My Red Lilly - Page 2 - Dallas Ft Worth Aquatic Plant Club DFWAPC

rich815 · 11-13-2008, 12:18 PM

My green and red both grow under 3+w/gal T5 HO lights and they stay very low to the substrate. About 6 months ago the green one put up a single leaf to the surface and it sat there like a lily pad for about a week. Quite nice, actually. But after that no more.

So it's not high light causing this. I keep them trimmed to only 5-6 leaves so that might be helping me....

MacFan · 11-13-2008, 08:15 PM

There are different types of lillies. Some grow larger leaves than others on average. I have some small ones that put out a ton of small leaves and had a large one that put out the occasional large leaf but that's it.

I've heard that when a leaf reaches the surface, it will slow or stop putting out tall leaves. I might have that wrong. If nothing else, you want to keep them cut back so they don't block light to the neighboring plants.

Michael

rich815 · 11-13-2008, 09:18 PM

>>>>I've heard that when a leaf reaches the surface, it will slow or stop putting out tall leaves.

Actually I've heard the exact opposite.

Freshwater · 11-14-2008, 06:13 AM

I was reading up on my Nymphaea lotus red, and remember something about how you can train the lilly to grow.

From APC's "Plant Finder"

Quote:

N. lotus �Red� is a bulb plant which produces both submersed and floating leaves. Though the plant will grow under low light, higher light values should be favored by the aquarist if the formation of floating leaves is to be avoided. If these floating leaves do develop, however, it is often best to trim them before they get to the surface, since it will be difficult to discourage further foliage of this type once the plant knows where the surface is. Along these same lines, plants that already develop predominantly floating leaves can be trained to discontinue this growth habit if a vigilant trimming of developing floating leaves is practiced.

Hope that helps...

Todd

supersmirky · 11-14-2008, 12:16 PM

yes...thanks!