Sword Nutrient Deficiency

[Streetwise]

Cheers @Isaac M and @Sal. I may have started that thread, but it is a community thread!

[Hobbit]

Apologies if this has already been mentioned or if this is obvious, but in case people are reading this for future reference—plants generally don’t heal or repair damaged leaves. Once a leaf has holes, goes transparent, or gets munched, the plant doesn’t have a way to repair that. Instead it will focus its energy on new growth, and usually it will cannibalize the damaged leaf, stripping the nutrients out to use in the new leaves until the old leaf is totally gone.

On the topic of whether plecos eat swords, I can confirm that bristlenose plecos will poke holes in sword leaves. I’m not sure mine are doing it on purpose, but regardless of their intention, it happens. 😄

Also, I’m wondering if anyone who’s had swords for a long time can comment on this—my sword plants are constantly losing their old leaves. They’re also constantly growing new leaves. A new leaf can get full size in about four days, and an old leaf can turn yellow and go skeletal just as fast. I’m not sure I want to supplement them with more nutrients—they’re huge as is! But I’m wondering if it’s normal for swords to lose their old leaves, or if it’s just due to a scarcity of nutrients. And just to be clear, I *know* they’re on the edge of deficiency. I dose 3 doses of easy green a week but unless I test the day after I dose, my nitrates are basically 0. I’m just wondering how other people’s swords behave. 🙂

[Isaac M]

@Hobbit that is a great point to make! Thank you for sharing your experience with the bristlenose place and sword plants as well. 

I have to admit, I never really noticed that about my sword until you mentioned it but mine does that as well. My sword is in organic soil and is maybe 3 years old now but it also continually loses leaves and grows new ones. I imagine my sword is not lacking nutrients either as they are in organic soil. It is probably more of a lighting or space issue as new leaves grow, it shades the smaller older leaves below. That is just my hypothesis however, I am not sure what the real reason is. Hopefully someone can chime in on their experience with this as well.