"Orphan" Helanthium Bolivianum 'Quadricostatus' Tissue Culture

• Bushy, medium-sized carpeting plant
• Easily separates into multiple plant starts
• 100% clean with no algae, duckweed, or snails

These tissue cultures are still the same, high-quality plants that are lab-grown. While the plants are in perfect condition, the top seals slightly opened while in transit to our warehouse. We are offering these plants to our members at a $1 per plant discount, as the open seal compromises them as a tissue culture. Please understand that they are healthy plants with no visible differences, but are being offered as “orphans”, as they cannot be sold as a sealed tissue culture. Get a deal on these wonderful plants and help them find a permanent home in your aquarium.

Helanthium bolivianum 'Quadricostatus' is a cousin of the pygmy chain sword that is known for its vibrant, spring green color that contrasts well with darker plants and decor. This species has grass-like blades that form into a compact, bushy plant about 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) tall and 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) wide. Provide a nutrient-rich substrate (such as aquatic soil or a well-established, non-soil substrate) or plenty of root tabs for optimal growth. 

• Scientific Name: Helanthium bolivianum 'Quadricostatus' or Echinodorus 'Quadricostatus'
• Native To: South America
• Skill Level: Easy
  
• Placement: Foreground to Midground
• Recommended Light: Low to Medium Light 10-35 PAR (click to see our PAR chart)
• CO₂ Requirement: None
• Preferred Fertilizer: Easy Root Tabs and Easy Green liquid fertilizer
• Propagation: Spreads via runners across the ground

***Being a natural product, sizes can vary from what is shown.***

Directions:

1. Upon receiving the tissue culture plant, immediately open the container and rinse off any excess liquid from the roots.
2. Gently separate the plant into multiple small clumps.
3. Use planting tweezers or your fingers to push the roots of the sword deeply into the substrate until they are completely buried. Pull out the plant slightly so that the crown (i.e., the base of the plant where all the leaves come out) is not covered with substrate.
4. If the plant keeps popping out of the ground, try inserting the plant at an angle or wrap a plant weight at the bottom of the plant to keep it anchored.
5. Make sure to add lots of root tabs if you’re using inert substrate or if your nutrient-rich substrate is depleted.

How to Care for Helanthium Bolivianum Quadricostatus

— Bolivian chain sword care is very easy, so start by using low to medium lighting between 10-35 PAR. 
— Why is my new sword plant melting? Sword plants are sometimes known to experience melting when they suddenly move to a new environment. To help the plant recover faster and grow new leaves that are accustomed to your water parameters, leave the roots planted in the ground and make sure to provide nutrient-rich planted tank substrate or Easy Root Tabs. 
— Why is my chain sword turning brown after it was growing so well? Sword plants absorb lots of nutrients from the ground, so it may be a nutrient deficiency. If the leaves are yellowing or turning pale after a couple of months, please add more root tabs.
— How to trim Helanthium bolivianum: If the sword plant has dying or melting leaves, cut them off at the base of the leaf. If you wish to prune your chain sword carpet to look like a field of grass, use curved scissors to cut all of the leaves to an even height, much like mowing a lawn.

How to Propagate Chain Sword

Once they become well-established, chain swords self-propagate by sending out runners all across the substrate, which can quickly provide ground cover for an entire aquarium. The new baby plants can be trimmed off and replanted or left to grow out naturally.