Banana Plant Q

[J-P]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that when this plant shoots, I'm supposed to cut that shoot before it becomes emergent. But I am not certain if it was the Banana Plant or the water lillies.

This one is shooting and I am not sure if I should clip it or not.

[By_a_coo]

Yeah, clip the leaf before it gets the surface. If you don't, the plant will produce only emergent leaves, then you would have to clip all leaves and wait the plant to produce new submersed ones.

[RTR]

Or you can allow it to cover the surface as it wants to do - that is its mature form and normal growth pattern - but it will shade out almost everything else with its mature foliage. It may reproduce for you as well from that form. They produce adventitious plantlets where the leaf stem meets the leaf proper.

But you can't have both forms on the same plant. only immature or only mature form, either, never both. If you let anything hit the surface, that is all you are likely get from then on.

[J-P]

I think I will let this one become emergent and then transfer it to one of the taller sections. This is 1 of 3 I have and they are all doing well

AFAIK once emergent they then start doing the baby thing so I hope it works out

The other 2, if I see shoots I'll clip them until I notice that this one is note producing new plants.

Is that a plan?

[RTR]

I think I will let this one become emergent and then transfer it to one of the taller sections. This is 1 of 3 I have and they are all doing well

Well, not quite. If you want it w/floating leaves in a taller section, it is best to move it there and let it develop the exposed surface leaves there. The plant 'learns' how deep the water is where it is rooted. Don't confuse it. Plus, by then the root system is huge. Move these plants young or never IME. Root loss is huge disturbance and set-back, so is best avoided.

AFAIK once emergent they then start doing the baby thing so I hope it works out

Yup, IF they have sufficient light (~2WPG NO full spectrum or triphospher fluorescents, ~10-12 hours per day), and sufficient nutrients.

The other 2, if I see shoots I'll clip them until I notice that this one is note producing new plants.

Assumption: 'note' in the quote is a typo of 'not'. If the first has effectively a full leaf cover for it's tank space, it will produce adventitious plantlets if well-lighted and nourished, once it is mature. That takes a bit longer than just the leaf cover if you are not outdoors in full sun. The lag I suspect is combination of not quite enough light and a need for a full root system as well. These plats are gross feeders, like swords, i.e., very hungry. But it starts with the oldest leaves/pads and is the start of senility or decline for that pad. But don't worry, by then it is sending up more than you have the room to accommodate.

Is that a plan?[/quote]

With the "hedges" noted, .

[J-P]

Thank you! I'll rehome it before it becomes emergent.

And that's for understand my poor typing.. haha that crazy Canadain accent

A couple follow up question:
The lighting in the taller tanks is obviously less thank the shorter bottom tank. Will this harm the plant? during this stage?

Also, is it better off in a slower current or a stronger one? (1 tank I have in mind has a powerhead and the other does not)

Thanks in advance

[RTR]

I had forgotten that accents may show up in typing - the Brits do it all the time.

What matters for floating pads is the distance from the light source to the pads. They no longer care about the distance from the substrate to the surface when they have floating foliage. Is the light less, as in shorter/lower wattage tubes,fewer tubes, no reflectors? If not it won't matter.

On current - my tanks tend to pretty good surface movement, flow with some ripples but no breaks/splashing. The banana pads had no issues wit it. They are anchored after all. Just so long as the current is not strong enough to push the leaves back underwater, that should not be an issue either.

I guess I would call my current visible and good circulation but well short of "white water".

[J-P]

RTR thaks for the speedy reply! I think it will be better in the new home

Quick update:

I went to check on the plant and the long stalk was touching the surface! That's nearly 4" in 1 day! I reansplanted it to a taller tank a moment ago. I very gently withdrew the roots and and some sand, let the plant dangle a bit in the current to wash away the sand and transplanted it

Here is a not so good rushed shot of it, but you can see it at the back of the tank with the shoot approaching the surface

Maybe I will be a dad

RTR: What matters for floating pads is the distance from the light source to the pads. They no longer care about the distance from the substrate to the surface when they have floating foliage. Is the light less, as in shorter/lower wattage tubes,fewer tubes, no reflectors? If not it won't matter.

Actually I have a feeling the light level is greater at the surface of the upper tanks vs the substrate of the lower ones.

[marksrush]

RTR, you are a priceless addition to this forum, and to the aquarium hobbyist world in general. Thank you very much for taking part.

[RTR]

I seem to be addicted. It is something over 50 years now. What is point of all this info and expeince if you don't pass it on?

[JaxPuffer]

RTR, you are a priceless addition to this forum, and to the aquarium hobbyist world in general. Thank you very much for taking part.

+1 RTR is truly an asset!

[RTR]

C'mon guys, I am blushing. Don't forget, my path to understanding tanks even as well as I do (still limited, but still learning) was paved with dead or mishandled fish -just like anybody else. It is just that I have such a long head start on most of you - my early and some not-so-early mistakes were long before most of you were born. But I still mess up. I will never forget or forgive my issues with the T. mbu, and that started a bit over 20 years ago, and ended about ten years ago. Bobody is nerfect.

[Flutter]

None of those fish died in vain though. What you learned from their lives you're passing on to save the lives of other fish.