# Is the banana plant (Nymphoides) a submersed plant?



## lun1010 (Jun 29, 2005)

When I first bought the banana plant, it have few leave. After it grew a while in my planted tank, all submersed leaves died off. Then the new leave sprout out from the plant will all grow tall and up to the surface of the water. It is a fast grower indeed. All emmersed leaves always block my lighting that force me do a lot of trimming.

Is this plant a submersed or emmersed plant? How to grow the submersed leaves?

Thanks.


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## |squee| (Feb 3, 2005)

It's more emersed if I'm not wrong. The "banana" things that it has also disappear after a while too.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

It'll grow submersed just finer, like a lotus or lilies. Yuo pinch the surface leaves before they make it to the surface.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

This is a great plant, I've had two plants since the first day that I started in planted tanks and their still going strong. 

Mine grow both submerged leaves and the floating leaves at the same time. If they start to block the light just trim those leaves/stems off as close to the base as possible. 

Mine are planted in substrate, but only half of the banana shaped roots. I've been told if you just let the banana shaped roots set on top of the substrate surface that the plant will grow more compact.

Also this plant can bloom in the tank and produce adventitious plants on the floating leaves, although I have never had this happen with my Banana plants.


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## lun1010 (Jun 29, 2005)

trenac said:


> This is a great plant, I've had two plants since the first day that I started in planted tanks and their still going strong.
> 
> Mine grow both submerged leaves and the floating leaves at the same time. If they start to block the light just trim those leaves/stems off as close to the base as possible.
> 
> ...


Thanks trenac, I will follow your approach and see whether the banana plant will grow submerged leaves.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

lun1010,

The "bananas" are nutrient storage organs. If you see them starting to shrivel or die off you should think about direct fertilization with a root tab or the like. Come to think of it, that's not a bad thing to do before that happens. Mine always did best when the "tubers" (they're actually roots) were buried just deep enough to keep the plant from floating away. 

Regards,
Phil


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## aquaverde (Feb 9, 2004)

This plant can be really pretty under good light and growing conditions. It's the only Nymphoides that hasn't gotten too big for my aquaria, but it did get much bigger leaves for me after a while than what you normally see in shops, and the color was lighter green, with darker veins. It's the plant in the right foreground:


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