# Rotala rotundifolia sp. green creeping habit



## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Recently, I acquired some Rotala rotundifolia sp. green from Charley (lowcoaster on the erstwhile Aquabid.com).

This plant responds well to heavy pruning by forming a bushy thicket. As the thicket gets denser, fully-leaved stems creep across the substrate to take over more territory. Has anyone noticed this habit? The more one prunes, the more it creeps.

Andrew Cribb


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Really? I noticed the opposite. When I top off and replant, then it will always creep (like its on survival mode). If you just trim an established bunch (well defined root system), then it grows in normally (bushy).


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## Roy Deki (Apr 7, 2004)

Andrew, would you be willing to sell some trimmings?

Thanks Roy


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Roy,

I'd be happy to. Give me a week or two and then send me a PM. It is -12C this morning in NYC....

Andrew Cribb


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## Roy Deki (Apr 7, 2004)

Cool, thanks Andrew!!!


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Like most plants, the creeping has to do with high light. That's the problem with using this plant in an aquascape, the creeping umbrella like stems make it stick out like a sore thumb.

IUknown, when you say "if you just trim an established bunch (well defined root system), then it grows in normally (bushy)," do you mean bushy as it grows vertically?


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## Aaron (Feb 12, 2004)

This plant definitely has a unique growing pattern. The downsweeping habit of older growth can be very dramatic, but I have a really hard time controlling it. In the 2003 ADA catalog, there are some great tanks that feature this plant. What turns me off of this plant is it's propensity to produce aerial roots along the stem... very ugly

Hey Roy, PM me, I just trimmed some and it's yours if you want it.


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Initially, when I planted this species in Flourite, it did produce a lot of above-the-substrate-surface water roots  . That was because the stems had been damaged by planting in the somewhat sharp-edged Flourite. The water roots grew down into the substrate and stems sprouted off them. I then removed the older first-planted stems and have not had water roots since.

Andrew Cribb


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## freshreef (May 14, 2004)

i just got a few stems from AVIEL and it creeped with 1.2w/l, now after i turned down 80w (went down to 0.8w/l) it started to search for the light...


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## ShaneSmith (Feb 15, 2004)

I think light and maybe other factos trigger it to creep. I always get the most creeping when the plant is neary something that shades it. It always creeps around the shading item on the ground and spreads from there... but not vertically. Once it starts to creep i find it best to just replant it upright or else it makes a carpet.


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