# Your experience with Pogostemon Erectus



## Xirxes (Aug 18, 2008)

seems like not a lot of experience with this plant then.

It appears that i have lost about 30% of the 100 original stems to complete melt, and the remainder is very thin, having lost 80% of emerged foliage. I am still holding on to hope because i do see small growth at each leaf node throughout, but the plant does not seem healthy. So many leaves covering the surface each day its maddening.

All other plants of all other types doing well.


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## Islandgaliam (May 24, 2014)

I got some of this a few weeks ago. The lower portion started to turn brown; I increased the ferts a bit, trimmed the bad parts and replanted; it appears to be doing well, has doubled in size. I am in the process of changing my tanks from store bought spring water to RO, and think this will make a difference in everything.


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## Xirxes (Aug 18, 2008)

This issue is bugging me because I love this plant. I want to get to the cause of this melt.

Today is two weeks from initial planting, and if not for my own obstinance, I would have pulled the whole lot of stems. Of the roughly 100 bushy emerged stems I planted, I retain no more than 30, and each of these is 10-20% of original fullness. Stalks have mostly gone clear and soft, even though there are many new growth areas about 1/4-1/2" at many nodes.

Here are the water levels measured and calibrated 4 times over the last 2 weeks:

76F temp
6.5-6.6 pH
3-4 dGh
4-5 dKh
35-45 ppm NO3
3-3.5 ppm PO4
More than adaquate K2SO4
More than adaquate Iron from CSM+B
30-32 ppm CO2 pH tested against degassed, on 2 hours before light, off 30 mins before light off
2x 48" finnex ray 2 at any given point in tank, (60-90 PAR depending) on 8 hours daily
20-25 ppm Mg
10-20 ppm Ca

What gives? I cannot imagine what went wrong other than fish eating some lower leaves.

Should I keep the plants in, or are they trash? They make a horrible melted mess at surface every day.


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## HolyAngel (Oct 18, 2010)

Thats fairly normal for emersed plants going submerged. All your parameters look fine. 

I know when I first got limno aromatica a couple years ago it was emersed grown, it completely melted, had just a small piece of semi-transparent stem maybe 1/4" above the substrate left after a week or so of planting. I just left it in there and a couple weeks later I had a new plant growing from it. I'm sure the pogo will bounce back, sounds like you're already doing better than my emersed/submerged experience with limno, just takes some time. I'd like to offer specific experience with pogo but the plants I just got of it a week or two ago were already submerged growth and had no issues whatsoever.


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## Xirxes (Aug 18, 2008)

I have about 4 stems that came as a freebie submerged, and they are all aces. 

I will stick with it and keep replanting everything that floats and isn't already jello-fied.

Thanks for reference, I do hear these are much like limno.


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