to grow an entirely new plant (possibly within hours! ).

I'm guessing the clippings in my snail breeding buckets aren't making nice complete plants due to poor lighting and no intentional fertilization on my part (snail waste only).