Emersed! Pre-tank Plant Passion

I was a keeper of fishes in the early '70s (even talked my parents into opening an LFS ) but faded out quickly from the scene once I obtained a driver's license and a motorcycle and other passions took hold.

But I've always had a passion for plants, and having reached virtual retirement, thought I might have a go with aquatic plants. The trade has grown SO much in 50 years -why not?. So, It's old and new with me.

Currently, my wife and I are jammed into a nice but old apartment on a busy little Main St. We have migrated to Northern Virginia from the SW of VA where we raised our children. My new laboratory (bwahhahaha) is currently under construction as the basement of an accessory house beside my daughter's and son-in-law's house. Once we've moved in, I'll have 2 built-in, part-time lab assists, ages 3 and 5 to explore the hydrosphere with me. So I'm constrained a little now, but not for long.

I didn't even know some of these plant have an emersed form. Holy cow! How did I miss that in the '70s?
My old house was on the shores of a TVA impoundment which was raised and lowered artificially with the seasons. There was a patch at the river's mouth where a bit of mud plantain grew and bloomed along its edge each year. I never thought about that as the same cycle of the cryptocorynes that I planted in aquariums decades earlier.

With the internet being a thing, I've devoured lots of info, but several weeks ago purchased a single C. wendtii Red from the local Petco -immersed form. It was a nice healthy 6-8" and I cut all but two of leaves off.

I made a little Wardian case with matching plasti-ware as housing.




For soil, I whipped up a batch of potting soil from leaf compost and sphagnum moss.I planted and water-logged it, then used some store-bought pebbles for a nice cap. Light-wise, I started it on a large LED 6500k desk lamp. More recently I've switched to some cheap 'gro-light' strips (a couple of reds and whites) on a timer with a few hours in the early morning and a few more at dusk with good incidental during the day. They have about 1' of clearance.

It hit the ground running. The two original leaves never melted (though looking tired now) and it has popped off a new leaf about one per week.



It sits on an old-fashion radiator. I've managed to keep the temp below 80F. The only set back, I left the lid off for a few hours accidentally and it was very droopy but perked up in a day or two.

I've noticed a little side grow recently and today noticed a runner sprout.



So, what's the chance, or the path, to get a flower?


I'll drop the reds for my next photos.

Next. C. parva.


JJJ