LEMONNER AQUARIUM PLANT CARE EXTENDED DESCRIPTION PHOTO

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The care of a true aquarist is not only 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 - the plantings in it. Moreover, the 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 the plants to perform not only a purely utilitarian role, but also decorated the landscape. Therefore, among those who keep tropical fish, so popular is the lemongrass aquarium plant. It is surprisingly beautiful and magnificent, besides it is also an underwater-above-water view. That is, reaching the surface of the water does not stop there, but, on the contrary, begins to grow faster and often to bloom.

However, to achieve this, you will have to try a lot: the lemongrass aquarium plant is quite picky and demanding.

House for lemongrass

First of all, thanks to its pomp, the plant requires a large aquarium. Those who have been growing lemongrass for a long time are advised not to plant it in a capacity of less than one hundred and fifty liters. Or settle in it a single plant and do not multiply it. To plant the plant should be at the far wall of the home - otherwise, growing, the bush will block you the whole view.

Next is the temperature. This handsome man hails from South Asian rivers and marshes, where, as you know, there is almost no winters (at least in our understanding). Therefore, the heat - the first thing that needs lemongrass aquarium. Its content at a temperature below 22 degrees leads to a stall in growth, and if the water is “cooled” to 20, the plant dies. The optimum temperature will be 24-28.

Water requirements

Unlike many other plantations, the lemongrass aquarium plant does not perceive soft water. With its insufficient stiffness, the lower leaves will fall off very quickly - only a pitiful panicle on top will remain. So a reduction in stiffness of less than 8 will lead to a loss of undergrowth. The reaction of the water should vary between pH 7-8.5. And necessarily - nitrates! Not less than 10 mg / l. Their small amount of a plant, of course, will not kill, 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 the bare trunk. Usually the aquarium where the lemongrass aquarium plant lives is illuminated by fluorescent lamps, their number and power are calculated so that half a watt is needed for every liter of water. And the light does not turn off 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 can be the color of the stem: while it is brown, lemongrass does not starve in light.

How to care

Mandatory conditions under which your plant will feel great are the following:

Soil with a layer of seven centimeters - magnolia vine has powerful roots that need to cling to something. The soil must be silted.
Periodic pruning - it stimulates the growth of lateral shoots.
Weekly replacement of a quarter of the volume of water in the aquarium.
Careful intervention in the existing system - with sharp deviations from the usual lifestyle, lemongrass begins to “feel sad”.

Aquarium lemongrass: reproduction

There is nothing difficult in it - the usual cuttings. The tip of a healthy specimen is cut off and placed directly in the ground. At first, a separate small clay pot can be distinguished for a young plant so that the fish do not undermine it. When the roots grow and strengthen, a new bush is transplanted into the soil of the aquarium. Alternative method: before the roots begin to stalk float on the water. However, due to the fact that its top will reach for the light, the stem is bent - and remains so forever.

Maintenance and care of aquarium plants lemongrass

Under optimal conditions, nomafila grows year-round and reaches the surface of the aquarium. Therefore, for its cultivation, it is recommended to choose a vessel at least 55 cm tall. It is best to plant lemongrass in aquariums of large volume, and it can grow to its maximum size and come to the surface.

For a nomafily, a warm-water tropical aquarium is best suited. The plant is very fond of heat, so the water temperature is required in the range from 22 to 28 degrees. A lower temperature is bound to stop the growth of lemongrass and shredding the leaves.

The conditions of the aquarium plant lemongrass require bright lighting. It should grow right under the powerful lamp and then the leaves of the nomafils will be healthy and rich in color. As soon as it becomes too dark for the plant, lemongrass will become paler and smaller. Approximate lamp power - from 0.5 W / 1l. volume of water. The duration of the lighting is twelve hours.

For the growth of nomafily requires nutrient soil with the addition of silt, clay, charcoal. Soil thickness - not less than 5 cm. For rooting the stem.

When the content of such a plant in an aquarium, you need to replace a weekly one fifth of the water every week. Water hardness plays an important role for lemongrass - it should be at least 8 ° C, soft water is not suitable for the plant and its leaves begin to break down.

It is recommended to update the nomfila at least twice a year.. It multiplies by simple cuttings. The processes of approximately 7 centimeters are separated, planted in the ground and they quickly root. This ensures good growth, the plant begins to bush even more and produce new cuttings. Plant it recommended by the group.

Little tricks of growing plants and breeding

All varieties of nomafil are encouraged to plant in a group. To grow faster, it is allowed to shorten the stem.
A tall plant that has reached the surface of an aquarium can shed its remaining leaves.
Cutting - an easy way to propagate lemongrass. Young roots and leaves appear on the mother plant. They are separated by cutting the tip of an adult individual by about 7 cm. The processes are planted in the previously prepared soil.
Adult lemongrass from such a procedure does not suffer. He begins to bush even more, forms new cuttings.

Growing a tropical guest in an aquarium should pay attention to:

Lighting.
Temperature conditions.
Soil properties.
Water.
Feeding.

Lemongrass does not tolerate cold. The ideal temperature for it is from 22 to 280 C.

The plant is suitable soft or medium hard water environment. It must be clean. Once a week, water is partially changed (up to 30% of the volume of liquid).

The nomafile needs intense lighting. The duration of its daylight hours is 12 hours. It is recommended to select fluorescent lamps in such a way that for every 1 liter of volume there was 0.5 W of their power.

Lemongrass loves direct sunlight.

Plants like it if you put the aquarium on the windowsill or as close as possible to the window. Incandescent bulbs create additional side lighting. Such a lighting system will allow for a long time to save old leaves.

Soil requirements:

Sufficient concentration of nutrients, a lot of sludge.
The thickness of the soil layer at the bottom of the aquarium is 5-7 cm.
When transplanting nomafils, clay is put under the roots.
The nature of the substrate itself does not play a big role, because the plant has strong roots.
Lemongrass is very sensitive to changes in the environment. Drastic disturbance of habitat conditions can cause illness. Given this, feeding should not be carried away.
Especially hard nomafila reacts to a high concentration of sodium ions. Drinking soda and salt in the water is added with great care.

The plant will actively develop in the paludarium and greenhouse. Much faster than in the aquarium. Immediately it grows in a low capacity filled with water. After the formation of air shoots, lemongrass is transplanted into the soil.

From a nomafily grown in this way, you can take a cutting and transplant it into an aquarium. The appendix easily adapts to new conditions and will continue to develop. Armed with the necessary knowledge, it is easy to create ideal conditions for growing in an aquarium.

Nomafila-lemongrass photo

Nomafila grows in swamps and under water in the continental part of Southeast Asia.

Nomafila is a peculiar plant with high decorative qualities, due to which it is very popular in gardening aquariums. On a long, very durable stem are pairwise oval pointed light green leaves silvery from the inside. Under favorable conditions, nomafila reaches considerable size and can come out of the water. For its cultivation need a large capacity. It is better to place the plant in the background of the aquarium. It grows in the aquarium all year round.

Caring properly

With the right approach and the creation of comfortable and favorable conditions, lemongrass can grow to a really serious size, which will allow it to even go beyond the limits of the water boundary of the aquarium. In addition, when placing this plant in the background, it will be possible not only to get a wonderful background, but also to leave other plants in the aquarium open to view. But in order to achieve a similar result, you need to know about the main points of caring for him. So, they include:

Maintain a tropical climate in the aquarium.
Use of pure fresh water with a constant temperature not lower than 22 degrees. Remember, if the temperature value drops even one degree below the border mark, the plant will not only practically stop growing, but there will also be a decrease and wilt of the leaves.
Do not allow the fall of the degree of hardness of water below 8. If this happens, the lemongrass will completely lose all its leaves.
Regular change of water in the aquarium. This should be done at least 1 time within 7 days.
Do not use as feed minerals.
Accurate alkalinization. If this procedure is performed, then you should very carefully add baking soda, since nomafila has a rather high sensitivity to various chemicals.

As for the aquarium day, it is recommended to arrange it with sludge with a large number of different nutrients. Due to its incredibly developed root system, the lemongrass is absolutely indifferent to the subtrac. The only thing that should be created is a layer of not less than 5 cm. Also, when moving the plant to a new site, some clay must be put on its root without fail.

In addition, an important aspect in creating favorable conditions in the aquarium is lighting. For this purpose, it is best to purchase fluorescent lamps with a power of 1 / 2W per 1 liter. water. It is recommended to install them on the sides of the aquarium. Also in working condition they must be at least 12 hours.

Important! In case of poor lighting, subsidence of the lower leaves of the plant may be observed.

Direct Nomuphilia Diseases

As already mentioned, lemongrass is a rather whimsical plant, and if the favorable environment is disturbed, it can cause various deviations from growth and even diseases. Consider some of them.

So with poor lighting, there is a rapid extinction of the vegetation, and in the absence of any restoration measures, only a bare stem with a huge amount of fallen vegetation on the bottom can be observed in the near future. Another negative factor is the presence of too soft water, which has a devastating effect on the green of the plant. Also, it is impossible not to say about the thin soil level, which will be the main cause of poor plant development.

Important! Being a rather delicate plant, lemongrass is very negative towards the neighborhood with antsitrusami who love to eat it.

In addition, to maintain the appearance of the nomafily in perfect condition, it is recommended to carry out anti-aging procedures at least once every 6 months. This is necessary for the appearance on the plant of small shoots with small leaves. And most importantly, being in an unhealthy state of lemongrass, will not be able to bloom, which will deprive any aquarist of the opportunity to see an incredibly beautiful picture of the appearance of bluish-purple flowers above the water surface.

Breeding

The first thing to know is that lemongrass propagates by cuttings. To obtain them you need to perform a few simple steps. First of all, we separate the shoots located at the top of an adult plant and transplant them into shallow soil. It is also worth noting that during the cutting of the part located at the top, you can also get side shoots. They are also left in the pebbles for new plants with shoots on the sides.

In addition, this plant can be grown not only in the aquarium, but also in a wet greenhouse. But in order for lemongrass to feel comfortable, it is first planted in a vessel with not very high water levels and left until air shoots appear on it. After that, it is transplanted into the ground, which includes in its composition garden soil interspersed with clay and sand.

It is worth noting that when you are in open space, the growth of lemongrass is greatly accelerated. Also its leaves are noticeably transformed, acquiring a relief look and becoming rough to the touch. If it is necessary to slow down its growth, then this goal can be easily achieved by simply transplanting the plant into a small pot of clay.

Features care for aquarium lemongrass

If this plant is properly maintained, creating favorable conditions for it, it grows to large sizes and can even protrude from the water. Nomafila will look good in an aquarium, if you place it in the background. In this case, it does not cover another underwater flora.

The climate in the aquarium for this green should be tropical.
The temperature of fresh water is maintained within 22–28 ° C. If it is lower, then the growth of schisandra slows down, and the leaves will become small.
The degree of hardness of water should not be below eight. Otherwise, the leaves of aquarium lemongrass will begin to collapse.
When the content of this plant every week in the aquarium need to change a quarter of the water.
Nomafila is very sensitive to chemicals that are in the water. Therefore, for its alkalization, it is necessary to add baking soda to the aquarium with caution, as this green does not like the oversaturation of water with sodium ions. Also, she does not need mineral supplements.
When growing lemongrass, the soil in the aquarium should be silted and rich in nutrients. Since this plant has a strong, well-developed root system, the substrate for it does not have a characteristic value, although the layer should not be less than five centimeters. Replanting lemongrass, under its root you need to put a piece of clay.
Lighting aquarium lemongrass should be good. To do this, use fluorescent lamps, the power of which should be 1/2 watt per liter of water. When there is insufficient light from the plant, the lower leaves begin to decay. Very often incandescent bulbs are used for additional illumination. To preserve old leaves, they are installed on the side of the tank. In order for a plant to develop fully, daylight must be at least 12 hours for it.

Diseases of aquarium lemongrass

If the plant changes color or height, then disturbed favorable environment in which the nomafila grows:

The temperature is below the required. In this case, the stem stops growing, and the leaves become brittle and shrink.
Lack of light. The leaves begin to die off quickly. Instead of lush vegetation, there is a bare stem with a few leaves on top of lemongrass.
In very soft water the greens may break.
With a lack of light, the lower leaves begin to die off.
If the soil layer is thin, then the stem with leaves develop very weakly, since the rhizome has nowhere to grow.

Lemongrass aquarium is a gentle grass, therefore it is loved by the anticyrus. When you find them in the aquarium with this plant, its appearance will deteriorate. Recommend twice a year rejuvenate nomafilaso that weak shoots with small leaves do not appear on it.

If aquarium lemongrass is unhealthy, then it will not bloom. Only properly caring for him, you can enjoy bright colors. In the appropriate medium above the water, bluish-lilac flowers appear near the base of the leaves.

What does lemongrass look like? Description and types

Starting landscaping aquarium, it is worth knowing that lemongrass aquarium - a plant that smells of citrus. Its stems are long, straight and strong, reaching a height of 30 cm. The width of the leaves is no more than 3 cm, and the length is 12 cm. They are oval in shape with a wedge-shaped base, pointed at the tips. На их поверхности можно с легкостью рассмотреть прожилки, образующие геометрический рисунок. На многих фото аквариумное растение лимонник изображается с голубоватыми некрупными цветочками. Нижняя сторона листьев окрашена в серебристо-белый цвет, а верхняя – в светло-зеленый.

Also lemongrass is also called nomafila and a large Indian marsh. Experts can not yet give the exact number of species of this plant, but are divided into several main ones:

How to keep lemongrass in aquariums

The main condition for this plant is a large and spacious aquarium of at least 100 liters. The continuous growth of lemongrass leads to the fact that it often becomes higher than the water level, therefore it is recommended to choose a container with rather high walls. Otherwise it is better to confine one germ, and not to plant them in a group. In order for the green mass to not cover the entire foreground in the aquarium, it should be placed near the rear wall or in the middle. The maintenance of the aquarium plant (lemongrass) also consists in regular cutting of the shoots, because in favorable conditions it can quickly fill all the free space. Keeping the process under control will also help a small earthen pot - it will not allow the root system to grow too much.

Lemongrass is especially demanding for lighting and needs warmth - illuminate it with additional lamps and do not lower the temperature of the water in the aquarium below 20 degrees. A silted, nutritious soil not less than 5 cm thick will also be favorable for the plant.

Growing a nomafil in an aquarium, it is necessary to take into account the requirements for the composition of the water - it must contain nitrates (above 10 mg per 1 liter) and be distinguished by its rigidity. The recommended acidity is pH 7-8.5. Do not forget to regularly feed the plant - lemongrass aquarium will delight everyone with its beautiful appearance, if you additionally make complex fertilizers or magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. However, drastic changes in conditions can be disastrous, so everything needs to be done gradually and with care.

Disease and Prevention

Many aquarists are attracted by the simple conditions of lemongrass maintenance - aquarium plants are not capricious, but they are still prone to disease if the habitat is disturbed. They change their color, and also stop growing.

Causes and effects of the disease:

in low light, the leaves start to die off,
soft water destroys plants
the changed leaf color is a consequence of a lack of nutrients in the soil, they can become yellowish, with brown or reddish spots and even curl,
stunting, small and fragile leaves - means low water temperature,
lack of flowering also indicates the presence of disease,
weak plant development indicates that its roots lack soil.

How does lemongrass reproduce

In addition to the above-mentioned number of advantages, lemongrass tolerates reproduction well - the aquarium plant becomes much more magnificent after the procedure.

A plant popular with aquarists can be propagated in several ways that are simple. You can cut side shoots from an adult lemongrass and plant them in the ground. In order for the fish not to undermine the cuttings ahead of time, it is recommended to pre-place them in a pot and transplant them to a permanent place with the advent of the root system.

It is also permissible to send the cutting to a kind of free swimming, leaving it on the surface of the water. But this method has a drawback - the leaves will reach for the light, and this will lead to the curvature of the stem. It is worth noting: both methods are completely harmless.

Benefit for aquarium, compatibility with other inhabitants

The plant is a real live filter, as it is able to clean the aquarium from traces of vital functions of aquatic fauna representatives. It enriches the capacity with oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide. Also, the thick green mass of lemongrass can be an excellent shelter for fish, if they need it.

However, there is one enemy - the lemongrass aquarium plant can become a delicacy for antsistrusov, which are popularly called catfish-sticky or catfish-cleaner. Fish attracts tender foliage, and, eating it, they spoil the appearance of sprouts.

Tips for aquarists and interesting facts

The plant develops much faster in air.
If lemongrass has grown above the limits of the aquarium, it can start dropping the leaves located under water, because it believes that it has fulfilled its “water duty”.
Plant growth is accelerated if its stem is constantly shortened.
An adult aquarium lemongrass has such a strong stalk that it is difficult to break it with your hands.

It is worth noting that the natural habitat of lemongrass is the southeast part of Asia. It grows as a marsh species on the banks of large water bodies, and as a semi-aquatic one it is found in shallow water bodies.

At the present time, it is quite easy to buy lemongrass by any means - to buy it in a specialized store, take it from friends or exchange it with other aquarists. It can be sold as a hotel branch, and in the pot.