Propagating Eriocaulon quinquangulare

How to propagate the pipewort rosette Eriocaulon quinquangulare by dividing its crowns and separating daughter plantlets in soft, CO2-rich aquasoil tanks.

Overview

Eriocaulon quinquangulare is a pipewort of the family Eriocaulaceae that forms a large star-shaped rosette of narrow leaves radiating from a central crown. Eriocaulon species are mostly herbaceous perennials associated with wet soils and shallow water, and this one prefers very soft, slightly acidic conditions in the aquarium.

It is not a stem plant, so it is not topped and replanted. Instead it is multiplied by dividing the crowns and by separating the daughter plantlets that appear beside the mother rosette.

Propagation Method (Division / Plantlets)

Adult plants split naturally as they grow, and moving or replanting larger specimens also tends to trigger splitting. Many Eriocaulon produce baby plantlets and side shoots when stressed, for example after a change in conditions. On plants with plantlets the leaves appear to grow from several distinct points.

Division of crowns: each clearly distinct crown can be separated as a new plant.
Lateral plantlets: daughters growing beside the mother are detached once they reach a suitable size.

Step-by-Step

Divide when the crowns are clearly distinct from the main cluster and the daughters have reached a usable size.
Uproot the clump gently; the separation between plantlets becomes obvious once it is out of the substrate.
Separate the crowns by hand, keeping each crown intact to give every new plant a better chance of survival.
Use tweezers for very small plantlets that are too fiddly to pick apart by hand.
Replant each crown into rich aquasoil with its CO2-fed root zone undisturbed.

Conditions for Healthy Growth

Very soft water (around or under 2 dKH) with low hardness.
Rich aquasoil substrate at the root zone.
Strong lighting over the rosette.
Plentiful CO2 delivered at substrate level.

Maintenance

Allow newly separated crowns to root before disturbing them again. If many daughter plantlets form at once the clump can become overcrowded and deteriorate as a whole, so separate and replant daughters once they reach a suitable size rather than letting the cluster pack together.