Ludwigia grandulosa x palustris: "new" hybrid

[crazydaz]

As far as I am aware, me and two hobbyists in Texas are the only people to have this plant species. It is a hybrid between Ludwigia grandulosa and palustris. My new lighting has really caused some really, really nice color in this species of Ludwigia. As of a week and a half ago, this plant was lime green in color, with slightly red tips. I've had this plant for a few months, and it has never deviated from this lime green color. As of tonight, it now looks like this:





From the Side:



Here is a smaller stem a few inches away that had been in mostly shady conditions until I moved it on Friday. Again, going from a lime green color to this within a few days. Hopefully "junior" here will join his larger brother in terms of coloration soon!



The plant is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! Looks like a toucan of the plant world!

[im2smart4u]

Wow, beautiful plant. What is the new lighting that brings out these colors? And what was your old lighting?

[acitydweller]

gorgeous coloring!

[crazydaz]

That's a good question! Lol!

My old fixture was a combination of AquaFlora and Midday bulbs, six of each, at 54w a piece (Giesemann). Total of twelve bulbs HO T5's

My new Fixture are two TEK Elite 8's. That is a total of 16 HO T5 bulbs at 54w a piece. Per fixture, there is one UVL Red Sun bulb, one UVL Indigo Sun, and one Giesemann Aquablue; one fixture has three Midday and two AquaFlora bulbs, and the other has three AquaFlora and two Midday bulbs.

[crazydaz]

Thank you CityDweller! I try to remain a humble person, but I'm really pleased with the progress of this species! It turned out much nicer than I had ever thought it would. Kinda neat!

[plantbrain]

Zoomed's plant bulbs, the Aquawave red are also quite good and cheaper than the other brands. Good Aquaflora replacements. The GE starcoats are better replacements for the midday's also.

I got 50% more light from the ATI vs the old TEK lights, but the fixture cost 2x as much.

But I think the color of the bulbs plays a big role, you can mix and match, cost a fair amount to do this, but the results are very good.

[IWANNAGOFAST]

wow that is an amazing plant. I would love to try it when you have trimmings!

[Mumford]

That's impressive!!

What size tank do you have that you need 16 bulbs?!

[h4n]

very nice!!!!
that new light setup is doing you real good!

[crazydaz]

Mr. Barr--Well, I have to admit that I was partially inspired by you to try this originally. I like the TEK fixtures, and by the time I have the money to upgrade to the ATI's, I'm sure that the LED's will have caught up to HO T5 bulb spectrum and appeal. I wish I had that bonus check back on Black Friday!! Two ATI's would have been really something!

I'm a little confused, and I am just requesting a little clarity: when you say "replacements" referring to the bulbs, are you stating that the ZooMeds and StarCoats are "better" than the Giesemann's, or simply another option that I could consider. I've heard from a few other hobbyists that sincerely believe that the StarCoats are better than the Middays. I simply had such good results using the Giesemann's that I'm hesitant to switch. Your opinion would carry a bit more weight, though. Please let me know, if you happen upon this again!

Thank you, IWANNAGOFAST! I'm curious to know whether this current "look" is a permanent transformation, or if it is simply in process of getting to it's "high light" form. Likely the latter, so there's no telling if it will keep this coloration or not. It's pretty nice right now, though, and I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

I think one of the other gentlemen that has this tried selling it for $30/stem. It's a bit steep, so I'd be happy to look into a trade with you, though. I'm not ready to part with any until I can finish getting more acquainted with it's growth habits and parameters. Send me a PM, if you like!

Mumford, I appreciate it! That's Mother Nature doing her thing!!

Thanks Han!! I'm enjoying living with the excess those fixtures provide right now. Makes it a bit difficult for picture taking at times, but it's a small complaint.

[samee]

Really nice colours!!!!!!! In the second pic, whats the plant on the right?

How fast is the hybrid growing? I have the grandulosa and it grows like a weed. Hope this does too.

[plantbrain]

Originally Posted by crazydaz

I'm a little confused, and I am just requesting a little clarity: when you say "replacements" referring to the bulbs, are you stating that the ZooMeds and StarCoats are "better" than the Giesemann's, or simply another option that I could consider. I've heard from a few other hobbyists that sincerely believe that the StarCoats are better than the Middays. I simply had such good results using the Giesemann's that I'm hesitant to switch. Your opinion would carry a bit more weight, though. Please let me know, if you happen upon this again!

Yes, they tend to have better color and the PAR is nice, they blend well with what you have. They also are cheap, so I would search and look for deals, and pick up a few extras and try them out when you think about it.

So cheaper, nicer color, but you might as well wait till you need some extras.
The GE starcoats are the brightest nice white bulbs I've used.

That said, I might only use 1-2 in an 8 bulb fixture. In a 2 bulb fixture, this white color becomes more important, but with such a large no# from the color palate...........you really do not even need a white bulb at all. I tried it and it turned out to be true, after more than 4 bulbs, you can play this game without any regular Joe Whites.

[bud29]

Very neat!

[crazydaz]

Thanks Samee!

The other plant I think that you are asking about is Hygrophila sp. "Brown." This hybrid can grow very quickly in a high-tech set up, and like grandulosa it is a bit brittle, so planting needs to be done in the same vein...with a little caution.

It does tend to creep, preferring to throw down aerial roots and spread that way. It will form side shoots quickly. The plant never tends to gain much in height, though, unless you trim the aerial roots, and even then it still tends to "leaning" at best. Interesting plant, for sure!

My understanding is that this plant grows alright in low-tech setups as well.

[plantbrain]

Originally Posted by crazydaz

Thanks Samee!

The other plant I think that you are asking about is Hygrophila sp. "Brown." This hybrid can grow very quickly in a high-tech set up, and like grandulosa it is a bit brittle, so planting needs to be done in the same vein...with a little caution.

It does tend to creep, preferring to throw down aerial roots and spread that way. It will form side shoots quickly. The plant never tends to gain much in height, though, unless you trim the aerial roots, and even then it still tends to "leaning" at best. Interesting plant, for sure!

My understanding is that this plant grows alright in low-tech setups as well.

The H. "Brown" is similar to H polysperma. It has serious weed potential.
I've had well over 1" of growth per day.