Propagating baby windelovs

Since starting up my tank 3 weeks ago, I've added a fair number of plants. 2 plants melted away from the get-go and my Amazon Swords are making an attempt at suicide as well (mine is a low tech tank with no CO2 added). However, most of the other plants are growing like weeds and doing extremely well.

I got a couple of Windelov Java Ferns from the LFS, with the advice that they're hardy and this is proving very true. One of the windelovs started collecting what I initally thought to be dirt from the filter outflow amongst its "pom poms" on the leaf tips. But I checked the plant up close today and it turned out the "dirt" is in fact tiny root systems that are growing. So the question is; how and when do I let these baby plants try and make it on their own? Do I chop the top of the parent plant off or do I essentially plant the parent leaf upside down to let the baby roots take a hold of a base? And how long should the baby roots be before I try propagating?

 

Let them develop leaves of their own, then cut the tip off the mother plant and pull on the planlets gently. They will seperate from the leaf you cut them from and voila...new plants!

 

Cool. Thanks I'm quite chuffed, since I've generally always sucked at keeping any plants alive.

 

The thing I want to know is how you stop it from happening? My Java fern is covered in spores and plantlets and looks messy before I cut them away.

 

Haha! Well, my tropical community is currently in a 3ft tank. It's going to be upgaded to a 4ft tank with almost triple the literage in March, so when it comes to the plants: the more, the merrier!

 

I've got a high tech CO2 and high lights. Java fern dies in my tank!! So hat's off to you!

 

Any specific one @Zoom or all of them? They are supposedly low light plants. I only have 2x54w T5's in my tank.

 

I have a single 18w Gro-Lux light, a whole lotta pea gravel and I add 6 drops of Bio-Elite Aquarium Plant Grow everyday when I feed my fish. I add ferts everyday also because I have carbon in my filter, so am assuming it's eating whatever ferts may be in the water anyway.

 

Apparantly Carbon doesn't remove ferts?

 

Oh. Yay for that then

 

Love my java's! I have four kinds, and there are still two more varieties I'm after... wait until yours have a chance to bush out - after four years I have some beauties! The plantlets on the tips - leave them till they're a decent size like Marc said, but I dont cut the tip, I just tug gently... but either way will work.

 

I don't believe it.:blink1:
It will remove the Chelate that makes iron available to plants, turning it into oxidized iron that plants can not use.

 

I used to have an issue with Java fern just dying till I buffered my ph to 7. Now they're doing a lot better. These are in my outdoor propagation tank with NO CO2. I would think that with a co2 system, they will thrive.

Not sure what's the perfect conditions for these plants but natural sunlight, neutral ph and an average water temperature of 27-30 helped them survive for a while now.

 

I know these plants are recommended for Brackish tanks so I suppose they like higher pH levels?

 

They are only recommended for brackish, because they are hardy enough to handle salinity. Same with anubias.

Anubias HATES soft water too.

I cant really comment on how Java fern grows in softer water since I've only ever kept them at ph7-8. Maybe @Zoom can tell us his parameters at the time of having his JF's

TM