Salvinia natans - new growth looks different

[Rube_Goldfish]

I ordered in some Salvinia natans. The leaves looked a little rough - floating plants often suffer in shipping - but the roots were healthy, and soon enough I was getting some great new growth. But where the original bunches were tight and more or less vertically oriented, the new growth seems more spread out and, while concave, quite different from the original plants.

(Original plants in the upper left; new growth bottom center.)

Does anyone else have any experience with this plant? Will the new leaves bunch up over time, or is there something I'd have to do to promote that? Or is this just they way they are sometimes?

[Guppysnail]

I have this. I notice light and availability of nutrients affected how far the stem grew between leaves. The only time it bunched is when it ran out of room so grew up instead of out. 
I’ve since managed to kill most of it though 😟

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 12/8/2023 at 5:11 PM, Guppysnail said:

I have this. I notice light and availability of nutrients affected how far the stem grew between leaves. The only time it bunched is when it ran out of room so grew up instead of out. 
I’ve since managed to kill most of it though 😟

Interesting. Maybe I can pin it in a small area or something to make it go up.

[Rube_Goldfish]

It's actually in Mrs. Goldfish's tank (journal to come when I get some time), and the S. natans and their cabbage-y look are really something she fell in love with (not that I don't like it!), so she found a cookie cutter to try to fence them in and see if she can't squish them a little.

Edited December 9, 2023 by Rube_Goldfish