75 Gallon Tank Aponogeton Propagation/bulb plant propogation?

I know you can propagate stem plants by cutting off a stem and planting it again. I was wondering if there's a way to do something similar to bulb plants. I looked up images of plants online and I'm 99% sure I have Aponogeton in my tank. Can you split the bulb in half and propagate it? Also, in general what happens if the bulb and the plant are separated, or if part of the bulb breaks off?

 

No idea about propagating them via cuttings, but I've got 2 aponogeton plantlets that appeared after I neglected to cut off the flower stems, and they apparently fertilized each other. 2 plants next to each other flowered simultaneously. I noticed some weird green seed-like things on the flowers, and decided to leave the flowers in. Eventually the seeds grew and fell off, floated to the ground, and then rooted and are now about 2 inches tall and growing as separate plants.

So, no idea how common that is, but all it required in my case was simply to neglect trimming for a bit. I think I have some pics of the process if you're interested. It did require 2 adult plants.

I would expect you don't want to try cutting the bulbs in half. I know with things like seed onions that would likely just result in the cut bulb rotting in the ground.

 

You don't want to 'split' the bulb. Seeds seem to work better.

 

No idea about propagating them via cuttings, but I've got 2 aponogeton plantlets that appeared after I neglected to cut off the flower stems, and they apparently fertilized each other. 2 plants next to each other flowered simultaneously. I noticed some weird green seed-like things on the flowers, and decided to leave the flowers in. Eventually the seeds grew and fell off, floated to the ground, and then rooted and are now about 2 inches tall and growing as separate plants.

So, no idea how common that is, but all it required in my case was simply to neglect trimming for a bit. I think I have some pics of the process if you're interested. It did require 2 adult plants.

I would expect you don't want to try cutting the bulbs in half. I know with things like seed onions that would likely just result in the cut bulb rotting in the ground.

For some reason mine hasn't flowered So I guess it won't work ;(

 

No idea about propagating them via cuttings, but I've got 2 aponogeton plantlets that appeared after I neglected to cut off the flower stems, and they apparently fertilized each other. 2 plants next to each other flowered simultaneously. I noticed some weird green seed-like things on the flowers, and decided to leave the flowers in. Eventually the seeds grew and fell off, floated to the ground, and then rooted and are now about 2 inches tall and growing as separate plants.

So, no idea how common that is, but all it required in my case was simply to neglect trimming for a bit. I think I have some pics of the process if you're interested. It did require 2 adult plants.

I would expect you don't want to try cutting the bulbs in half. I know with things like seed onions that would likely just result in the cut bulb rotting in the ground.

I'd be interested in those pics!

 

For some reason mine hasn't flowered So I guess it won't work ;(

How long has it been in the tank? What temps, how often do you fertilize? I've read that some aponogetons need a dormancy period where you remove the bulb from the tank, clip leaves off, and put it into damp sand for a couple months, then replant. Unsure if they NEED that in order to flower, and some sources claim that not all aponogeton species need it. Is the plant growing rapidly? If it's stalled out in growth, it might just need more fertilizers.

mimo91088
Sure, I'll attach them here! First image is the flower stems floating at the surface with the developing seeds. Second is the seeds a few days after they naturally dropped into the aquarium. I didn't disturb them, just let them do as they would.

I don't have any more recent pics, but I can get some later for you. At this point they're just mini versions of the adults!

 

How long has it been in the tank? What temps, how often do you fertilize? I've read that some aponogetons need a dormancy period where you remove the bulb from the tank, clip leaves off, and put it into damp sand for a couple months, then replant. Unsure if they NEED that in order to flower, and some sources claim that not all aponogeton species need it. Is the plant growing rapidly? If it's stalled out in growth, it might just need more fertilizers.

mimo91088
Sure, I'll attach them here! First image is the flower stems floating at the surface with the developing seeds. Second is the seeds a few days after they naturally dropped into the aquarium. I didn't disturb them, just let them do as they would.

I don't have any more recent pics, but I can get some later for you. At this point they're just mini versions of the adults!

Thank you for sharing! So cool to see!

 

How long has it been in the tank? What temps, how often do you fertilize? I've read that some aponogetons need a dormancy period where you remove the bulb from the tank, clip leaves off, and put it into damp sand for a couple months, then replant. Unsure if they NEED that in order to flower, and some sources claim that not all aponogeton species need it. Is the plant growing rapidly? If it's stalled out in growth, it might just need more fertilizers.

mimo91088
Sure, I'll attach them here! First image is the flower stems floating at the surface with the developing seeds. Second is the seeds a few days after they naturally dropped into the aquarium. I didn't disturb them, just let them do as they would.

I don't have any more recent pics, but I can get some later for you. At this point they're just mini versions of the adults!

I’m not using any fertilizer... I recently moved them to another tank because my angelfish were absolutely destroying them. The longer leaves are half eaten but there has been a lot of growth after the initial melting period ended. Does the plant need to reach the surface in order to flower?

 

I’m not using any fertilizer... I recently moved them to another tank because my angelfish were absolutely destroying them. The longer leaves are half eaten but there has been a lot of growth after the initial melting period ended. Does the plant need to reach the surface in order to flower?

Sorry for delays, I'm googling and researching between replies! Lol. There isn't a ton of info out there on these specific questions. It seems these guys like fertile soil, so you may benefit from putting root tabs into the soil around them. No guarantees, but it's a guess. Most seem to prefer tropical tank temperatures of the upper 70's Fahrenheit, which I assume you've got if they're growing vigorously.

I'd go ahead and trim back all of the damaged leaves, cutting as close to the base as possible--mine tolerate very heavy pruning, and I'm given to understand that with most plants it's better to remove damaged foliage rather than leave it on for the plant to waste resources on. (Less resources healing damaged leaves = more resources for flowers, maybe?)

Mine definitely wanted to reach the surface, and the flowering stems floated flat along the top of the water for several inches. It's a shallow tank, though, and is only a regular 10 gallon, so about 12 inches tall. How tall is your tank, and what's the light situation like?

Sounds like they're recovering from a bit of a tough time, so maybe they just need a little more recovery time. The vigorous growth after the melting period is encouraging!!

 

I have mine in inert substrate. They bloom after a while. I do give them some root tabs. Dormancy - not sure - there are a lot of hybrid out there so it is hard to guess if your bulb needs one but likely not - i have some that have continued nearly 2 years straight... I've not managed to produce seeds but 1/2 the time i cut the flowers off - they can get annoying in my tank.