[DanE250]

Hey! First off I just recently got into planted aquariums and decided to plant mine a month ago to see if I can get it figured out before setting up my new 75 gallon tank. I’ve had extraordinary help from all of you on this page and greatly appreciate it!
Now for my question, I’ve had this plant for a month now and it has been growing like crazy. Unfortunately the store I got it from didn’t tell me what it was so I’m not sure how to tell when or if I need to trim it or how to go about doing so. I’ve included pictures of the tank in question in hopes someone can steer me in the right direction and maybe even help identify it! The growth that is going to the sides with a bunch of roots makes me wonder if I can cut that section off and plant it root down horizontally like it’s growing or if I need to just leave it. Thank you in advance and don’t be afraid to tell me if you need any more information!

 

[william.hoffmann78]

It looks like rotala rotundifolia to me. Mine had bigger leaves, but they died off and grew back like this. Or maybe rotala indica.
2 new photos by William Hoffmann

 

[DanE250]

It looks like rotala rotundifolia to me. Mine had bigger leaves, but they died off and grew back like this. Or maybe rotala indica.
2 new photos by William Hoffmann

That definitely does look the same! Thank you! They said when I bought them that they’d grow flowers but I have no idea how true that is

 

[MissCris]

Most amphibious aquarium plants will flower if grown emersed, and rotala is one of them.

 

[DanE250]

Most amphibious aquarium plants will flower if grown emersed, and rotala is one of them.

View attachment 1026623

That’s so awesome thank you! Is there any special way to help them flower or just time and nutrition??

 

[Tiger15]

It will flower only if you allow it to grow emerged. The flower is one way to positively ID the type of Rotala you can check out from plant profiles. But once flower, some stem plants will die back. You can take a stem and grow it in a cup of soil by the window sill to see how the flowers look.

 

[MissCris]

It will flower only if you allow it to grow emerged. The flower is one way to positively ID the type of Rotala you can check out from plant profiles. But once flower, some stem plants will die back. You can take a stem and grow it in a cup of soil by the window sill to see how the flowers look.

To add to that: if you try to grow a fully transitioned aquatic piece straight in soil, you'll need to keep it very humid while it switches back to the terrestrial form, the way you would a delicate stem cutting. The soil should be very moist, and you can keep in the humidity by tenting it with a plastic bag. Watch out for mold though.

It might work better to allow a portion to root fully underwater before moving the rooted piece to a cup with soil. In nature, the aquatic form would have roots already when waters receded, and would grow back from the established base if the top suddenly dried out.