LA
A. boivinianus bulb before sprouting.
Starting Out.
Boivinianus bulbs start out as rather ugly bulbs that look nothing like
their future appearance. Not much to catch your eye here.
LA
Many A. boivinianus bulbs grow a patina of "mold."
Moldy Bulbs. Several boivinianus bulbs grow a
coating of what looks like mold. Do not panic. Wipe this crud
off. You may need to repeat this process several times.
Squeeze the bulb. As long as it remains firm, it’s still
viable. If it’s squishy, it’s done for. Toss it. If
it’s really bad, an evil-smelling goo oozes out. Worse yet, it may
pop out. It is nasty stuff. Do not return it to your
aquarium. If you do start with a bulb, don’t buy a moldy
one. Once a bulb sprouts, the mold seems to make no difference.
LA
Sprouting A. boivinianus bulbs. These will grow but grow
slowly. Wipe mold off #2 bulb.
Slow Growers.
Resembling A. undulatus in some respects, boivinianus grows slower, much
slower, about a third as fast. Most aponogetons grow fast -- not
boivinianus. And here’s the bad news, some of your boivinianus bulbs
will grow even slower. They may take three or four months to grow
into a display plant.
LA
Starts Slow.
Usually, once an aponogeton kicks into gear, it grows like a weed.
Not boivinianus. They need lots of light. Fertilizer may
help. However, most aponogetons grow very rapidly without using
fertilizer. Not boivinianus.
LA
Getting a good start here. Competing well with the Java moss.
Nice Looking Leaves. Once your boivinianus grows a six-inch
leaf, you’ll see why people like it. Each aponogeton species has its own
fans. Once you see the less common boivinianus reach show plant
size, you'll become a fan also.
LA
A. boivinianus leaves may reach two-inches wide. They have a
stippled pattern.
LA
A. boivinianus easily reach the top of a 55. Six leaves look
good. 15 look very impressive.
Boivinianus Take Time.
If you start with a show size specimen, you still need to give it room to
grow. Snip off any imperfect leaves. They won’t repair
themselves. Look at your plant from different angles. Position
it in the most attractive position. Then watch it over time as each
new leaf makes your boivinianus more attractive.
LA
Make sure you get a started boivinianus bulb.
Darker than Ulvaceous.
Much darker than A.ulvaceous, boivinianus grows just as large but grows
much more slowly. Boivinianus costs more so it gets used as a
background plant less often. Both grow into attractive specimen
plants.
LA
Ulvaceous used as a background plant.
LA
Batch of boivinianus getting off to a good start.
Last Word.
Boivinianus take some patience, but the results are worth waiting
for. LA
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2004, © 2005 LA Productions

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