# How to grow tall dwarf Sag



## tiger15 (Apr 9, 2017)

The plant profile says that dwarf Sag, SAGITTARIA SUBULATA, averages 5 to 15 cm but occasionally can shoot up 50 cm stems. Are regular and dwarf Sag the same plant or dwarf Sag exhibits double personality.

Under what condition will dwarf Sag grow tall? I actually prefer and want to grow tall Sag as a background plant in lieu of Val’s because it has harder texture that can resist fish abuse and tolerate Glut.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

None of the dwarf sag that I have had has ever grown more than about 6 inches high. But, there is a tall sag species: https://aquaticarts.com/products/tall-narrowleaf-sagittaria I suspect there are other tall varieties too, but, from what I read, they are considered to be obnoxious weeds.

If you want this just because of the effect of Excel on them, you should be aware that if you ignore the Seachem recommendation that we dose 5 ml per 10 gallons of water, and never dose more than 2 ml per 10 gallons, it has little effect, if any, on vals. Seachem is very wrong in recommending such a high dosage.


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## tiger15 (Apr 9, 2017)

hoppycalif said:


> None of the dwarf sag that I have had has ever grown more than about 6 inches high. But, there is a tall sag species: https://aquaticarts.com/products/tall-narrowleaf-sagittaria I suspect there are other tall varieties too, but, from what I read, they are considered to be obnoxious weeds.
> 
> If you want this just because of the effect of Excel on them, you should be aware that if you ignore the Seachem recommendation that we dose 5 ml per 10 gallons of water, and never dose more than 2 ml per 10 gallons, it has little effect, if any, on vals. Seachem is very wrong in recommending such a high dosage.


Yes, that's the tall Sag I'm looking for. Interestingly, it has the same scientific name and how one can tell them apart. I thought the dwarf variety is a spot, and occasionally will revert to the tall type just like many dwarf conifer.

I only dose high initial dosage after WC to control algae. I have CO2 and no need to dose low dosage for liquid carbon. IME, low daily dosage alone will not control algae and apparently won't harm Val's.


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

Cant you grow any sag tall?

just yell at it long enough and...?

_/joking_


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

I grow what is sold as dwarf sag but is actually Sagittaria filiformis once it gets pot bound it will grow quite tall.


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## Katsuragii (12 mo ago)

Just use brighter light source that will encourage the plant to grow taller. Just look at my dwarf sags in the background, they are approximately 2 ft and some are 3 and 4 ft. I think the reason why mine grew like this is that my plants wants to reach the appropriate distance between them and the light source. But, the light source must be bright like what I just said before. My LED is 50 wattage and my Tank is 35 gallons (18 inches height).


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Welcome to APC!

Your plants really look like vallisneria or one of the tall species of sagittaria to me. Are you certain about identification?


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## Katsuragii (12 mo ago)

Michael said:


> Welcome to APC!
> 
> Your plants really look like vallisneria or one of the tall species of sagittaria to me. Are you certain about identification?


When I got them, they were short like around 4 to 5 inches tall and they wont grow taller.- I previously used 20 watts to grow them and they only reach 6 inches tall (after months of keeping them). But when I replaced the 20 watts LED that I previously used to my tank with a new 50 watts LED, they grew around 2 to 4 ft tall in just a few weeks!. Weird.

Oh ye, before buying, I asked what plants they are and the petshop owner told me that they were dwarf sags.

I also did a little research to find out what they really are after they grew way taller than 6 inches and I found these.

1. Sags has thicker leaves compared to vals (I have Giant Vals before, but their leaves are thicker (and darker) and less fragile compared to my sagitaria)
2. There is a veriety of S. Sabulata - the tall Sagittaria Subulata Narrow-Leaf which can grow between 8 to 16 inches tall (But mine grow around 3 to 4 ft tall).
3. There is also a species of sags called Sagittaria filiformis (Narrow leaved arrowhead), its is a perennial herb *up to 170 cm tall* (5ft) which is maybe the plant I have rightnow. 

The two pictures below show the same plants and I kept them in another container. These are just 2 inches tall and they did not grow any taller for a month, since the depth of the container water where I grow them is only 1.5 inch deep. I pulled some of them from the container and planted them inside my tank and see if the phenomenon will happen again


















I maybe wrong about everything, and if thats the case, then maybe I need some help to identify my plants xD. Im interested.


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## SusanTheSnail (Jun 14, 2020)

tiger15 said:


> The plant profile says that dwarf Sag, SAGITTARIA SUBULATA, averages 5 to 15 cm but occasionally can shoot up 50 cm stems. Are regular and dwarf Sag the same plant or dwarf Sag exhibits double personality.
> 
> Under what condition will dwarf Sag grow tall? I actually prefer and want to grow tall Sag as a background plant in lieu of Val’s because it has harder texture that can resist fish abuse and tolerate Glut.


IME, my dwarf sags will occasionally shoot out a rosette that has abnormally long leaves. I think that the size variation will occur when the saggitaria gets lower light as my sag foreground keeps growing itself everywhere, even in quite dim areas

A 50 cm sample could be a different species. The longest dwarf sagittaria leaf I had was around 13-15 cm


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