how to divide floating water sprite

[CuriousFins]

Right, so someone told me a while ago that to prune it you can trim off the daughter plants and remove the mother plant, but what exactly is a "daughter plant"? Can you just prune off any stem, or does it have to be a stem that has grown some roots?

My water sprite is growing a lot.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Just break it into pieces. Each piece will usually grow into a new plant.

 

[OliveFish05]

The big plant will grow little roots and leaves off its leaves. It will have a little mass or node or whatever that you can gently pull off the main leaf. Let it float and it will grow to become its own plant

 

[connorlindeman]

I just rip off any arm. Umm.. maybe that's a little violent... Gently remove any stem and it should grow into a full-sized plant

 

[OliveFish05]

I just rip off any arm. Umm.. maybe that's a little violent... Gently remove any stem and it should grow into a full-sized plant

Wait… is it a stem plant!

 

[connorlindeman]

Wait… is it a stem plant!

I think it would be considered one. It grows stems soooo... but I'm no expert

 

[Byron]

No, Ceratopteris species are not stem plants. The fronds (leaves) arise from a short erect rhizome. The "stems" that one may see are actually fronds (leaves) that can vary significantly depending upon growing conditions. The five (as now recognized) species have differing leaf shapes but these can again vary within the species depending upon conditions.

I have had leaves/fronds tear and separate many times, and none ever produced roots from the actual leaf. But if the separated piece has sporangia, an adventitious (daughter) plant may well grow. But this is not the parent plant itself. Daughter plants are readily produced from the sporangia on the older and alternate fronds.

 

[connorlindeman]

No, Ceratopteris species are not stem plants. The fronds (leaves) arise from a short erect rhizome. The "stems" that one may see are actually fronds (leaves) that can vary significantly depending upon growing conditions. The five (as now recognized) species have differing leaf shapes but these can again vary within the species depending upon conditions.

I have had leaves/fronds tear and separate many times, and none ever produced roots from the actual leaf. But if the separated piece has sporangia, an adventitious (daughter) plant may well grow. But this is not the parent plant itself. Daughter plants are readily produced from the sporangia on the older and alternate fronds.

well there you have it