Chris Stewart

I have collected 3 or 4 different types of Pondweed locally here in Ontario (more specifically, the Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes regions). I've found they grow wonderfully, especially in high-tech, high-light tanks (much like just about any other plant...).

Like many other species of aquatic plants here in Ontario, they often die back to their root system during cooler/freezing months. While some different species of plants I have tried will die back no matter what I've tried, I've never had any type of Pondweed die back like that - they just grow and grow and grow.

aquabillpers

Thanks, Chris.

Have you tried Myriophyllum spicatum, another curse that is found with P. crispus? That also dies back in late summer, and did that for me when I tried it.

Bill

Robert Hudson

you mean does it die back in the aquarium and then re grow? I have never seen it do that, so I don't know. It will grow to be several feet long though. Someone from the Vermont state government has asked me to either remove it from my WEB site or state it is illegal to possess this plant in VT. Vermont of all places. I didn't know anyone in Vermont even had an aquarium!

aquabillpers

Robert,

I meant that in nature in the northeast USA it dies back to nothing and then regrows in the next year. M. spicatum does the same.

Those two plants are nuisances in the bays of Lake Ontario and in other lakes and ponds. They form thick mats that make water sports impossible in many places. Both were imported from Europe decades ago. They now outcompete native species. They are banned in many NE states.

i'm not a resident of Vermont but in passing through there I am always impressed by the number of beautiful ponds and lakes. Perhaps the government there wants to keep them that way.

Bill

davemonkey

Another update on this:

I tried another sample, this time in a spot that did not get shaded by ohter large plants. The parent plant has sent leaves up to the top as floaters (you'll notice both leaf forms, emerged and submerged, have risen to the top). It has also started putting out 'pups' from it's rhizomes. My guess is that eventually the plants wants to have its leaves floating, so it only makes an attrative submerged plant when young. As an adult plant, it's floating leaves are nice to see from an uncovered top, however, care must be taken that it does not shade itself out, otherwise, the stems will melt. These are growing in 2.2 WPG of PC, no top on aquarium. In higher light, some shade could probably be tolerated.


Long slender stalks, dead-center of photo, are the adult stems of P. nodosus.


Slender and bronze-colored, near transparent leaves, are the submerged form. The green wider leaf is emerged form.



Young plant coming up.