With growing interest in planted tanks, hobbyists are always on the look-out for what’s new or different in the hobby. Aquadip’s Joey Abrahams has hints of what retailers can stock
Echinodorus horemanii ‘Green’ is an absolutely stunning plant, and there’s also a lovely ‘red’ variety. The ‘Green’ variety has bright green, thin, elongated leaves and stems, which creates a bushy appearance simply because of the sheer number of leaves.
Originally, Echinodorus comes from the warmer regions in South America, and so it requires a temperature range of 22-28 degrees Celsius and a medium to high lighting intensity. With the right parameters and growing conditions, this species grows easily to 50cm or even taller if the tank is deep enough – we recommend hobbyists use it as an eye-catching centre plant, but most people tend to plant it in a background position due to its size.
In this picture you can see a large mother plant, though we also offer the species in 5cm pots.
Generally speaking, like many others in the Echinodorus family, it requires medium care with the use of a CO2 fertiliser. If possible, suggest the hobbyist uses root sticks as this is of great benefit to the plant. Also remind customers that pH should be at a level of 6.5 to 7.5.
If stalks grow above the water line, flowers will appear and then new leaves and roots will follow. When these are large enough, they can be snipped off and replanted, creating new plants.
