Giving Wisteria Another Try

I have been really bad with stem plants just melting away until I finally pull them out.

Bought a bunch of wisteria to try again. I would like to see it grow to the top and lay over. Tucked them under the cave, made sure roots at bottom were secured in the sand and put a root tab right next to them.







Also added some jungle vals and corkscrew vals to get some height. The crypt lutea is doing phenomenal and growing so well I have thinned out to spread out in this and share with other tanks. It just doesn’t grow tall enough.

 

I just got my wisteria yesterday, crossing my fingers mine does well, too! This is my first attempt at planted tanks. Jealous of how well your crypt is doing! Mine is so tiny!

 

They take nutrients from the water column too!

 

I use flourish complete 1x a week, flourish trace 2x a week, flourish excel when I am adding the other two so 3x a week. I have learned to do half doses of excel on tanks with jungle val though.

I just got my wisteria yesterday, crossing my fingers mine does well, too! This is my first attempt at planted tanks. Jealous of how well your crypt is doing! Mine is so tiny!

I hope yours does well too! It is crazy how I can spend more time on the plants than the fish sometimes.

If you have crypt lutea, it will grow and spread. What else do you have?

 

I have a couple swords, java fern, and dwarf sag!

 

Looks great! Hopefully it will work out for you this time keep us posted!

 

So far so good. The plants are not melting back.

 

Here is today. At least they are still alive even if they are growing so slow.

 

Woo hoo!!! You did it!

 

Woo hoo!!! You did it!

So far, lol. Fingers crossed they continue to do well and grow to the top.

 

Good luck! It seems to grow kinda slow but then one day you look at your tank and ask yourself “that plant got how big?” What are you using for a root tab?

 

Agree with jenmur
In my short time as a "Underwater Gardener" I stumbled on to this factor, due to my daily viewing what I may perceive as slow or no growth is at times actually the opposite. I now rely on pics to evaluate the growth. I am amazed at the growth at times with the comparison pics. And of course can also be disappointed at times..
tfreema Looking at your pics I definitely see growth.

 

Good luck! It seems to grow kinda slow but then one day you look at your tank and ask yourself “that plant got how big?” What are you using for a root tab?

I hope that happens, lol. I just haven’t had the best luck with stem plants.
Flourish root tabs, flourish complete ferts 1x a week, and flourish trace 2 x a week. I put very little flourish excel in this tank since it has jungle val.

Agree with jenmur
In my short time as a "Underwater Gardener" I stumbled on to this factor, due to my daily viewing what I may perceive as slow or no growth is at times actually the opposite. I now rely on pics to evaluate the growth. I am amazed at the growth at times with the comparison pics. And of course can also be disappointed at times..
tfreema Looking at your pics I definitely see growth.

You are right, there is more height yet a little bit of thinning at the bottom. I am just pleased that they are still alive honestly, lol.

 

tfreema. It will . What is your water like? You do way more ferts than I do! I would confuse myself.

Hmm I think I have heard Wisteria does thin at bottom. Mine have a little.

 

tfreema. It will . What is your water like? You do way more ferts than I do! I would confuse myself.

Hmm I think I have heard Wisteria does thin at bottom. Mine have a little.

I am not sure what you mean about what my water is like. Ph is about 7.6-7.8, it is a little on the hard side, but barely. Was there something else you were wondering about!
I used to just use root tabs, but have added the rest as I would come across what others were doing. Trace is twice during the week, Tuesday and Thursday. Complete is Saturday or Sunday. Excel is every time I do one of the others.
My anubias and ferns feed from the water column so root tabs don’t help them.

 

I am not sure what you mean about what my water is like. Ph is about 7.6-7.8, it is a little on the hard side, but barely. Was there something else you were wondering about!
I used to just use root tabs, but have added the rest as I would come across what others were doing. Trace is twice during the week, Tuesday and Thursday. Complete is Saturday or Sunday. Excel is every time I do one of the others.
My anubias and ferns feed from the water column so root tabs don’t help them.

That’s what I meant. Hehe. Sorry I keep forgetting “what is your water like?” Can mean a lot of things on here. My water is 7.2pH. And I’m not sure about hardness and stuff. I was wondering if our water was wildly different.

So far the Pennywort I have floating around is doing good. If it wasn’t I do have Flourish. True. Anubias and fern don’t get root tabs. Hehe.

 

I am putting the pictures in one post to see the difference. Not only is the wisteria doing well, but the Amazon sword, jungle and corkscrew vals are also doing well and propagating. I will need to rearrange and remove some soon.
Now:


October 29th:

 

I am putting the pictures in one post to see the difference. Not only is the wisteria doing well, but the Amazon sword, jungle and corkscrew vals are also doing well and propagating. I will need to rearrange and remove some soon.
Now:
View attachment 391162
October 29th:
View attachment 391163

Oh wow! Awesome!

 

Quick update. They are growing good now!

Soon I will have to learn how to take the top off to plant elsewhere. Any instructions on how to do that would be appreciated.

 

I just trim a section off and replant. You can leave it floating for a few days until it grows roots, and then put it in the substrate. Even a single leaf can grow roots and eventually a new plant!

 

I suggest cutting at a 45* angle instead of straight across.

 

Quick update. They are growing good now!

Soon I will have to learn how to take the top off to plant elsewhere. Any instructions on how to do that would be appreciated.

View attachment 396630

That Wisteria growth is amazing!

 

Here is today. I took a picture before I clip the tallest one because I am afraid they will all start to die when I mess with them, lol. I need plants for my new 75 gallon build so the tall one will donate its top half to the cause.

 

They shouldn't die because of the trimming

 

They shouldn't die because of the trimming

You underestimate my powers to kill plants.

I hope you are right. There are 4 shorter ones that are growing nicely so I think you are right and it will all be good. I am going to cut it tomorrow and let it float in the tank while I work on the hard scape this week. I will set it, rearrange it a hundred times and likely wind up with the first arrangement after all.

 

The trimming should be fine as well as the original plant. And the original plant will get bushier where you cut it!

I’m good with aquarium plants. I have killed an aloe plant before.

 

Hello....any updated photos? I am following your thread, trying to discover how not to kill plants.

 

Hello....any updated photos? I am following your thread, trying to discover how not to kill plants.

Not much difference from the picture I posted a few days ago.


I have killed my share of plants for sure, lol.
What plants do you have or want? Starting out with some hardy plants like anubias and java fern would be good. Those are water column feeders so they do best attached to wood or rock. If planted in substrate, make sure the rhizome is not covered.
Stem plants like these wisteria have been the real challenge for me. I think getting a combination of plant food has helped. I use root tabs, flourish 1x week, flourish excel 3x week except tanks with jungle val only 1x, and Trace 2x week. I am pretty low tech with only excel as my CO2 source and inexpensive led lights off eBay.

 

Ah, I thought you were going to trim the top of the wisteria!

I have killed (er, tried) :
Anubias hastifolia, with the rhizome dutifully exposed.
Anubias barteri, same.
Water wisteria.
Susswassertang.

Some plants soldier on, including:
Java fern, attached to driftwood (still living, not very happy).
Java moss, attached to driftwood (still living, not thriving).
Marimo doing okay.

I have no-tech set-ups. A Marineland LED kit light on one, and an Aqueon T8 on another. Forgot to mention that algae grows well in both tanks.

I'm thinking of trying your fertilizer approach

 

Oh, sorry. I plan to trim the big one sometime this week. I am apprehensive, lol.
If you feed your plants and get them healthy, they should outcompete algae. A split light schedule helps too. I am not sure about the marineland led lights. The ones I had were not enough for plants.

 

I did it!
Now to let it float for a few days while I work on the 75 gallon scape.

 

Water Wisteria is a beautiful plant and one of my favorite easy care low lighters.
That's a really nice looking tank you have there.

 

Thank you! I had contemplated taking this one down when I moved, but the plants were doing so well in it, I left it up for my kribensis, otos, and added some neon tetras.

 

Yay!! And it’s looking good.

 

tfreema
Relax, take a deep breath. You're on your way. It's a healthy looking Wisteria. You should be fine floating it for a few days. I do it all the time. I have Wisteria coming out of Wisteria coming out of Wisteria, etc.
But still "Good Luck"

 

Good news. The stalk I cut the top off of has some new growth.


Another stalk has reached the surface so it will be cut back this weekend.


Plants in this tank just seem to do better. My s. repens look so much better than in my other tanks and the jungle vals are spreading like crazy. And in the picture above, you can see a nice full large sword.

 

Woo hoo!! Glad these plants are doing great! If you leave the Wisteria attached it’ll grow along the surface of the water I believe.

 

Woo hoo!! Glad these plants are doing great! If you leave the Wisteria attached it’ll grow along the surface of the water I believe.

I had a small piece of Wisteria leaf that I had cut and left to itself, floating in the back of my tank. After a couple of weeks that little leaf actually had roots.

 

I had a small piece of Wisteria leaf that I had cut and left to itself, floating in the back of my tank. After a couple of weeks that little leaf actually had roots.

Oh yes! I did that and put a piece in my betta tank and my quarantine tank. Both pieces have grown and have roots. I was just offering another way for Wisteria to provide shade in the tank if they wanted to do that.

 

tfreema said "Plants in this tank just seem to do better. My s. repens look so much better than in my other tanks and the are spreading like crazy. And in the picture above, you can see a nice full large sword."

Agree, I have a 10 gal Planted Shrimp tank that so far anything I have introduced grows like crazy. In fact I have a Val jungle right now. The strange thing is it gets a minuscule amount of ferts maybe once every week if I remember. If I have trouble with a plant I put it in this tank for a few weeks, it will takeoff then I transfer to the other tanks and it's fine. Live and Learn