White-headed shieldwort and its care

Plant white-headed shieldfoil also known as hydrocotyla whitehead. This is an amphibian crop native to the tropics of South America. It has long stems and light green round leaves with a diameter of about 4 cm. At home, the plant needs tropical aquarium with a temperature of 22-28 degrees. Usually it is placed in the background of the aquarium, so it looks more impressive. There is no need to root hydrocotyl; it is kept afloat and grows quickly. Having reached the surface of the water, its leaves begin to spread over it, creating shade. They are usually thinned out so that the shadow is not too strong.

The hardness and acidity of water are not important to the plant, but when the temperature drops it stops growing. The white-headed shieldwort can also degrade in stagnant water, so it is required regular water changes in aquarium. The plant is also unpretentious to the soil, since it absorbs useful substances from the water with its stems and leaves, so the water can be fertilized with special aquarium fertilizers. Fertilizers for indoor plants should never be used in an aquarium; they will simply destroy all living things there.

Gilrocotyla is demanding on lighting. Even in slight shade, the plant begins to shed its leaves and may die. It is recommended to install fluorescent lamps approximately 0.5 volts per liter of volume, operating at least 12 hours a day.Conventional lamps would be needed three times more, and they can also cause burns to leaves floating on the surface. The plant is propagated by cuttings.