# Ludisia Discolor care question



## Lucille (May 9, 2008)

I just got some of these on Ebay (there's a guy that sells 10 plants for $40) and I want to make sure I treat them right when they get here.
I looked up some info and it says they are terrestrial and grow in soil. But my substrate is coir over leca. Should I keep them in little pots of soil sunk into the substrate or how would you grow them?


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## littlefrog (Sep 13, 2005)

They will root if you drop them on the ground and go get a cup of coffee... Anything you put them in is going to be fine. In a vivarium they are almost a weed. A pretty weed, but you will have to whack them back fairly frequently.

I grow mine in sphagnum moss.


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## Lucille (May 9, 2008)

Thank you for the info and it sounds like just the ticket- pretty and sturdy- for my beginner terrariums.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

One of my favorite plants ever, I've had one particular L. discolor with me for around 5 or 6 years now :shock: They are pretty easy given a few simple rules... they do awesome in a terrarium if they are in a well draining substrate, and do best ON the substrate, not IN the substrate... I usually start mine as fresh cuttings, sit them on top of the substrate... roots go down, leaves go up, then you've got a happy plant. They are ramblers and their stems should be above the substrate sitting on top.

What are they currently rooted in? If it's just sphagnum moss, you can likely just pop them and the substrate out of the pot and put it in the tank. If it's any other substrate, I'd worry about how the plants were initially grown... the substrate might be meant for them as houseplants which in a humid terrarium would keep their roots too wet. You can always remove the substrate and toss them on top of the frog substrate... a few weeks you'd never know it.

They love low light, and just beware if you've got a super strong CF in there to color up broms or something... they won't like it. Stick them under a plant to get shaded and they will be weeds.

You don't haaaaaaave to whack them back frequently... but people tend to like tight little clumps of this stuff... this isn't how it likes to grow... it likes to ramble around rooting as it goes.


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## Lucille (May 9, 2008)

I haven't got them yet, I bought them on Ebay from a guy who has them in 'liner trays?'
But I will take your advice when they get here.
They are going into the little terrariums that have low light, I have one 55 that is going to get more light but none of them are going there.
Off topic, I was wanting one larger terrarium and put in a 'want' ad in Craigslist. A bit later a lovely couple emailed me and gave me their 55 because they had gotten a new one.I offered to pay them but they would not accept. There are some nice people out there; and maybe some of y'all out there who need tanks might think of putting a similar ad in.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I've gotten come of my best tanks because of fish keepers that let their tank get grungy... they didn't want to clean off years of water marks, just bought new tanks, and often would just let me take the old one just so they didn't have to mess with it. There are often ads for super cheap/free tanks on craigslist!


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## Lucille (May 9, 2008)

The ludisias just arrived, I bought 10 and they are from 6-10" tall, in spahgnum. They are beautiful!!
I will likely plant them tomorrow.
What is the safest way to get water marks and calcium off? There isn't a lot, but I think the best time to get it done is now.
It has to be something I can do without taking it outside, I'd have to wait for my college kid to visit if I had to do that.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Try soaking them in RO/distilled water for 20 mins or so. Shouldn't hurt the plants, can keep them in the moss too (you'll just have to wring the moss out pretty well after), and a light scrub with a soft brush (old toothbrush?) should help if the soak doesn't get everything.


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