Cryptocoryne Pontederiifolia |

I recently saw my Cryptocoryne Pontederiifolia forming what I thought to be a spathe but was unsure until I saw it open today. I keep this plant in a high humidity dome with a basic computer fan running 24/7 to circulate the air/lower humidity as the two 23 watt CFL 6700k spiral bulbs I am using can get quite warm. In terms of substrate it is kept in a mixture of sheep manure, cow manure, worm castings, natural red clay, and cheap topsoil. I run the lights from 9:00am until 9:00pm and keep it on a timer so the plants have a “schedule” to follow as opposed to turning on/off the lights whenever I’m available, believe it or not a simple timer will save you many headaches.

Enjoy the pictures

Crytpcoryne Pontederiifolia is a great starter Cryptocoryne and contains an even prettier yellow inflorescence. Under different water and lighting parameters C. Pontederiifolia will display a variety of colours and leaf forms from deep green to pink, bullate leaves to smooth, and short plants to tall plants. Here are two examples of C. Pontederiifolia in which I keep in two completely different conditions.

Condition 1
– Four 36″ T5 bulbs with two 6700k bulbs and two colourmax (pink) bulbs.
– PH 8.2+ HARD water
– Homemade substrate mix
– 12 hour lighting period
– Kept in 10 gallon emersed tank with air stone
Results – Under these conditions C. Pontederiifolia displayed it’s newer leaves as pink and and stayed quite small. No signs of any deficiencies what so ever though.

Condition 2
– Two 23 watt 6700k CFL bulbs
– One 18 watt ZooMed plant bulb (pink)
– Neutral water PH 7.5
– MGOCPS substrate (Not a fan due to potential gnats and other unwanted bugs hatching, wouldn’t use again)
– 10 hour lighting period
– Kept in high humidity dome+tray with no air stone or water circulation.
Results – Under these conditions C. Pontederiifolia never displayed any pink in comparison to the other specimens kept in “Condition 1”. The new growth was always green and the green intensifies as the plant matures. Propagation is quite quick via runners sent from the mother plant.