Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
dogboy7

cyrtosperma johnstonii

dogboy7
17 years ago

I was given this plant as a gift recently, and from the small amount of information I can find, this is a tropical water plant (?). Anyway, the weather is fine for now, but what should I do when it turns chilly? Someone mentioned a tropical aquarium I do have 2 55 gal tanks, but the fish are heavy hitting cichlids. Any suggestions?

Comments (10)

  • aroideana
    17 years ago

    section off a small part of one tank , best close to heater . Keep this choice plant warm over winter and you might get it to grow as big as mine ..its over 7' high at the moment . Looking very ragged as it got blown to hell and back with the recent severe Cyclone we had in Qld.

  • garyfla_gw
    17 years ago

    Hi
    You could just put it in a regular pot and either water heavuily or set it in a drip catcher. They need a lot of water but standing water is not necessary.
    I've been looking for the all red variety .Ever heard of it?? thanks
    gary

  • raymikematt
    17 years ago

    If you have access to another aquarium you can get it set up for growing a few tropical aquatic species rather easily. Julius Boos' article titled Experiencing Urospathas in one of the older volumes of Aroideana explaines it in better detail, but the method is a pretty much fool proof way to grow these tricky giants.
    I have pools in my greenhouse that are heated with aquarium heaters. You can use an aquarium and just fill it up a few inches with water. Fill a tall plastic pot with about an inch or two with lava rock. The mix should consist of about half sand and half peat but I tend to use a little more sand. Put the plant into the mix over the lava rock and make sure the level of the top of the water in the aquarium doesnt go over the top of the lava rock. In other words the roots of the plant should be able to grow down into the rocks and finally into the tank but the soil mix shouldnt be constantly wet. Heating the water and possibly circulation is key and make sure to keep the water cleaned every week or so. Im currently growing 4 Cyrtosperma species, 2 Urospatha species, Lasia spinosa, Homalomena expedita and several Anubias species this way and they are all growing like weeds! hope that helps a little.

  • bihai
    17 years ago

    Well, I don't heat the pools in my GH, But That's not Important. (Girard Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Chardonney 2004.) Why? Because Korn's "Twisted Transistor" Video is on the TV. I love it, Snoop Dog front and center on a (***********) Korn Video. Hang On, Freak on a Leash.

    Anyway, back to aquatic aroids.....

    Ray Mike Matt (I have to wonder at the genesis of that name???) is God. Follow his directives, and you will be rewarded with success. All plants I have received ( i before e, except after C, and except after Lamb of God and The Bled) have met with unqualified success HA ha ha Insane Clown Posse...........

  • raymikematt
    17 years ago

    Heliconia Goddess...
    LOL...hmmm Im not sure I followed that but oh well. Actually, the true God is Julius Boos...who apparently came up with this sure-fire way to grow these babies, although Im sure there are other ways that do just as well.
    OK here is why I go by Raymikematt. First name is Raymond, middle name is Michael and last name is Mattlage. A friend who lives in Florida came up with this 'condensed version" as a joke, many years ago when I first got a computer. She helped me set it up and set up one of my email addys with the screen name "raymikematt". Later she began calling me that and I guess it just stuck since Im still using it as a screen name on several forums.
    Michael M.

  • aroideana
    17 years ago

    The best grown plant of c.johnstonii I have ever seen was at a large nursery in Cairns . It was at least 10' tall , flowering like mad and had even set seed ! I asked Dino the owner , and he told me he had got sick and tired of the plant looking ratty and had just thrown it into a water feature that was a few feet deep , it never looked back .

  • bihai
    17 years ago

    Dino? Is that a real name?
    Michael, its okay, I seldom follow myself either.
    But I do consider you the aroid god (little g) you are really helpful and knowledgeable. I don't think I could really respect someone with a name like Boos unless I actually met em.

    My family is all out of town and I am going a little stir crazy. I mean, its REALLY quiet around here. Just me, the owls and the wild boar. They are in Dallas. My husband and his brother did an Olympic Triathalon today in Dallas in 101 degree heat. I got a call from my daughter...she said "Uncle Gary had a wreck on his bike at the Triathalon and he's at the emergency room" I finally get the scoop 2 hours later....broken first rib, severe road rash. He hit the pavement hard enough to break his bike helmet, but his head and neck are okay. Scary. He's SIXTY. He clipped a cone in a turn going 25 mph on a bike, fell, and the rider behind him ran over him. Like, I freaked out...I could envision my husband being the injured one, all unbeknownst to me while I was out planting stuff in the yard!

  • susanlynne48
    17 years ago

    OMG - how is he doing now, Bihai! You Goddess you! I think it should be Bihasia (a recombination of Bihai and coloc/aloc-asia. And that's NO ENSETES - E-N-S-E-T-E-S!

    Get it?

    Thanks for the explanation on Raymikematt. We call my son Tonymike, and his name is Anthony Michael. Just a nickname that started when he was a toddler. He's 37 now. Oh, geez, time flies. Or, as Stevie says, time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'.......

    I really love all music, from rap to classical. The only one I really DISLIKE is country. Oh, plaaaaaaaaalllleeeeezzzzzzzze! Call it wailin, the willies, and the boils.

    Susan

  • dogboy7
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks for all the helpful information. I have it on my deck in moderate light with the soil fairly soaked. It's standing erect with a new leaf opening. The weather here has been so hot, and muggy that it must feel like home.

  • ooojen
    17 years ago

    After years of resisting, I finally got one of these myself. I'll seer how it goes this winter--- at least I'm armed with a little knowledge now.

0