The care of a real aquarist is by no means just fish. He is interested in the whole “object” as a whole: the landscape at the bottom, and the location of the aquarium, and without fail - plantings in it. Moreover, plants to a large extent affect the life of the aquarium population, which hides in them, eats up greens, and receives oxygen from it. And everyone wants plants to fulfill not only a purely utilitarian role, but also to decorate the landscape. Therefore, among those who hold tropical fish, the aquarium plant is so popular. It is surprisingly beautiful and magnificent, and besides, it is also an underwater surface view. That is, having reached the surface of the water, it does not stop there, but, on the contrary, begins to grow faster, and often bloom.
However, in order to achieve this, you will have to work hard: the aquarium magnolia vine plant is quite picky and demanding.
House for lemongrass
First of all, due to its splendor, the plant needs a large aquarium. Those who have been growing lemongrass for a long time advise not to plant it in a container of less than one hundred and fifty liters. Or to settle a single plant in it and not propagate it. The plant should be planted at the far wall of the dwelling - otherwise, growing, the bush will obscure the whole view for you.
Next is the temperature. This handsome native of South Asian rivers and swamps, where, as you know, there are almost no winters (in any case, in our understanding). Therefore, heat is the first thing that an aquarium magnolia vine needs. Keeping it at a temperature below 22 degrees leads to stunting; and if the water has "cooled" to 20, the plant will die at all. The optimum temperature will be 24-28.
Water requirements
Unlike many other plantings, the aquarium magnolia vine plant does not perceive soft water. If its rigidity is insufficient, the lower leaves will fall off very quickly - only a miserable panicle from above will remain. So a decrease in stiffness of less than 8 will lead to the impoverishment of the thickets. The reaction of water should fluctuate between pH 7-8.5. And be sure - nitrates! Not less than 10 mg / l. Of course, a small number of plants will not kill them, but it will develop extremely slowly.
The main thing is light!
When growing lemongrass, the main concern of the aquarist is to provide him with bright and long light. In conditions of lack of light, the plant again loses most of the leaves, exposing a bare trunk for display. Usually the aquarium, where the aquarium magnolia plant lives, is illuminated by fluorescent lamps; their quantity and power are calculated so that for every liter of water there is a half-watt. And the light does not turn off for at least half a day. Lateral illumination will provide more uniform growth of lemongrass and long preservation of the lower leaves. A sign of the sufficiency of light is the color of the stem: while it is brown, lemongrass does not starve in light terms.
How to care
The prerequisites under which your plant will feel great are as follows:
- Soil with a layer of seven centimeters - lemongrass has powerful roots that need to cling to something. The soil must be silted.
- Periodic pruning - this stimulates the growth of lateral shoots.
- Weekly replacement of a quarter of the volume of water in the aquarium.
- Cautious intervention in the existing system - with sharp deviations from the usual way of life, lemongrass begins to "be sad."
Schisandra aquarium: reproduction
There is nothing complicated in it - the usual cuttings. The top of a healthy specimen is cut off and placed directly in the ground. At first, a separate clay small pot can be allocated to the young plant so that it is not undermined by fish. When the roots grow and harden, a new bush is transplanted into the soil of the aquarium. Alternative method: until the roots appear, let the stalk float in the water. However, due to the fact that its top will reach for the light, the stem bends - and remains so forever.