Rob G

In the Volume 18, Number 1 issue of "The Aquatic Gardener," in an article by Takashi Amano entitled, "Scenery with Rocks," the author indicated that the frequency of water changes in the first week after planting may impact the leaf size of Glossostigma elatinoides. Has anyone noticed this with glosso or any other plants?

In this thread (link) Rolo commented that Oliver Knott's HC leaves look larger than his. This reminded me of the above-referenced article, and I thought it might have something to do with this observation.

I have often considered attempting to implement certain bonsai techniques (i.e. trimming roots & restricting their growth to a small container and trimming leaves from stems to encourage a second, smaller set of leaves to grow), but have not yet experimented with this.

I would like to hear your experiences with not only water changes' impact on the leaf size of various species of plants, but also any other factors that may change leaf size. My hope is to gain an understanding of how one may control leaf size in order to create the illusion of larger spaces with the use of smaller leaves.

Art_Giacosa

I don't think a water change per se will impact leaf size. It is a combination of proper trimming and environmental factors that result in reduced or increased leaf size, IME. For example, Cryptocorynes are very quick to change their leaves in response to trimming and environmental factors.

In the tank I'm describing in the aquascaping forum, I received C. wendtii that was too tall for mid-ground placement. Over the next few months, I will trim the plant so that new leaves will remain lower than they are now. The setup (mostly lighting) has a lot to do with this.

I will note, however, I don't think you can apply bonsai techniques to aquatic plants. So, for example, I don't think you could train Hygrophila polysperma to remain a tiny plant.