Plant contest starting in October - OFFICIAL RULES

[BigDaddy]

The club will be buying approximately 50 Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia.  Any member who is interested in participating can pick up a single plant at the October meeting.  The idea will be to grow the plant for 6 months, and return it to the April meeting to be voted on.  The plant (or plants if you manage to propogate it) will be voted on and the winner gets a nice prize.

Now the details :

1.  Only one plant will be issued per member.  Members will be required to display a valid OVAS membership card .  Plants will be distributed at the Jack Purcell Community Center on October 24, 2005.  Plants will only be distributed at the OVAS meeting.We would prefer to distribute the plants before the start of the meeting, as there will be voting going on during the break for the bowl show.

2.  Plants must be grown completely submerged.  If a plant has evidence of emersed growth, it may be denied entry into the contest.

3.  Voting will be done by the membership at the April meeting in a similar style to the bowl shows.

Not very complicated, is it?

Now, some scenarios to get you thinking:

You might have the largest plant of the group, but if it's full of algae it might not win out to a slightly smaller crypt with no algae growth.

You might be able to split the crypt into multiple crypts, and come back with a "forest" of crypts to woo the crowds with.

Remember, crypts suffer from crypt rot.  When you get it home and plant it, don't freak out if some leaves (or even most of them) start "melting" away.  Leave the plant for a few days, and you should see it start some new growth.

Again on crypt rot, once it's planted... don't handle/transplant the crypt.  Try to keep all your growing conditions the same (I've had crypts rot from a change in my fert schedule).  The last thing you want is your crypt to start rotting a week before the April meeting.

Finally, have fun with this contest!  We picked a crypt because it doesn't require expensive lighting.  The standard aquarium light in most tanks will be sufficient to grow one of these puppies.  We also picked this specific type of crypt because its a little bit more hardy than some of the others... and tends not to suffer as badly from crypt rot.

Crypts are a great low light plant that do well in almost any community tank you have.  Most of us think of anubias, java ferns and java moss for low light... start thinking about crypts!

Feel free to post any questions or comments, and I'll be sure to bring them up at the executive meeting so we can have answers for you at the October meeting.

[NjOyRiD]

Thats a REally good idea, I like it

[kennyman]

Do you think these plants can handel a touch of salinity? Im running 1.005 sg in a tank planted with Java moss Java fern and Vallis. It sounds like slowly working the plant up to that salt content in an airated bucket would be complicated by the whole Crypt rot thing.

I wouldnt want to waste one.

[PaleoFishGirl]

That is a really pretty plant!

Awesome idea for a contest, I think this is going to be quite fun  

[rockgarden]

Count me in.  

I've done about all I can with java moss and designer duckweed.

BTW: Steve tells me that the java moss in a Coke bottle that I brought to the auction in June is still happily growing in the Coke bottle at his place. He hasn't had time to get a bigger tank up and running Who knows, it might even be his entry in next month's bowl contest

Ron

[darkdep]

I think I'd like to give it a try too.  Probably no better way to get more into plants than to have something to strive for.

Kenny:  Maybe you should try to acclimate it to the higher salinity...perhaps having done that might give you points when the judging occurs...

[Shouganai]

I can't wait to give this a try! I have had a lot of luck with crypts, and I'm really starting to like them!

[Mettle]

The one crypt I have in my tank was just a random plant I picked up one day because 'I liked the way it looked'. And it's doing amazingly in my tank. I'd consider getting more if I had room for them.

What's this 'bowl contest'?

[DonCorleone]

I'm all for it! Can't wait for the October meeting...

[clouxles]

Unfortunately I already have commitments (night school) for Mondays until December so the Oct - Nov meeting is caput. Any chance of picking up the plants at another time - place? I'd love to give this a shot.

[mseguin]

For the bowl show, (next one is next meeting), u simply bring in a fish you would like to display, in a bowl. Everyone votes for the nicest fish, winner gets a door prize. Reigning champion is Cassandra, with her very nice blue gularis I believe (might have been the Boesmani?).

[pnmdsz6]

ok,
about this plant contest, i have a couple questions...
is there any way you can get the algae off? (bigdaddy you said if it has algae on it it has less of a chance of winning)
also, is it only the person (or people?) who wins that get to keep their plant?
apart from those questions i like the idea, you guys are so smart!

pnmdsz6

[BigDaddy]

ok,
about this plant contest, i have a couple questions...
is there any way you can get the algae off? (bigdaddy you said if it has algae on it it has less of a chance of winning)
also, is it only the person (or people?) who wins that get to keep their plant?
apart from those questions i like the idea, you guys are so smart!

pnmdsz6

The best way to keep the algae off is to not let it get on in the first place!   :lol:

Everyone gets to keep their plant... part of the contest was to encourage people to get interested in plants and to introduce a not often seen plant to our club.

Hope this answers your questions.

Thanks for all the positive feedback folks!  I know I'm really stoked about this contest!

[BigDaddy]

Unfortunately I already have commitments (night school) for Mondays until December so the Oct - Nov meeting is caput. Any chance of picking up the plants at another time - place? I'd love to give this a shot.

I'll bring it up at the exec meeting.  We'd like to include as many people as we can in the contest.

[BigDaddy]

BUMP with updates

[PaleoFishGirl]

Is anyone else's plant looking decidedly droopy?  I thought maybe mine would perk up overnight, once the turgor pressure picked back up, but it's just sprawling.  Big Daddy, I think I got ripped off :lol:

[BigDaddy]

Is anyone else's plant looking decidedly droopy?  I thought maybe mine would perk up overnight, once the turgor pressure picked back up, but it's just sprawling.  Big Daddy, I think I got ripped off :lol:

Welcome to crypt rot.  As I said, this is perfectly normal for crypts.  Give it a week, and the transplant shock will be over, with the plant springing up new shoots.

[BigDaddy]

And just to make it offical... there are 32 participants in the contest.

I won't all names.. but if you are on the forums you can pm me.  Of course, those participating in the flame war have already identified themselves.