dodgey mail order plants

[alanmin4304]

If they have been grown out of the water the leaf form is different regardless of how they are grown, Some plants convert easily and some don't, but they all need to convert.

I also grow emersed and submersed and sell on Trademe

[carla]

Alanmin which of the "red ones" are actually ok to grow UNDER water?

I have bought 4 lots so far and they all rotted.

One of them was called "beetroot" which grows well ABOVE water, but rots under water.

The others had no name.

[alanmin4304]

Most will grow submersed but need realy intense light. I know someone who grows some of these plants with flourescent lights just above the water and in very shallow water. Generally the only one in a relatively normal tank would be what is usually sold as "red hygro" Alternanthera reineckii roseafolia. The others are pretty difficult. Beetroot is Alternanthera rubra and as you say is not realy an aquatic. There is a red cabomba, and a couple of red Ludwigia --glandulosa (used to be perennis) and another I am not sure of. They are often given funny names but you can tell the Alternanthera because it is normally grown emersed and has little flowers above each leaf where it joins the stem. You will have more luck if you can get the cuttings to root before you submerse them. This idea comes unstuck if the cuttings have been underwater for too long. Water plants is selling them on trademe at present and you could ask for ones which have not been submersed--he is pretty good.

[Warren]

Rotala macrandra grows like a weed and is quite red if the lighting is strong enough and you feed it enough iron.

[alanmin4304]

True Warren but it needs stronger than average light. I am growing it emersed without problem but it will not survive with 80 watts of flouro 17hours/day. My point was that the easiest to grow with average lights that I am aware of would be A. roseafolia

[alanmin4304]

The other plants that are a bit red would be some of the Echinodorus sp. but they need reasonable light and iron. You could try barthii (double red), red special or ozelot. They tend to go brown/green but the new growth will be red if the conditions are Ok. Or C.wendtii red or blassii but they, like Ludwigia repens are red under the leaf.

[carla]

Thanks for all this info! Will keep an eye out for the "right" ones.

[BK]

I'ld have to say that the two people (Alan & John) in CHCH both offer good plants.