# I got a new plant... C. schulzei



## Xema

*I got a new plant... C. schulzei (pictures updating 04/27/2006)*

Allways you get a new plant, you never know that soil you must use.










C. schulzei is a swamp growner, so I finally decided use a very acid mix with beech leaf mould, akadama, kanuma and peat moss.










What do you think about the mixture? will work right?


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## Kai Witte

Hi Xema,

For emersed culture, I guess? Sounds like a decent mix but you could also skip all mineral contents.

I prefer to let newly collected or mixed soil incubate for at least a week (better a month or two) before planting precious plants in it. Just to be on the safe side since fresh mixes can favor excessive growth of mould. However, when the ingredients are carefully selected, the quick and dirty approach will usually work out fine, too. Just make sure that the pH is and stays below 4.5 - this will reduce the chances of rotting soil.


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## Xema

Hi friend, 
Very nice advise!!

Akadama and Kanuma are acid stuff... kanuma gets arround pH5,8 and akadama around pH 6. 
Half decompossed Beech leaves can get pH around 3,8 and peat moss gets around pH 4,00.

Another stuff (what I don´t add this time) is pine bark, gets pH below 4,00.

I think pH will not be a problem...
and the water of the bottom is 5,8 pH


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## Piscesgirl

That looks like a beautiful crypt, Xema -- looking forward to seeing your future pictures of it


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## Kai Witte

Hello Xema,



Xema said:


> Akadama and Kanuma are acid stuff... kanuma gets arround pH5,8 and akadama around pH 6.


I tend to think of the pH of natural rainwater (i.e. 5.4-5.6) as "neutral" - similar as in "skin-neutral" soap... 



> Half decompossed Beech leaves can get pH around 3,8 and peat moss gets around pH 4,00.


That's what I'd be aiming at.



> Another stuff (what I don´t add this time) is pine bark, gets pH below 4,00.


It's pretty inert otherwise - so hardly any nutrients for the crypts.



> I think pH will not be a problem...
> and the water of the bottom is 5,8 pH


How about a dedicated tank for blackwater crypts? 

If you add something less acid or nutrients/minerals to the beach leaf litter, decomposition will usually be enhanced which *may* favor rotting under waterlogged conditions as well as mould growth.


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## Xema

Hey Kai, appreciated advices again.

Do you are keeping C. schulzei?? maybe you can show us how we should keep them.

Hiroshi Shirakawa recommended to me a mix of peatmoss and ADA aquasoil malaya...



> How about a dedicated tank for blackwater crypts?


Yeah!!! it´s in my mind... Actually i am working in a Crypt Room. I am planing 2 kind of set up, for swamp grower and for neutral... But I have some dudes, C. uenoi C. nurii and C. bullosa grow in fast flow waters, and with very acid reaction... which would be your recommendation about keep them???

Note: actually I keep a peat bag into the reverse osmosis water... and add acid ferts and the most of my plants growing well (except C. affinis), including C. aponogetifolia, C. usteriana, C. pygmaea (now blooming) and C. coronata.

A pleasure speaking in deep on crypts!!!


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## Kai Witte

Hello Xema,



Xema said:


> Do you are keeping C. schulzei?? maybe you can show us how we should keep them.


Well, I can tell you what *NOT* to do:
1. Don't plant them in small plastic pots.
2. Don't let them grow large and setting buds.
3. Don't remove neighboring pots for making pics.
4. Don't raise the water level to hide the pot.
5. Don't wait for the "dust" to settle and for opening of the spathe.
6. Don't go on a weekend vacation.
7. Don't let a top-heavy plant try a salto mortale and ending up upside down while you're not watching... 
(I usually have no problems to recover at least a healthy portion of the rhizome after stupid accidents like this and grow them back to former glory but, alas, this time rotting was really fast...)

Nowadays, I always make sure that pots can't topple over and also routinely add a thin bottom layer of heavy stuff into the pots of crypts growing only in leaf litter.



> Hiroshi Shirakawa recommended to me a mix of peatmoss and ADA aquasoil malaya...


I kept mine in pure leaf litter but since it can also be found in streams like nurii, this obviously isn't the only possibility in nature. Moreover, there's often a difference what works best for oneself vs. what works best for other experienced growers. That being said, I still think that acid leaf litter is one of the more easy ways to success with blackwater crypts... 



> Note: actually I keep a peat bag into the reverse osmosis water... and add acid ferts and the most of my plants growing well (except C. affinis), including C. aponogetifolia, C. usteriana, C. pygmaea (now blooming) and C. coronata.


Yeah, affinis needs enough calcium and a pH well above rainwater. All local varieties that I experienced are great submersed growers and among the best (and most beautiful) crypts for a tapwater aquarium (thriving even in alkaline water). I think it's a real shame that it's hardly available in the aquarium trade anymore!



> A pleasure speaking in deep on crypts!!!


Thanks for posting all those pics - keep them coming!


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## Xema

Sorry, I have a no long vocabulary (my english is quite poor)...

What do you mean with:



> Don't let them grow large and setting buds.
> Don't wait for the "dust" to settle and for opening of the spathe.
> Don't let a top-heavy plant try a salto mortale and ending up upside down while you're not watching...


_*Cryptocoryne schulzei* _from Hiroshi Shirakawa´s page (aka=Pyocorine)
_*Cryptocoryne schulzei* _from Sigezo´s page
_*Cryptocoryne schulzei* _from Mirage of water´s page
_*Cryptocoryne schulzei* _from Symphysodon´s page
_*Cryptocoryne schulzei* _from Slow Aqua Life´s page
_*Cryptocoryne schulzei* _from Cryptocoryne´s page
_*Cryptocoryne schulzei* _from カブさん´s page
_*Cryptocoryne schulzei*_from まつさん´s page


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## EDGE

Kai, can you explain why we shouldn't do some of the Don't do? How does removing neighboring pots affect other plants? Why don't we wait for dust settle? How small is small plastic pot? Can they be grown in large plastic pot? 

Thanks


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## HeyPK

It is interesting that Sigezo is growing his plants in what looks like a dry atmosphere. 

That is a nice collection of links, Xema!


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## Kai Witte

EDGE said:


> Kai, can you explain why we shouldn't do some of the Don't do?


Sorry, that was a bit oblige! It's just a series of events which allowed Murphy's law (If something can go wrong, it will!) to bite me... 

I wanted to take nice pics so I removed neighboring crypts and raised the water level (a few days before the planned foto session to allow the water to get clear again). Due to the good growth in a small plastic pot, the plant was top-heavy and turned upside down (no stabilization from neighboring pots).


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## Kai Witte

HeyPK said:


> It is interesting that Sigezo is growing his plants in what looks like a dry atmosphere.


I believe he still has a decent humidity in these tanks. Most emersed plants grow better if the humidity isn't approaching 100% since evaporation makes it much easier for a plant to transport nutrients from the roots to the leaves.


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## Xema

HeyPK said:


> That is a nice collection of links, Xema!


Thanks!!


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## EDGE

Thanks for clearing those Don't dos, Kai. Do you have any photos of your plants? I am interested to see how different people grow their crypts.


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## Kai Witte

EDGE said:


> Do you have any photos of your plants? I am interested to see how different people grow their crypts.


Sure, Edge (most are slides though - I need to take/resize some digital ones and will come back to you).

I'm confident that you'll like my blackwater set-up... :faint2:


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## Kai Witte

Here's a pic, Edge:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=13862


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## Kai Witte

Xema said:


> C. uenoi C. nurii and C. bullosa grow in fast flow waters, and with very acid reaction... which would be your recommendation about keep them???


Another crosslink:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=13593


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## Xema

22 days after plantation, it has sent a new leaves and another is coming up.










Greetings from Spain


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## Kai Witte

Xema said:


> 22 days after plantation, it has sent a new leaves and another is coming up.


Hello Xema, that looks promising!


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## Xema

C. schulzei, updating pictures.

70 days after plantation










Greets from Spain


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## EDGE

nice work on getting C. schulzei to grow in a custom mixed.


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## ts168

Hi Xema, Any update on this C. Schulzei?
With pic also.  thanks


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## Xema

ts168 said:


> Hi Xema, Any update on this C. Schulzei?
> With pic also.  thanks


Summer were terrible... a heat wave and 2 home moving... But it stayed alive...










having some problems with convex leaves...










Now it is sending new runnuers... I am so happy wiht that!


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## DelawareJim

Nice looking plant. Another one on my list to get.

I like the moss in the substrate too. Do you find the plants grow better or do they just look better?

Cheers.
Jim


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## Kai Witte

Hello Jim,



> Nice looking plant. Another one on my list to get.


No problem - just pester me, Xema or Sean long enough... 

Congrats, Xema, to get it going again!



> I like the moss in the substrate too. Do you find the plants grow better or do they just look better?


I sometimes use Sphagnum with blackwater crypts - helps to monitor the growing conditions. It can easily overgrow small crypts like schulzei though. Thus, I'm mainly using it with tall plants.

I haven't done enough experiments to ascertain a positive effect on crypt growth. (Some mosses like Sphagnum may help to keep fungal infections at bay. However, they may - in theory - also act as host for other pests.)

At least they can help to limit algae growth.


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## DelawareJim

Kai;

I haven't seen any studies on the prophylatic effects of sphagnum moss, but the carniverous plant folks say the same thing. Supposedly, even the milled sphagnum moss used for starting seeds seems to work at preventing such fungae as damping off.

I might have to take you up on the "pestering" and start out with some of the more readily available species of crypts you folks have access to that we don't here in the US.

Oh, by the by, how are you growing C. Ciliata? I had a couple of specimens that I really struggled with emersed, and growing them submersed, I could only keep a couple of leaves, maybe 3-4. I got tired of watching them stretch to about a foot tall with only 3 leaves at the top. I ended up yanking them and giving them to Sean.

Cheers.
Jim


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## Kai Witte

Hello Jim,

Sure, I'm always happy to distribute nice plants - will send you a PM...

BTW, let's move ciliata to a new thread!


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## Xema

Updating.... new runners are visible...










Greets from Spain, land of Turrón


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## kevin120477

My C. schulzei from Kota Tinggi

After 6 months of growing, it flowered last weekend.


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## Ghazanfar Ghori

Nice! That plant is on my wish list. Kai - are you reading this!


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## Xema

This plant was sent to me as C. schulzei, but after get flowered I saw it was a wrong id. Really mine is the kota tinggi hybrid, a nice a plant which flower usually.


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## crypts

Xema said:


> This plant was sent to me as C. schulzei, but after get flowered I saw it was a wrong id. Really mine is the kota tinggi hybrid, a nice a plant which flower usually.


Went to the site recently, the population is getting smaller and smaller, maybe due to over collection. Anyway, this crypts reside in a palm oil plantation, the life spam of a oil palm estate is around 25 years, and i guess the current estate age around 15-20 year old it hint the life spam of this new species.

Herman had passed some specimens to a professor specialize in crypt from university science malaysia, he classified it under purpurea group.


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## Ghazanfar Ghori

Thats too bad. Xema - propagate it out!


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## jazzlvr123

beautiful plant. would love to add it to my collection *hint hint* hehe great job with the photos


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