LA
Amazon swords (what most people think of when they say "sword plants") will
work
best for most people. They will survive under most conditions. They
grow under most
light sources. They just grow better under perfect conditions. See Amazon
swords
for more details and decorating ideas.
LA
Brazilian swords probably belong under bog plants. We've seen
Spathyphyllum, or
peace lilies, grow over six feet tall in greenhouses. They look
almost phony in the
water -- kinda waxy with hard leaves. These are the plants the betta
craze said
would give your bettas a food source when kept in their jars. Bettas
do not eat plant roots. It
just takes them nearly two months to starve. We
don't like their looks but
find them very hard to kill.
LA
Brazilian swords are really a bog plant, but the potted ones live a long time.
LA
Here's a dozen of them planted in a 55 gallon tank.
LA
They came in with these bloom stalks, which don't look right underwater.
LA
Plants raised outside the country arrive with no roots.
LA
Brazilian sword three feet tall.
LA
Another slightly shorter Brazilian Sword plant.
LA
Potted Brazilian sword. Potted plants grow best.
LA
Occasionally Brazilian swords come in very lage (half a 55 tank).
LA
Bonus -- two crowns means twice as many leaves.
LA
Very short roots on the Brazilian swords.
LA
Mellon swords grow into specimen plants. These "little" guys are in a
10-gallon tank.
Spread out their roots. Push them into the gravel. Then lift
them up so their crowns
are right at the top of your substrate. B-B-size gravel makes the
best planting
media. Do not use marbles or sand. We like to mix in vermiculite.
LA
Some say "melon" swords because the leaf veins resemble melons.
Others say Mellon
for whatever reason. Some others say E. osiris. You say toemayto ...
LA
Really two lls, but spell however you prefer. You'll find it both ways
when you crawl the web.
LA
Mellons grow much longer roots. Plant farms grow these potted swords in flat
trays that
hold 50 plants. The trays look like muffin tins.
LA
Rangeri swords and radican swords are also aquatic sword plants.
LA
Another advantage of potted swords besides no root shock when replanting,
these
little ID tags also give you good instructions.
LA
Ruffled swords look like Amazons with ruffled leaves. Treat the same.
LA
From a distance, you might say all these sword plants look alike.
LA
Lilaeopsis -- or microsword -- grows about two inches tall. Theoretically,
under bright
lights it will carpet your aquarium floor. We've seen the pictures.
We've read the
books. We've never seen it amount to much in real life. Occasionally
you'll find it for
sale in starter pots.
LA
Here's one of the starter pots. Remove the pot and plant the colony.
LA
Starter plugs of microswords average about 2" X 2." Plant
crowns flush with your
substrate. Taking this mat apart and planting each microsword
separately should
make excellent therapy. LA
LA
Nice forest of Amazon sword plants grown in a vermiculite/gravel mixture.
More on
sword plants at Sword Plants
III
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