What can I do to help my sword plant?

[Joey_Jojo]

I have a great big sword in my 54g. I'm not sure what kind; it has a little red tint but it isn't a red melon. If anything it just looks like an Amazon with some red if that matters. In any case, the old growth leaves are all wasting away. It started slowlyas some pinholes here and there, and I have been trying to stop it since it started but I can't seem to get it right. I've done two rounds of root tabs a few weeks apart, as well as regularly dosing Easy Green and supplemental potassium (which I read can cause the pinholes). I also have some pinholes on my red crypts and my lily, so I think it has to be some nutrient deficiency, but I have added a bunch of root tabs over time, plus the tank itself has an organic soil base under the substrate which i had hoped would last. 

If you look at the second image you can see there is healthy new growth. I'm wondering if the damage to the old growth is done and I should just prune heavily or what. Thanks for your help 🙂 

[Odd Duck]

I’m no expert, but others will likely be along that are.  That said, I would say definitely say, Yes, to the pruning.  Those leaves are damaged and will never be whole again.  You don’t need to take out every single damaged leaf at once.  I would remove the worst of them, especially if they have any tattered tips.  See what the experts say and work towards resolving the issue.  Then as you start to see some improvement in new leaves, continue to gradually remove all the older, damaged leaves.

Damaged leaves will always be a drain on the plant in comparison to healthy leaves, but if most of the leaves are damaged, you can prune too much if you remove all of them at once.  So, remove the worst, then remove more damaged ones as new, healthy ones emerge.

[Joey_Jojo]

Should I remove all the way to the base, or just the damaged part (roughly the top half or so)?

[Odd Duck]

On 9/10/2021 at 10:50 AM, Joey_Jojo said:

Should I remove all the way to the base, or just the damaged part (roughly the top half or so)?

All the way to the base, for sure.  I even try to pull them off if I can. I slide my fingers down as low as possible, then push down gently right at the base of the stem of that leaf to see if it will loosen.  If it does, I keep pushing until it pops off.  If it doesn’t act pretty loose with light pressure, then I cut as low as I can get my scissors.  Swords don’t really like their leaves cut midway.  You can trim Val that way, but swords do better cutting/removing at the base.

[Phantom240]

Prune away any dead or damaged leaves, all the way to the base. 

[Torrey]

@Joey_Jojo I look at the sword plant and if 1/2 to 2/3 of the leaf is in good shape, I trim the leaf to maintain the shape... otherwise, I snip from the base.

If the new growth doesn't have any more pinholes, then the root tabs have done their job. Swords are notoriously hungry plants, so plan on adding root tabs around your sword every 2 - 3 weeks to prevent this happening again. 

You said you have a dirted tank.

How long has it been set up?

What is the fish load?

And most importantly, what animals do you have helping to work the mulm into your soil?

If mulm isn't getting worked back in by MTS, blackworms, and copepods, the soil gets depleted more quickly. 

On the other hand, even with a great "grounds crew" Amazons are little piggies, and will still need supplementation to maintain beautiful foliage. 

[Joey_Jojo]

Just finished pruning pretty heavily. One plant (in front) was pinholes and rotted leaves throughout, though this was the much smaller plant, almost overshadowed by the big one. The big plant I would say is 75% gone. Hoping it wasn't too much...

Thanks to all who helped

[Jungle Fan]

From the pictures it looks like it is likely Echinodorus "Rubin", but it could also be Echinodorus "Indian Red", or "Grosser Baer" all of which are hybrids that originated in Germany. The root tabs about ever three weeks, at least an inch away from the plant, and never directly underneath it are a great way to supply iron and potassium. Easy Iron and liquid potassium can also be added but you'll have to be careful with those because too much iron in the water column can trigger the holes in the leaves as well.  Nice looking sword plant!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I’d agree with @Torreyand the other posters - it kind of takes a village to keep swords good and happy. Mulm has been my swords friend. When I fall behind on root tabs it’s what keeps my swords going. You’re doing too good a job keeping the substrate clean around your sword. Part of this is that mulm is where the copepods, worms and other organisms grow out of into the substrate. Some on here will disagree but I only superficially vacuum and leave alone the area around the crown of plants like swords.

I’d also double up the root tabs around the smaller of the two get its roots more established so it can flourish like this other monster. Beautiful plants and have fun! 
Here’s pics of my monsters! 

[Hobbit]

Your sword looks great with its new haircut! I love that red color.

If it’s not supposed to have wavy-edged leaves, that might be a sign of calcium deficiency. Just something to keep in mind and look for in your other plants.

A few fun facts about plants that may help if you don’t already know them:

1. Plants almost never repair their old leaves. If a leaf is damaged and unusable, the plant will absorb nutrients from the damaged leaves to feed new growth until the old leaf is totally gone. Some people expect old leaves to “heal” like a wounded fin might, but that’s not how plants work.
2. Plants will also absorb nutrients from their old leaves to feed new growth even if the old leaves are perfectly fine. This can happen for many reasons, one of which is if there’s a nutrient deficiency. Other reasons include not enough light reaching the lower leaves, or plants just being plants. Plants prioritize new growth over old growth.