<< ARTICLES :: SEEING RED - RED COLOURED PLANTS

Seeing red is a bit like a Ford car, it only comes in one colour and it is the same with aquatic plants. In the plants I am going to highlight, I simply can't give you a red colour.

When I researched my article ' Why Plants Go Red' a few years back., I discovered that it was flavanoids produced by the plants to protect them from the damage caused by excess light in the same way that we tan to protect ourselves from ultraviolet light.

Let us look at some suggestions, all available from Andy Green of Green Line Aquatic Plants.


For floating plants, I am suggesting Azolla. To be quite frank, it is a very easy but somewhat invasive plant but, grown under strong light in slightly soft acid water, it can be spectacular. Resembling a small Salvinia. In the correct conditions it forms a delightful red crusty effect on the surface but regular harvesting will be necessary to avoid excess shading

Now lets looks at some mid-ground plants. Andy Green does a lovely red variety of Ludwigia - Repens - which is very easy to grow and tolerant of most water conditions but does require bright light. If you can provide it with a good light, it will turn red. However, if the light is not correct, it will still grow but the red will grow out to a paler hue. If you plant cuttings in a tank at say 18" deep, as the plant gradually grows it turns red as it nears the surface. If you take cuttings and plant them, these will go green at first but gradually turn red again as it nears the surface. Again, being a marsh plant, they benefit from a nutrient rich substrate and therefore, work some clay based substrate into their roots or the addition of Green Line's Pro aqua Plant.

Apart from C02 injection, which all plants benefit from, quite frankly, liquid feeds are a waste of time. Regular water changes and a good substrate, strong light, and the plants will be happy.
Remember, it is a good idea when your plants arrive from the mail order company, to open them and let them rest on the surface for a few days. They may grow crooked but will correct themselves when planted. This enables them to develop a root system and your success rate will dramatically improve. The failure rate is reduced by more than 10% if you follow this advice. It is necessary to wait a week for the roots to develop and one the roots have started to develop at the leaf nodules, the plants will be well away.

For foreground plants, one of my favourites, but which is not seen for sale in the shops but is included in the bulb collection, is Barclaya Longifolia. They are £3.45 for 5 - a real bargain. Who would believe from such a tiny corm you could produce such a spectacular plant. The first few leaves are a stunning blood red and as it matures turns pale pink to brown. I have grown them in hard alkaline London water. If you want them to flower you will need soft acid water. However, try them in a little tank on their own on a reptile mat planted in soft acid water - you can even use John Innes No. 3 covered with quartz and use R0 water buffered with about 20-% tap water as there won't be any fish in there, and they are a real gem. If you do not have access to R0 water, you can use rainwater and run it through some peat - no more than 5 litres. This could be a cheap alternative, but bear in mind rainwater does collect pollutants that cause the water to go green. But if you add some floating plants this should soon clear. If you want to include some livestock, algae shrimps are happy in this little set up. Try this experiment. You could be rewarded with a miniature lily on your desk and it is a real conversation piece.

A couple of other suggestions for adding red colour to your tank - one is included in the bulb collection, Nymphaea stellata, the common African Lotus, which can be used as foreground, if regularly trimmed, or background if left to its own devices. It can be seasonal - it can grow vigorously for two or three months and then simply fade away. Do not despair ! The next year when daylight length changes it is triggered into action and begins to grow again. It is well worth a try.

For pink colouration Hygrophila polysperma is easy to grow, and Rosa, a pink variety of polysperma, is one of the easiest plants to grow, and given fairly bright light, will reward you with lovely pink leaves. It is a great 'cut and come again' plant and makes a nice contrast to green foliage.

PETER BRADLEY

3.7.03