Jungle val not propagating

[bhavik95]

I have a 5 gallon tank with 2 jungle val planted in sand for quite a while now and they are growing real well they are starting to cover the top of the tank.


But the problem is that they are not propagating why is that?


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[bhavik95]

Can anyone please help me?


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[tiger terror]

Sometimes they take a bit to get established..are you placing root tabs near the base of the plant in question?

sit in silence

 

[bhavik95]

First of all i have had these plants in the tank for 11 to 12 months now so i highly doubt they are getting use to the conditions

Secondly i dont use any fertilisers and they are growing fine

 

[Fresh2o]

Perhaps you should try adding the fertilizer you mentioned in your other thread and see if there is a change.
The only Val I've had was Crystal River and it was in an iron rich substrate with high light. It would grow 4-5 feet (this was in a 55g) and I would trim it back to 12-15". I cannot recall if it propagated much; it just grew and grew.


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[ImACoolguy]

I have jungle Val's and mine don't propagate very fast either but it still does. I think Fresh2o is spot on, try starting fertilizers and see how it likes them.


Caleb

 

[tiger terror]

First of all i have had these plants in the tank for 11 to 12 months now so i highly doubt they are getting use to the conditions

Secondly i dont use any fertilisers and they are growing fine

. A little more info up front goes a long way..

sit in silence

 

[bhavik95]

The thing is it doesn't need any fertilisers as it grow well! It's starting to take over the top of the tank now so it's not that it isn't growing, it's just that it isn't propagating :/


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[Delapool]

I wonder if that is the issue? It can grow up so does in preference to sideways.

Mine grows like a carpet. Tank is high water flow if that is an influence?. There is one spot in the corner of the tank where it's lower light and maybe lower flow - there I have broad leaf val growing upwards (although propagating at the same time).

 

[bhavik95]

Sorry I don't understand?

It's getting good flow as it is some what next to the output of the filter and for light its directly underneath it so that's not the problem either :/



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[Delapool]

I was just thinking that maybe yours grows up for the light and is pretty happy as is.

Mine is in high flow (three filters) so maybe it has to go sideways

 

[ImACoolguy]

I have read somewhere...

Your plant is focusing its energy on growing up. You can try trimming it down sorta like cutting the grass and see if it will focus its energy and nutrients on growing out instead.


Caleb

 

[bhavik95]

I was just thinking that maybe yours grows up for the light and is pretty happy as is.

Mine is in high flow (three filters) so maybe it has to go sideways

Of course its happy it trying to take over the top of the tank now
Ahh ok i dont have that of a high flow only the flow coming out of one sponge filter

I have read somewhere...

Your plant is focusing its energy on growing up. You can try trimming it down sorta like cutting the grass and see if it will focus its energy and nutrients on growing out instead.


Caleb

Hmm i could try that but then if i cut it would grow back again? i dont really want to cut it and then it just stops growing...
Also while cleaning my tank today i uprooted the plant and saw what im guessing was a shoot but at the end of it was all black so i am guessing it was dead so i cut it off.
Why did it go black and how can i prevent it from going black again?

 

[ImACoolguy]

Of course its happy it trying to take over the top of the tank now
Ahh ok i dont have that of a high flow only the flow coming out of one sponge filter



Hmm i could try that but then if i cut it would grow back again? i dont really want to cut it and then it just stops growing...
Also while cleaning my tank today i uprooted the plant and saw what im guessing was a shoot but at the end of it was all black so i am guessing it was dead so i cut it off.
Why did it go black and how can i prevent it from going black again?

I doubt it would just stop growing the question is which direction.


Caleb

 

[bhavik95]

Yeah thats what i meant..as in if i cut them will they stop growing from the top?

 

[ImACoolguy]

Yeah thats what i meant..as in if i cut them will they stop growing from the top?

I can't give a definitive answer you may just need to try it and experiment with what happens


Caleb

 

[Delapool]

Would you remember if they had shoots/runners when you planted them? Maybe that would help - if they had runners and nothing now that might indicate something. Just throwing out ideas here.

 

[bhavik95]

Yeah i may experiment with the smallest one i have

And no when they were planted they didnt have any shoots and when i took 1 of them out today it looked like it was growing some kind of shoot but at the end of it was black and dead so i cut it off

 

[t4runnr]

When I had jungle vals, they continually grew from the top even after trimming. I had to trim every other week. They also grew runners. This was in a standard 55 gal tank.


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[bhavik95]

Hmm that's odd I have read that after trimming the top they stop growing taller....I don't know why they are not propagating


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