# why can't i grow pogostemon helferi?



## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Following as I’m very interested in this plant. One thing I’ve read about them is they might require intense light.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

I am not trying to be rude but we can't grow everything.
There are several plants that I absolutely cannot grow.
You have even touched on one of them.
Downoi for me struggles for a month or so and I end up tossing it.
A few species disintegrate in under 36 hours, some are slow to die over a week.
But the other 60+ species are doing fine!


----------



## Wobblebonk (Feb 13, 2018)

Heh I'm on my second attempt as well both from tissue cultures I can't tell if it will survive yet. I should have demanded a refund on the first one though it was practically dead in the cup.


----------



## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Wobblebonk said:


> Heh I'm on my second attempt as well both from tissue cultures I can't tell if it will survive yet. I should have demanded a refund on the first one though it was practically dead in the cup.




Where from?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Wobblebonk (Feb 13, 2018)

It was from a large order from buceplant like a year ago, they've been pretty good to me usually though when I've talked to them about other orders. I wasn't sure they were in that bad of a shape when I first got them is why I just went ahead and tried to grow them out. Usually I can bring back stem plants from what looks like dead stem chunks but not that time.


----------



## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Wobblebonk said:


> It was from a large order from buceplant like a year ago, they've been pretty good to me usually though when I've talked to them about other orders. I wasn't sure they were in that bad of a shape when I first got them is why I just went ahead and tried to grow them out. Usually I can bring back stem plants from what looks like dead stem chunks but not that time.




Maybe if this try doesn’t work either, try seeing if a member on this, or another forum, have any submerged plants or trimmings they’d be willing to sell.


----------



## Wobblebonk (Feb 13, 2018)

varanidguy said:


> Maybe if this try doesn’t work either, try seeing if a member on this, or another forum, have any submerged plants or trimmings they’d be willing to sell.


I mean they're sort of growing this time instead of completely dissolving within 36 hours so that's good... it hasn't been in my tank very long yet 1 week now. I wouldn't exactly call it doing well but we'll see...


----------



## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Wobblebonk said:


> I mean they're sort of growing this time instead of completely dissolving within 36 hours so that's good... it hasn't been in my tank very long yet 1 week now. I wouldn't exactly call it doing well but we'll see...



Well, they gotta transition. Your experience may be different, but in my tank it usually takes 2-3 weeks for tissue culture plants to adapt. Even water wisteria was slow going at first before it took over lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Wobblebonk (Feb 13, 2018)

The problem is I got them unannounced right before leaving for vegas so I didn't even really see what happened heh I just stuck them in the tank and packed for a flight in the morning. I just know they look like this right now after having taken out some plants that were in front of them. There are quite a lot of tissue culture plants in that tank... though most of them were started more than a month ago. I am hopeful for now this time. Last time they were straight up mush before they ever went into the tank.


----------



## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

Wobblebonk said:


> The problem is I got them unannounced right before leaving for vegas so I didn't even really see what happened heh I just stuck them in the tank and packed for a flight in the morning. I just know they look like this right now after having taken out some plants that were in front of them. There are quite a lot of tissue culture plants in that tank... though most of them were started more than a month ago. I am hopeful for now this time. Last time they were straight up mush before they ever went into the tank.




Hell yeah, keep us posted! These plants are awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Surf (Jun 13, 2017)

> i tried this plant 5 times in 5 different tanks with different fertilisers....it doesnt want to grow ?


NO one can help without more information:

What are your water parameters (PH,GH,KH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, [email protected])

What fertilizers have you used? Not all are the same. 

Do you use CO2

list everything you add to the water.

are you using tap water, RO, water, or distilled water? For tap water, provided a link to the water quality report.


----------



## voyetra8 (Sep 24, 2010)

Downoi has become my favorite plant. 
It really never grew well for me *until* I got a really good LED. 

Same tank. All Amazonia II. Same CO2 injection. All EI dosed: 

Finnex Ray 2 = leggy / slow / thin growth 
Current Plus Pro = leggy / slow / thin growth 
Twinstar 600s = compact and dense / throwing out tons of daughter plants 

It seems the barrier (for me) was intensity / spectrum of light.


----------



## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

It doesnt like extremely soft water


----------



## voyetra8 (Sep 24, 2010)

burr740 said:


> It doesnt like extremely soft water


That's weird - my water is soft as a baby's backside. It comes out of the tap with a dGH of 1(!). 

I've only recently (as in a month ago) started adding Equilibrium to get it to ~4dGH... and it was growing well(?) before then.


----------



## Wobblebonk (Feb 13, 2018)

Well I'm pretty sure my issue isn't light intensity though again mine is pretty new from tissue culture so I'm not really sure how it will do yet...

I'm hanging something silly like 280W over an 80g tank here but I was going for a wide spread like t5 fixtures can give and it's not running at anywhere near max right now. Still, my par levels hit over 130 at the substrate.


----------



## f-fish (Jul 18, 2009)

Agree - it loves loads and loads of light .. best I have ever had it going was in direct sunlight outside - but it did not like the winter temps - my bad. 

Trying to get some recovery stock by growing it e(im)mersed, maybe that will help me in getting it going again in a normal tank.

Later Ferdie


----------



## Razvan Virna (May 29, 2018)

light is not a problem 100%. i tried it under 2x150W hqi in 250 liter (over 1w/liter).and still no succes. i ordered this week a new batch of plants to try them again since i changed my lighting system 3 days ago with 4x54w t5. but i doubt it will be any different. i will also try to grow it on a lava rock


----------



## Razvan Virna (May 29, 2018)

https://img.plici.ro/image/hO3

My pogostemons after 3 weeks with new lights and good ferts


----------



## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Just don't touch it if it melts. It should come back from the roots. Mine did at least.


----------



## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

Much easier with harder water higher GH/KH values especially if you're not using CO2.


----------



## Razvan Virna (May 29, 2018)

kh is 0-2. gh 10-12. lots of co2


----------

