Good question on swords.......

[Lonewolfblue]

What do you do with Excessively Large Swords? I have one that's just huge, and some of the leaves are getting thin spots and holes. Do you thin yours out, or do you leave it alone and just add more root tabs? If one wanted to leave it alone, how do you keep such a huge monster from getting thin leaves and holes?

 

[rich311k]

I always snip off any of the leaves that start to not look so good. Every couple of months I would remove a bunch of leaves just to thin it some. They do get big and quickly under high light.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Here's a couple pics of the huge sword. In a 29G, which is tall, it has a good 8 inches on the surface, and is full from the front glass to the back.

Also, my E. Tiandra is filling in nicely.....

 

[Zezmo]

Keep peeling away leaves from the outside (like you would eat an artichoke) to maintain the sword at the size you want.

Also, once a year you can pull it up, there is a hard "tuber" like root called the "corm" at the center. It you pick this out, it will keep the sword from going dormant or dieing off.

At any rate, all of the older, established swords had
>>a thick 'woody' mass at their bases, about the size and shape of a
>>peanut. Could they be storing nutrients, or is this something else?
>>(In that vein, do swords ever go dormant like Aponogeton?)
>
>These do seem to be a nutrient storage organ. I don't know if they ever go
>_completely_ dormant like Aponos, but they certainly sometimes start to
>die back, and it has been found that if you uproot them, snap out this
>woody "corm", they will start putting out leaves again with renewed vigor.

Conversely, if you remove the plant and leave the woody part attached to the
substrate, one or more new sword plants will emerge from it. This can also
occur if you cut off it off and leave it in the aquarium -- it may also
sprout new plants ( if it is big enough).

This quote combines info from Neil Frank and Karen Randall from over on the Krib.

I have used the removed corm to propigate new plants with my E. "Indian Summer".

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Plants/Echinodorus.html

 

[hashbaz]

I have wondered about propegating swords if they don't send off stalks. Thanks.

 

[frostby]

Is the 'tuber' real woody with a white center, compared to the rest of the plant? I found an unusual root - that might be that while cleaning my gravel.

What does it do, and why does removing it keept the plant alive?

 

[Zezmo]

That sounds like it. Basicly, if it is large, you can replant it and it may grow several new plants.
Otherwise, removing it keeps the plant from going into a dormant period, and promotes new growth in the plant.
This is not one of those OMG, you have to do it kinda things. If you do not remove it, the plant will still grow just fine. In an aquarium even having "seasonal" effects on any plant is not guaranteed.

 

[Jchillin]

Good show Zezmo.