# What is the Wendtii up to?



## James0816

So I have the rather large C. Wendtii plant. I just moved it a couple weeks ago to a bigger tank. Was out of the water all of 30 seconds if that. Not too long ago, I noticed the formation of some rather strange leaves. They aren't the typical long flowing leaf we all know from crypts. These are about the thickness of a blade of grass (around 1/4" or so), a couple inches long and they curl at the tips. You'll see the new leaf growing directly from the center. There are about 5 of these things at the moment. I have other crypts that are bigger and older than this one, but, it is the only one doing this.

If you look at this photo, I've tried to capture this the best I could. They are circled in red.

Any thoughts?


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## davemonkey

I can't really tell from the picture, but that may just be a "normal" (normal in crypt-language can mean alot of things) new leaf developing. Less likely, but still some slight chance, it may be flowers forming.


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## James0816

Well I can definately say for sure that it's not a new leaf. Or should I say the ones we are used to that have a stem and such. They haven't grown any more than what is shown in the pic.


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## Chuukus

I have these same small curly leaf type thing on alot of my crypts also.

Im pretty sure its normal. nothing to worry about


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## James0816

Yeah..not worried. She's a nice big healthy plant. Just out of all the ones I have/had, it's the only one that has ever done this.

Just curious.


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## FarCanal

They are called cathaphyls, here's a pic from Jan's site;
http://www.xs4all.nl/~crypts/Cryptocoryne/Botanical/pictures/rhizome.gif


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## James0816

Y thanks kindly! At least that explains what they are. Very interesting indeed.

So now I can be curious as to why some do it and others don't? Kewlness!


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## ddavila06

how about a whole plant shot  looks healthy


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## James0816

Still watching this plant closely. She's definately throwing something out which may possibly be a flower. It continues to grow. Funny thing as well....there's another smaller growth on the left side. Here's a few more pics. It's hard to get good shots with all the leaves around but I think these show it pretty well.

















In this one, you will see the big one on the right and the smaller one that has formed on the left


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## James0816

Ok...let's try these shots. First will be a better pic of the structure in question. I cropped it in tight so you can see the detail of what it is.








And here's a shot of the entire plant.


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## FarCanal

Yep there is a spathe (flower) developing there too. It will melt away if it doesn't reach the surface. Judging by your tank, it won't make it. For it to open you would have to drop the water level. Ripping it out and putting it in a pot and raising the pot enough could work but far more likely to upset the plant.


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## James0816

Wonder how high up the plant would have to be for the flower?


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## FarCanal

I've posted some pictures of my C. Cordata "Blassii" that flowers regularily in an aquarium here;
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showpost.php?p=548296&postcount=39
Scroll down in that post, it's at the bottom of the Blassii pics. Luckily I have all my crypts in that tank in pots so I can raise them up, lower the water a little, and the flowers open.

As long as they get the flower above water, they are a real good chance of opening.


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## James0816

Awesome deal!

Does the whole flower part have to be out of the water? This would effectively take the entire plant out of water. I'm thinking of making some type of pot for it just so I can raise it out.


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## ddavila06

interesting! i had my usteriana flower underwater before, i hope this one makes it!!


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## James0816

This could get tricky. I guess for the moment I could just use a tupperware container (rectangle). I know she's got a nice root system.

I'm curious as to how the leaves will react to being out of the water. Hmmmmm....come to think about it...will have to raise the light up too.


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## FarCanal

You only have to raise it enough for the top of the flower to be above the water, like in these pictures;

Noticed the flower starting


Raised the pot


The top of the spathe is above water


and the flower opened;


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## James0816

So maybe an inch or so then. Guess the leaves will just fall over in the water? 

Will doing this have any effect on the plant itself?

And is it common to have two flowers on one plant?

Sry for all the questions. This is a whole new world for me.

Thx


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## FarCanal

James0816 said:


> So maybe an inch or so then. Guess the leaves will just fall over in the water?


The Spathe will only get around 6" long at the most, more likely shorter. You would need to raise it/drop the water level a lot more than an inch. Yes the leaves would fall over or lie on the surface.



James0816 said:


> Will doing this have any effect on the plant itself?


Disturbing the plant could result in a melt in the plant. Lowering the water level is the safer option but could cause a melt also. It is by no means without risk of causing a melt.



James0816 said:


> And is it common to have two flowers on one plant?
> 
> Sry for all the questions. This is a whole new world for me.
> 
> Thx


Very common in Wendtii species. I've had a photo of 4, it's in that previous link I supplied, 2nd last picture.


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## James0816

Gonna try raising this guy today and see what happens. I'm kinda excited about it all but don't want to get my hopes up. As I mentioned...out of all the years of crypt keeping in the aquarium, I've never had a flower. So kewl!


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## James0816

I started the process of raising it up. Trying to get a couple deep containers to stack. The roots where still nice and loose so that helps greatly. Have it "planted" in one container. Stirred up alot of detrius so I'm waiting for it to clear up a bit to finish. Gotta be able to see what I'm doing right? )


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## James0816

I currently have it where the spathe is a couple inches out of the water. Problem is the plant itself is a little on the crooked side but I'll leave it at that. Will snap a couple pics shortly.

Any idear how long it would take to open...if it does that is.


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## James0816

Here it is after the raising. Is this good enough?


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## FarCanal

Do you have glass lids on the tank? The plant now needs to be kept in a humid environment. If you have the lids on the tank and the gaps are small it maybe OK. To play it safe I'd mist it often to prevent it drying out.


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## James0816

FarCanal said:


> Do you have glass lids on the tank? The plant now needs to be kept in a humid environment. If you have the lids on the tank and the gaps are small it maybe OK. To play it safe I'd mist it often to prevent it drying out.


Oh great! No lid.

Is the plant itself too high? Or even if lowered a bit it will still need to be sprayed? Roughly about how often to spray? It has been up for several hours now almost 10 to be exact. Any advice is so greatly appreciated.


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## James0816

Having my son spray it once an hour until I hear back on an adequate spacing.


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## FarCanal

It will depend on how humid it is where the plant is. If you live in a humid area it may not need any misting, if you live in a dry environment it's more likely to need misting. Hard questions to answer. The plant only needs to get the top of the spathe (flower) above water. The flower is water tight, the only opening is at the very top, if it were me I'd raise it just enough for the top of the flower (the opening) to be just above the water line. The picture I supplied, the only part of the plant above water is the top of the flower. Most of the leaves lie on the surface and no misting is needed.


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## James0816

So here's the shot from today:










All the leaves fell over revealing the two spathes.

So tomorrow, I should try to adjust it down a little?

The tank is in the basement which has a humidity of about 40%. I've been having it sprayed with a spray bottle every hour.

Your continued advice is greatly welcomed. Hope it wasn't too late and they decide to open.


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## FarCanal

James0816 said:


> So tomorrow, I should try to adjust it down a little?


Judging by the photo you could drop it down at least an inch. The humidity just above the water will be higher than the room it's in. If the first flower melts but the plant remains healthy, stick with it for awhile. Once they start flowering they tend to keep at it for awhile. That one I showed a picture of, it lost it's first flower just after i raised it, but I've left it there and it's had 3 successful flowers since. It is a bit of a gamble, here's hoping you get some open flowers!


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## James0816

Did you keep it out of the water for those next flowers?

Wondering if it does shed 1 or both, if I should drop it back down.


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## James0816

Let me move my guage over to the tank. It will be different with the lights out right now but may give an idea. I take it photo period should stay the same as well.

Which..another good point..with the plant raised up...it's now closer to the light. Will this impact anything?


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## FarCanal

James0816 said:


> Did you keep it out of the water for those next flowers?
> 
> Wondering if it does shed 1 or both, if I should drop it back down.


I've left mine where it is, just high enough for the flowers to reach the surface. The plant it's self has only been above water for a quick photo. If your plant doesn't look like it is stressing it should be OK to leave it in shallower water. I've had wendtii's flower outdoors in tubs where the flowers could just reach the surface, I had to raise them to get open flowers. The change in light levels should be OK, don't change your lighting.


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## James0816

Ok...i'll work on lowering it a tad today.

I checked the humidity levels this morning (lights out). Was still at 40%. After 30mins of the lights being on, it actually dropped to 35%. I have the guage right next to the crypt. Will continue with the hourly spraying routine.

Also looks like a third spathe developing.


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## James0816

So with the lights on several hours now, the humidity next to the plant is holding pretty steady at around 35%. Continuing to spray it every hours (3-4 pumps from the spray bottle).


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## ddavila06

well, it seems like someone got bitten by the crypt bug! lol, awesomeeeeee!! i though it was going to melt when you moved it up, but seems fine in the last pic you posted!


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## James0816

I definately like crypts. There are soooo many different varieties. ;o)

Shot from today. Definately three spathes here. Any idear on how long it takes for them to open? If they even do that is.

You can clearly see the third one right in the middle.










Still misting it every hour while the lights are on.


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## FarCanal

A watched pot never boils. I remember watching a Willissii spathe for over a month before it opened but it's a very slow growing species. You should expect that smallest one to be around the 2 week mark I would guess. The biggest one should be in the next few days, it looks very close. It will open at night so if it's not open when the lights come on it's another day away.

It won't be long now ..... If you're not a crypt addict now, you will be soon.


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## James0816

It's opening!! WooHoo!


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## FarCanal

Nice .... well done. It's a nice looking spathe too, I have a Wendtii Red that flowers like that. It has a yellow limb with a yellow collar. Can you get a photo that shows the color in the collar area?


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## James0816

I tried snapping a few this morning but they didn't turn out all that well. I'll try again in a bit. But, I did get an underwater shot. Another spathe has formed bringing the total to four now.


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## James0816

Well...the first flower has now expired. Second one on it's way to opening soon I believe. The other two spathes have yet to break the surface.


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## James0816

And spathe #2. Looks like this one could open at any time:


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## FarCanal

Tempted to setup a dedicated emersed tank yet?


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## WeedCali

^ lol, i am


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## James0816

FarCanal said:


> Tempted to setup a dedicated emersed tank yet?


If I can figure out some underwater lights, I have some ideas floating around involving a ledge. But in doing so would be creating a dark spot in the tank. I would be very tempted to get some assorted Crypts now and go for it. This is pretty darned kewlness if I must say.


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## James0816

Turned on the lights this morning and ..... Ta Da!

Houston ... We have bloomage.

#2 spathe is now open to share its beauty:









And a close up view:


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## James0816

Second flower faded away today. Poo. Next spathes are breaking the surface. They may bloom pretty close to each other judging by their sizes.


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## James0816

How long do they flower for? Spathe #3 will be opening soon as it took on a major growth spurt. #4 has broke the surface now and I anticipate it doing the same thing as #3. Look below the surface, and there is another down there getting ready to break the surface.


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## FarCanal

My flowers usually last between 4-6 days.


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## James0816

And here's where we are at. Flowers 3, 4 and 5. Three looks to ready to open tomorrow. Four and Five are breaching the surface.


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## James0816

Flower #3 opened this morning. Was in a rush this morning and couldn't get a pic yet.


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## James0816

Here's #3 flower. You can see #4 to far right. #5 is under the leaf.


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## James0816

Next flower in line has opened this morning. Will post a pic this afternoon. One more spathe breached the surface. I didn't notice any others below the surface at this time. It was just a quick look so we'll see what happens.


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## ddavila06

\\/rayer:rayer:rayer:eace::clap2:

awesome! lol


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## Khamul1of9

Cool!


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## James0816

The next spathe should be opening soon (if not this morning as I forgot to check on it). Yet another one has developed below the surface! Wowsers!

How long do crypts produce flowers? At this rate, it won't be submerged again any time soon. ;o)


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## Khamul1of9

Wow, very nice. Non of mine have put on more than 2 consecutive blooms. You have a very happy plant.


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## James0816

And it's open. Kewlness.


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## rjfurbank

Congrats! Awesome thread! Thanks for staying w/ it -- keep it up.

-Roy


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## James0816

Well...I lost count of what number of flower I'm on...but...I have another opened...and two more spathes below the surface.

Is this normal? I mean to be constantly throwing out flowers like this? Figured it would be just a few and then be done for a while but she just keeps going like the energizer bunny. ;o)


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## FarCanal

Yes Wendtii's can be very prolific when it comes to flowering. My most prolific one has had 17 flowers since may and is still going.


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## James0816

Wow. Guess I need to come up with a better way at keeping it partially submerged then. I thought this was only going to be a short term deal. ;o)


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## Cvurb

In my experiences, they shoot out a ton of runners once the throw up spathes. So get ready lol


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## James0816

Cvurb said:


> In my experiences, they shoot out a ton of runners once the throw up spathes. So get ready lol


She's got two daughter plants right now. But the spathes continue. One getting ready to break the surface and another smaller one right behind it.


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## ddavila06

my usteriana is the only crypt i have flowered (submersed) and the plant kept on going for like forever!!! it stopped when i rescaped and moved the plant to the middle about 4-5 months ago


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