Growing Downoi (Pogostemon Helferi) In The Aquarium

Natural habitats this plant are rocky wharf of small rivers, streams or creeks with clay bottom in Thailand, Burma and India. It can be emerged or completely submerged.

This species has rosulate leaves with sinuate margins. These leaves develop on subsequent internodes. Colour of the plant is green but it can be red when we use strong light and the water has lot of nutrients.

This species should be planted in the foreground and middle parts of the aquarium. We can form dense and original lawns with this plant in large aquarium. Then we should plant seedlings in the substrate in a checkerboard pattern, at distance of a few centimeters. We may also plant it in group in the substrate, to arrange it on a root or rock gap.

This species is almost undemanding but it look depends on the water conditions. The plant grows upwards when water and substrate are poor in nutrients and light is poor. Then the leaves are more elongated and plant forms loose groups – it is less compact. Yellow leaves are a sign of sufficient light. We must be careful during growing this species - especially we must be careful not to damage its delicate stem or leaves. All damaged parts of the plant we have to remove to prevent them from rotting.

This is spermatophyte species but its violet flowers develop in emerged form of the plant. In aquarium we reproduce it vegetatively - by the runners or seedlings from cut stems.