Re: lisham: Aldrovanda vesiculosa
Glad to answer any questions regarding Aldrovanda! I recall having many misconceptions about growing them myself, and if I can help someone better understand and grow these plants, then the world is a better place! :D
Aldrovanda seems to cluster around Juncus hummocks, growing through the dense stems, which are rooted just a few inches below the surface of the water. They also seem to do very well in the Phragmites beds, and in between the massive Carex hummocks, and even nestled in the grasses that come up from seed after all the water has dried up for a few days/weeks.
I would not recommend water hayacinth plants because their roots do not spread out and grow directly under the Aldrovanda strands. CO2 out grasses very quickly, especially in warmer water, and also escapes directly upward, so that the CO2 released by those roots would percolate up, and miss the Aldrovanda. Lubomir Adamec has published several articles about how CO2 maybe the MOST important factor in successfully growing Aldrovanda. Water hayacinth plants also grow directly on the surface of the water and compete with the Aldrovanda for sunlight.
The decorative grasses, reeds (even Papaya, or any large plant with parallel veins, typical to grass-like plants) that spread out and directly under the Aldrovanda strands, in close proximity, should do the trick. Corn and maize are essentially the same thing, and yes, they are monocots too.
Monocots have a strong appetite for nitrogenous matter, and in exchange for those nutrients, their rate of respiration increases, which generates more CO2 for the Aldrovanda. It's a fully reciprocal mutualsim (symbiotic) relationship.
The most common mistake most people make in attempting to grow Aldrovanda for the first time is growing them in water that's too deep, and the water too clean! They grow best in very shallow, murky, muddy water, where the population density of the zooplankton community is the greatest, the CO2 levels are the highest, and where they are closest to those root systems of monocot plants.
- Rich
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