pineapple

If you've ever bought plants on www.aquabid.com, you might have received a FREE stem of a mystery plant from the seller. It's one way a seller can get good customer feedback and his/her way of saying thanks to the buyer for paying fast (or a lot of $$$ ).

You must have seen those aquabid ads: "Anubias sp petite on driftwood with FREE Hemianthus callitrichoides"

Some of the online plant stores also include with an order a piece, sometimes tiny, sometimes a few stems, of a mystery plant to show their goodwill to buyers. And, of course, on buying plants from APC members one most often gets a tiny (or not so tiny) bit of something unexpected. (I'm only talking about the good things - not the naughty hitchhikers).

I confess on several occasions it is the plant I ordered and paid for which I killed and it was the FREE mystery item which became a feature in the aquarium. Unexpected!

Long ago, I received one single stem of Rotala rotundifolia and now that is a thicket (the Didiplis diandra that was the main order has long gone!). Some Taiwan moss I received free, a tiny bit, is now a forest. The Elatine triandra ,which came free along with the (first) batch of Hemianthus callitrichoides (which I more or less killed), took off.

I think you get the picture. It must be some perversion of the Green Thumb Effect.

What is the best FREE plant/s you ever received?

Andrew Cribb

gnome

OMG, that was me! I'm glad to hear that the Elatine grew well for you, but I'm terribly sorry about the HC ... I hope you eventually had luck with subsequent specimens.

I'm afraid I'm an equal-opportunity killer of plants . However, I remember having received some gorgeous Ludwigia ovalis, Lindernia rotundifolia 'variegated', Proserpinaca palustris, and Lobelia cardinalis 'small form'. The "main" plant I was trying to get was the Proserpinaca palustris. Today, the only one of these I still have is the L. cardinalis 'small form'. It's gone through its ups and downs but it's basically an indestructible plant.

-Naomi

S

I have the good fortune of living near Marc of aquatic-store.com. I would estimate that half of the 20+ species of plants in my tank came from him free of charge as add-ins on other transactions. Monosolenium tenerum would have to be my favorite "freebie" from him. I got a piece the size of a golf ball originally and after 2 sales on aquabid ($20+/sale) I still have a piece the size of a football.
A close second would be a deal I made for some HC. The HC didn't make it but the freebies, Myriophylum Mattogrossense and Ranalisma rostrata are doing great.

Gomer

I am very fortunate to have been given numberous plants from various people. I won't mention who so that others don't bug these individuals asking for freebies LOL..but I thank them none the less

Some of the more notable plants:
Elatine gussonei, HC, Kleiner bar, taiwan and weeping moss, rotala vietnam, Ludwiga sp cuba, eliocharis parvulus...and many others.

pineapple

Funny that. I was thinking of Marcus and Naomi, among others, when I wrote that.

Naomi, the HC *almost* got killed. But many weeks later I spotted something creeping out of the substrate and it was the progeny of the HC you sent me. I got an extra batch or two to give it 'critical density' and it is now spreading, slowly but surely.

Andrew Cribb

Simpte 27

I'm still trying to figure out what this plant is I recieved. I posted a bad pic and it was suggested it was a java fern but after some growth It doesn't look like any of my other ferns.

aquatic-store.com

Thank you Andrew and Gary. I like to spread the plants around. Who knows i may kill something and have to ask for a freebie myself!!

pineapple

Marcus,

What goes around comes around.... so you're welcome....

It's somewhat like those dump tanks in which the prunings get dropped each week. Those dumped prunings never get anything, barely any light, no chemicals, and certainly no attention, yet they thrive. Ignorance can be bliss.

Andrew Cribb