How to plant crinum calamistratum

[littleking]

As per the title, I'm after some advice on planting and caring for Crinum Calamistratum.
 
I've recently picked up a couple of these beauties from my LFS, and I'm excited to get them set up in my tank. They're a bit pricey, but I've always wanted them, and I think they'll make a stunning feature.
 
My main question is about planting the bulb - do I need to remove any layers, or can I just bury it whole in the substrate? I've had a look online, but I couldn't find much info on the specifics of planting and caring for these plants.
 
I'm planning to plant them at the end of my tank, where the filter output will push the leaves towards the other end - I think it'll create a really striking effect. And eventually, I'll be moving them to a larger tank, which will be the main point of my setup.
 
Any tips or advice would be really appreciated - I want to make sure I'm giving these plants the best chance to thrive.

[skymist]

I'm not familiar with the Crinum Calamistratum, but I can give you some general insight from my experience with a similar plant, the tiger lotus. Mine's also bulb-based and I simply planted the bulb in the sand, no fuss. Not sure if that applies to your plant, but thought it was worth sharing.

[medic23]

When planting Crinum Calamistratum, I'd recommend trimming the longer roots to prevent them from getting tangled and to promote healthy growth. Clear off the worst of the brown layers on the bulb, but don't remove too much as you want to be able to see a good portion of it above the substrate - think of it like an onion, where about half of the bulb remains visible.

If you can manage to spread out the roots and get the substrate to cover them, then you can leave a few of the longer ones intact. However, it's crucial to be cautious of bulb rot, which is a significant risk with these plants. Trimming back the roots will help mitigate this risk.

Personally, I've had some experience with these plants, and initially, they were thriving. Unfortunately, I introduced some barbs to the tank, which didn't work out well for the Crinum Calamistratum - apparently, they're quite tasty to the barbs.

[skymist]

Rob, do you think the same approach works for all bulb plants? I've got a bit of an issue with my tigar lotus plant - it came unattached from the bulb and now the bulb's just floating about in my tank. I've checked on it today and it's still firm, no signs of rot, but there are no roots coming from it at the moment. Sorry to hijack your thread, littleking, but I figured it's worth asking in case someone's got some advice on what to do with a loose bulb.

[littleking]

Thanks medic23, that's exactly the kind of advice I was after. I'd been searching online but there's so much conflicting info out there, I'm glad I asked here. I'm happy to have a clear plan now, I'll get planting tomorrow - just need to clear some space in the 3 foot tank and shuffle some plants around, the fish and shrimps won't be too pleased with me for a bit.


skymist said:
Sorry to hyjack your thread littleking but I'm wondering if there's an answer to my issue here too
No worries at all, that's what the forum's for - sharing knowledge and learning from each other. I've hijacked threads myself before, it's all part of the process.

[medic23]

Just a heads up, Charlie, these plants can take off quite rapidly once they're established, so be prepared for them to outgrow their space quickly.

Sorry Akasha, but what I mentioned earlier about the Crinum bulbs doesn't necessarily apply to all bulb plants. From my experience with tiger lotus, they seem to do best when just pressed into the substrate, rather than being fully buried. In fact, I've found that they can rot easily if buried too deep. As for stripping off old layers, I haven't found it to be necessary with tiger lotus bulbs. I've also had limited success with regrowing bulbs that have fallen off the plant, but I haven't put much effort into it as I didn't have space for more plants anyway.

[skymist]

Thanks Rob, I'll just let it float for a bit and see if anything develops from it. The plant itself is doing fine, it's got its own roots now, so it seems to be managing without the bulb. It's all a bit puzzling, but I'll just keep an eye on it for now.

[medic23]

As long as it's got some leaves and roots, I think it'll be alright. I've found that after they've flowered, they seem to produce a load of new bulblets, so fingers crossed that'll be the case here.

[skymist]

I've yet to see one of these Crinum Calamistratum plants flower myself, apparently, they do produce flowers, but I've not been lucky enough to witness it yet.

[medic23]

Vyno9 posted a picture of one not too long ago, and they're quite similar to water lily flowers - pretty classic, actually. But from what I've gathered, they only bloom when they've got surface leaves.