# Help with Four Leaf Clover (Marsilea quadrifolia)



## liljmn (Dec 3, 2007)

I have had this plant in a 10 gal with 15watts fluorescent. No CO2 or ferts, and it still grew, but really slowly. It may be that the plants you have is grown emersed and it is still adapting. The old growth will die and new leaves will grow from the nodes.


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## pweifan (Nov 2, 2006)

IMO this is very common with Marsilae. It seems to slowly die off , but then new growth starts to show. For me, it's a slow grower at first but grows more quickly after it's been established.


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## Phish (Apr 29, 2009)

should I have taken the plant out of the pots it came in? and yea, the entire thing is turning brown, but I will def. give it awhile and see what happens.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

If it doesn't grow, contact reckles75 or bsmith. They both have great marsilea


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## Phish (Apr 29, 2009)

cool I will, can someone tell me if this pic looks like normal die off?

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/members/phish-albums-ryan-s-tank-picture1187-0-image-114.html


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## pweifan (Nov 2, 2006)

Actual no  , that doesn't look like what mine did when it "died" but came back... Mine turned black and was still very hard and brittle. Is yours mushy and brown like it looks in the picture?


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## asil (Mar 23, 2009)

Phish said:


> I bought this off of aqariumplants.com and it said it was a low light plant. when I got the plants they were nice and green, but after about only 5 days in my tank the are turning really brown, like extremely brown (barely any green cept a bit at bottom but keeps getting worse every day) If i run my hands over the top of the plant it just all falls apart. I was wondering if anyone knew if this was really a low level aquatic plant, and what I might be doing wrong. just a heads up, I am in a 10 gallon tank, 1.5 floro lighting, and have been adding Flourish Fert's


 
The reason for it dying off is that this plant is grown emersed (out of the water) comercially and the emersed leaves will not survive underwater. Many people simply cut the stems off before planting in the aquarium so as not to have to deal with the dead leaves.


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## Phish (Apr 29, 2009)

yes , it is all brown and mushy, if i run the net around the water over it a bunch of stems flake off.


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## Anupam (Nov 5, 2008)

I think you need to take them out of the asbestos wool in the pots. But I'm not sure what kind of substrate you have. Looks like blue gravel. Do you have anything like soil/laterite under it. If not, I'm afraid plants won't doo very well in it.


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## Phish (Apr 29, 2009)

yea actually, based on advice from this message board, tonight is my change form gravel to flourite substrate night! oh boy it's gonna be a blast! my worry now is the plants are too far gone to get out of pots and planted into substrate, but I will give it a try.


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## dindin (Mar 4, 2009)

Ohhh Phish. Having done the big changeover I do not envy you! It's a pain.

As far as potted plants, I have tried both leaving them in pots and taking them out (a few of each) when I've bought from "stores" online, ie, they have to change from emersed. I know taking them out is supposedly better but my plants did equally well, except HC which did better left in the pot.

Didn't buy marsilea that way though, mine came from rekles a week or so ago and is AWESOME --already growing. A few leaves were brown but they had roots so I planted them anyway and they have new shoots too.


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## Superedwin (Jan 19, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> If it doesn't grow, contact reckles75 or bsmith. They both have great marsilea


+1 agree i bought mine from reckless and they were great!


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## Phish (Apr 29, 2009)

are they part of this site? I tried to PM reckless75 but said unknown user..


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## dindin (Mar 4, 2009)

one s, rekles75.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

If you want some shoot me a pm.


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## Superedwin (Jan 19, 2009)

Superedwin said:


> +1 agree i bought mine from reckless and they were great!


oops its *rekles75* :icon_smil


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