# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk > Cryptocoryne Club >  BIG Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Brown' (25 -35 cm)

## o2bubble

Hi, anyone knows where to find c.wendtii brown that grows to about 25-35 cm tall? I'm having a hard time finding over all the LFS for past few months alreadly. The c.wendtii tropica I have not growing tall and not exactly I have in mind (prefer smoother leaves like normal wendtii). Attached is a sample I'm looking for.

----------


## Weirong

It doesn't really matter what sized C. wendtii sp. you get from the LFS. You can grow them to the size you want by providing a rich substrate and shading them.

When you plant them in your tank and shade them, they will grow taller. If exposed to brighter lights, they will open up and spread out if given enough space!

----------


## o2bubble

Sorry, I got some c.wendtii and under shade, they maintained only about 10 cm tall at most even on ADA Amazonia soil and much fert  :Sad:  I believe these are small variety and I'm looking for this big and broad leaf variety of c.wendtii.

----------


## Weirong

I don't know which varient you are keeping, but from my experience: C.wendtii 'Brown' and 'Green' are among the tallest of the C. wendtii sp. 

One other thing you can try is insert some root tabs for these plants. Growth can get massive.

----------


## medicineman

Most do grow big. Common ones are green and brown wendtii.

You need to wait for some time until the emmersed leaves shed, replaced by water foliage. Then some more waiting game before it takes a hold. On the process, it should not be disturbed or moved. Add substrate inserts as it grow bigger.

From emmersed crypt you buy at LFS to giant aquatic plant it may take from 4 to 8 months depending on the tank condition. If you can find some in giant aquatic form, it would take shorter time, but this kind is more prone to melting if mistreated (and they will grow small again after melting).

----------


## o2bubble

Thanks medicine man. I'm trying to find the giant variety to shorten the growth process. I managed to find all these variety listing of c.wendtii below:

Cryptocoryne wendtii
Cryptocoryne wendtii "Broad leaf"
Cryptocoryne wendtii "Brown"
Cryptocoryne wendtii "Green"
Cryptocoryne wendtii "Green"/Tall form
Cryptocoryne wendtii/Hybrid
Cryptocoryne wendtii "Red"
Cryptocoryne wendtii "Tropica" 

Have you any experience with 'broad leaf', 'Hybrid' and 'Red' varieties and they distinct features from other c.wendtii varieties? Any photos in any chance you might have?

----------


## o2bubble

Thanks. No need to reply my earlier questions already as I managed to find all the photos of the above varieties.

----------


## o2bubble

huh... does anyone knows which LFS i can get the giant c.wendtii brown? Thanks..

----------


## lorba

o2Bubble,

There is no giant variety, size depends on how you grow it. It is also no point buying giant size ones thinking that they will stay that way. Its leaves will melt anyway and the new ones will be adjusted and grow to what you give it.

To grow most crypts in tanks with big and healthy shiny leaves:
*1) Put it where the flow is.* 
Most crypts comes from fast flowing streams and they like water flow. If you plant wendtii in a new tank at a spot with direct flow and another without, you will notice that those in the flow does not really melt away and eventually, grow faster.

*2) Give it strong lights.*
Most of the time, you can get bullated leaves when it recieve enough lightings. For example, in <2ft height using MH or in same lighting, partially shaded. Other lighting combination is fine as long as lighting is intense. I get big, broad, brown, dark veined, long and compact growth under the above mentioned as well as very bullated, shorted growth when the plant is under a echindorus, in the same tank.

*3) Pump it up with Fertilizers*
Most of the tanks I've seen have thin, leggy crypts. Apart from lighting, co2, fertilization is the key. Give them plenty of root fert or add sufficient N,P,K,Ca to the water column. Do not add Ca to tanks with eriocaulon though.

----------


## o2bubble

Thanks lobra, i am getting some big ones from a bro here and will lower my mh to give more lights. At least i know for sure these are not the small ones i alreadly have.

----------


## kadios

Hi bro, 

To create the bushy effect in your attached pics need time. A crypt by itself only have a few leaves. The bushy effect is created by the many sideshoots next to the parent plant. To achieve that, the crypts must be given sufficient space to adapt and grow in a new environment. Planting them closely may slow down the time you achieve the effect. 

Cheers!

----------


## o2bubble

thanks for all the advises, I will take note in my planting and hope I can show you guys the results soon! cheers!

----------


## o2bubble

Hi all, just planted some big sized c.wendtii. Hope they will start growing soon! cheers!

----------


## jackmcduck

this is my cryp wendity brown :Laughing: , comphare whith a pen. in right side is cryp usteriana leaf.
thats leaf is damage so i trim it LOL :Grin:

----------


## o2bubble

Hi all, my wendtii are starting to grow big now  :Smile:

----------


## weiquan

any recommendations for LFS to buy the different species of wenditii. if not plants farms ?

----------


## Jervis

I bought 'Brown' from Colourful Balestier today... they also have other species  :Smile:

----------


## ct13

> I bought 'Brown' from Colourful Balestier today... they also have other species


This is how they look like before they start to grow tall and turn brown? I am looking for it too.

Thanks.

----------


## o2bubble

The photo is crypt wendtii green gecko not brown. I have got wendtii green gecko, mioya, brown and tropica in my tank. My brown has now grown to a height of 35 cm  :Smile:

----------


## ct13

> The photo is crypt wendtii green gecko not brown. I have got wendtii green gecko, mioya, brown and tropica in my tank. My brown has now grown to a height of 35 cm


Can show pictures of your brown?? So I will not buy the wrong plant.

----------


## o2bubble

Bro, its easy to do a google search for this plant.

----------


## ct13

> Bro, its easy to do a google search for this plant.


Thank you bro, found some pictures.

----------


## weiquan

thanks jervis. shall go down coulourful to have a look. but the uncle's pricing is quite unstable sometimes.

----------


## craps

can try using plant root..after I used it, the leaves grew twice the size of the original  :Razz:

----------

