[rjfurbank]

Hi Everyone,

I have an Echinodorus ozelot sp. plant shooting up a big spike in my 90 gallon:

Is this going to be a flower? Is there anything I should do? First time I have seen this and I am fairly new to this.

Thanks,

Roy

 

[jmontee]

This is how sword plants reoproduce. It will eventually be a baby plant. You are obviously doing things right or it wouldn't be reproducing. Let the baby plant stay on the shot till it is about 3 to 4 inches tall and you can clip it and replant it.

 

[hoppycalif]

When I was growing sword plants they would both send out runners to reproduce and send up those vertical shoots, also to reproduce. I still don't understand why they did that.

 

[Cavan Allen]

If it makes it out of the water, it will flower and may produce emersed small plants. If it stays submerged, small submersed plantlets will result.

 

[rjfurbank]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Will just have to wait and see what happens. Very exciting for me . . . what a cool hobby! Never thought these plants would survive long let alone reproduce! I am definitely hooked now.

-Roy

 

[hoppycalif]

If it makes it out of the water, it will flower and may produce emersed small plants. If it stays submerged, small submersed plantlets will result.

So, the vertical shoots are the plant's effort to get a flower growing above the water, for sexual reproduction. Failing that, it just switches gears and reproduces without benefit of a partner? That is what appeared to be happening, but none of those vertical shoots ever made it all the way out of the water for me as best I remember.

 

[AaronT]

Yes, the vertical shoots are the flowers that emerge from the sword plants to attempt sexual reproduction and also reproduction through the formation of daughter plants. Give it some time to produce the daughter plants. It can take 3-4 weeks to get plants of a good size.

 

[rjfurbank]

Thanks Everyone for the replies.

This shoot emerged from the water for a few days and then fell back in due to the weight.

It has produced 4 daughter plants (the biggest 3-4" w/ about 5 leaves). Also--another spike has recently emerged from the water.

What should I do? If I remove the daughter plants should I cut the spike at the base or near the first daughter plant?

Thanks!

Roy

 

[cs_gardener]

If all the daughter plants are large enough (multiple leaves with some good roots) then you can cut the stalk off at the base. If only some of the daughter plants are large enough to replant you can carefully remove them from the stalk and leave the remaining daughter plants on the stalk to grow a bit more. I've always removed the daughter plants from the stalk before planting them but I don't know if it's really necessary. It's a lot easier planting them where I want them without the stalk in the way.