Pogostemon Helferi Melting

Discussion in 'Emersed Aquatic Plants' started by mattlamm, Jan 7, 2016.

  1. mattlamm
    Offline

    mattlamm Green fingers

    • APSA Member
    51%
    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
    Messages:
    343
    Likes Received:
    171
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Location:
    Durban
    Hi guys,

    So I've had a couple of tubs of Helferi growing emersed and everything was going great. They looked really healthy and strong but I had some algae issues in their containers and the substrate got completely covered in a black hair algae/mold. So I decided to replant them, cleaning any of the algae/mold off as I took them out. When I repotted I potted them in a mix of riversand and potting soil, with some osmocote mixed in. They were previously growing in some old aqua soil. A day or 2 later I noticed that many of the plants had started to melt. Some of the plants were a decent size, say a R5 coin size, others were a bit smaller, and they all had roots. After repotting they went back into the same conditions they had been growing in, which is a tank with T5s and cling film.

    Any ideas what could cause the melt down after repotting? I've lost over half the plants now, about 20 or so, which is quite a bummer. I've got this same algae starting in another tub I have but now I'm worried to clean and repot.
     
  2. Heinrich
    Offline

    Heinrich Green fingers

    • APSA Member
    9%
    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Messages:
    193
    Likes Received:
    38
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Location:
    Kempton Park
    It may be the new substrate?
     
  3. mattlamm
    Offline

    mattlamm Green fingers

    • APSA Member
    51%
    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
    Messages:
    343
    Likes Received:
    171
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Location:
    Durban
    Ya must be. Weird though cos I originally planted it in this substrate before the Aqua soil and it grew fine then.
     
  4. mattlamm
    Offline

    mattlamm Green fingers

    • APSA Member
    51%
    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
    Messages:
    343
    Likes Received:
    171
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Location:
    Durban
    I've moved the surviving plants back to aqua soil. Will see if they make it. Every day another couple that looked fine the day before just start to melt. So some of them took over a week before they started melting. Very weird. Seems a finicky plant to grow emersed as this isn't the first time I've had it looking great and then all of a sudden start melting.
     
  5. f-fish+plants
    Offline

    f-fish+plants Aquascaper

    • APSA Member
    73%
    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2010
    Messages:
    1,922
    Likes Received:
    1,041
    Trophy Points:
    173
    Location:
    JHB - West
    Yeah ... also a plant that for me at least, does not want to be moved around.

    Once day I might crack it.

    Hope some survive.

    Later Ferdie
     
  6. mattlamm
    Offline

    mattlamm Green fingers

    • APSA Member
    51%
    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2012
    Messages:
    343
    Likes Received:
    171
    Trophy Points:
    53
    Location:
    Durban
    So after losing most of the plants in that tray I moved what was left back to aqua soil and all the ones that hadn't already started to melt are now growing happy.
     
    Nathanael likes this.
  7. Nathanael
    Offline

    Nathanael Aquascaper

    • APSA Member
    23%
    Joined:
    May 7, 2014
    Messages:
    1,641
    Likes Received:
    623
    Trophy Points:
    123
    Location:
    Somerset West
    Great stuff mattlamm, jeez I know the feeling!
     
  8. SilverMoonDragon
    Offline

    SilverMoonDragon Green fingers

    • APSA Member
    9%
    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2014
    Messages:
    227
    Likes Received:
    56
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Location:
    Randpark Ridge, Randburg
    A very fickle plant indeed!
     

Share This Page