[spheredome]

We walk on the beach, enjoy the wave brushing by the shore and watch the horizon full of ships. We look at the familiar coconut trees and creepers on the sand and once awhile caught sight of these long greenish stems washed ashore. Your first reaction is to pick it up, wave it like a saber and throw it back into the sea waiting for it come back to you. Amazing.

But instead of waiting for the sea wave to wash the stick back to you, why not bring it home and grow it. These green long sticks are Mangrove seedlings. In Singapore, there are few areas you get to see mangrove, most beaches are cleared of mangrove and hidden in a few corners of the coast, you still find them. One place is the Pasir Ris Breach and the St. John's island. Here is how you can grow them.

Mangrove are actually very slow growing as I read, so my guess is you don't have to worry about space for some time. Surprisingly, mangrove seedlings are hardy and easy to grow. Pick those that are still green on the top (just pick a few, you don't need many). At the same time, collect some sand (no need a lot, just sufficent to cover 2-3 inches of the top of the planting pot).

I prefer to grow the seedling in saltwater because it will not attract/breed mosquitos and insect (but according to text, mangrove can be grown in freshwater).

1) You will need a food container wide enough for a pot to put inside (see picture). The container will hold the saltwater.
2) I use Pan salt from the supermarket as they are less toxic. Mix the pansalt to about 70% concentration of the sea in a cup (just estimate with your tongue. If you think seawater is sweet....OMG OMG OMG.
* Not super concentrate but more than enough to kill a freshwater fish and mozzie. You do not need a lot of salt water as the pot will eventually displace most of them.

3)Fill the planting pot with soil (as how you would plant a houseplant) and pour freshwater till it runs out (I use plastic pot with holes at the bottom side, rather than under). Fill in more soil and make the soil very compact (press the soil down). Continue adding water to let the loose ends out from the pot holes.
4) Wash the mangrove clean under the tap and stick the seedling into the soil deep (the fat round end in). Then fill 2-3inch with the top sand.
5) Pour the prepared salt solution evenly into the pot till water flows from the bottom.
6) Next put the pot into the plastic container and fill the container with more salt solution.
6.1) Keep the seedling in a shaded area with reflected light (not direct sun). Mist the seedings daily with fresh water till root.
7) Top up the container (not pot) with freshwater when needed. It is low maintenance as you will only need to top it up when it the water level drops to 25% (but you can always keep the level high as you wish). *Salt does not get evaporated so it stays inside the container.
** Be patient, mangrove seedling grow slooowly.

For first 2 weeks, you will have to change the container salt solution weekly as the soil material decays.By the 3rd time, the water should remain clear. Mist the seedlings with freshwater daily to keep it moist. By end of the 3rd week, you should see roots coming out from the pot holes (depending on the size of pot). And you can stop misting.
When you see more roots coming out, you can now give it a very very week fertilizer. In the photo container, I put just 1 (one only) slow release pellet. By end of 5th week, you should see the tip turing green, ready for the first leaf.
When the salt solution becomes very dirty, you will have to change the salt solution but it last for many weeks. Do not let the water container water level too low (top it up with water).

What is going to happen next, I don't know yet.... you can figure it out yourself. I would presume that the leaves have to be wet once a while as salt is expel via the leave.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/spheredome/IMG_0799.jpg

This post has been edited by spheredome: 11 February 2012 - 01:04 PM

[nepentheorchid]

Hi, i grew avecennia and bruigeria before in freshwater. they grew to about 30 cm tall but then it was attacked by white flies that kept coming back and both died as a result :(/>. They take some time to start growing leaves ( faster for avecennia compared to bruigeria )but i find that they do grow quite fast after established.

[spheredome]

I hope to see the day the plant grows up, that is the beauty of unknown.

For white flies, just hang the white moth balls on the plant and whiteflies will avoid it.

I wonder if saltwater grown plants will not have the mealybug and whiteflies because of the salt expelled?

nepentheorchid, on 11 February 2012 - 04:05 PM, said:

Hi, i grew avecennia and bruigeria before in freshwater. they grew to about 30 cm tall but then it was attacked by white flies that kept coming back and both died as a result :(/>. They take some time to start growing leaves ( faster for avecennia compared to bruigeria )but i find that they do grow quite fast after established.

[nepentheorchid]

I am not too sure but I did see white flies and mealybugs on some rhizophora and avecennia trees in Sungei Buloh . I think that some other mangroves like acanthus could survive long term in freshwater as I have seen them in a nursery in Malaysia where the owner grew them in a freshwater pond. I think I also read somewhere that a sonneratia specie that could survive long term in freshwater. I think only avecennia and acanthus secretes salt while the others exclude it during water uptake. Maybe that explains why there were less mealies and white flies on the avecennia than rhizophora at Sungei Buloh .

[spheredome]

It is getting more exciting. The first leaves. ^_^/>

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/spheredome/IMG_0835.jpg

[AhSeng]

Some types of mosquito lava live in stagnant brackish water. I think it is possible for mozzies to lay eggs under some circumstances.

This post has been edited by AhSeng: 19 February 2012 - 03:01 PM

[spheredome]

Which is why it would be safe to grow them in saltwater. If household mosquito larvae can survive in seawater, then the whole ocean will be full of them.

AhSeng, on 19 February 2012 - 02:42 PM, said:

Some types of mosquito lava live in stagnant brackish water. I think it is possible for mozzies to lay eggs under some circumstances.

[SamuelTan]

I grow them inside my marine tank ^_^/>

[spheredome]

Woow SamuelTan. You grow inside the tank or in the sump area. Won't the plant drown by the water depth? Just asking as I only seen sump grown plants.

And does it really work on nitrate reduction?

SamuelTan, on 20 February 2012 - 03:11 PM, said:

I grow them inside my marine tank ^_^/>

[JinhuiIsHere]

it does reduce nitrate.. but darn low unless u have a substantial amount of mangrove plant in a system, it's not viable to use it as a nitrate reduction tool for saltwater aquarium. A refugium with cheato or other macro algae is a better method for nitrate reduction for saltwater aquarium.

[spheredome]

Misting with water aids in the new leaves to open up.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/spheredome/IMG_0958.jpg

[Christopher Walken]

Thanks for providing nice information regarding mangrove seed growing. This information is helping me a lot.

[Chawanmushi]

Thanks spheredome for sharing this experience here. It's really interesting to grow Mangrowve outside the swamp area. I will be looking forward to see how the plants progress :-)

[spheredome]

Here is an update on the seedlings. The smallest seedling has died months ago, left 3. My observation is they wilt from direct sun, so they are all under reflected lights from the wall along the sun facing corridoor. For those without direct sun, you will want to place the plant on the sun facing side. I guess at some point, I will have to give them a lot more sunlight.

I put 1 pellet of slow release fertilizer into the water container, that's all. As for the packet of cooking sea salt, still got a lot to go. But do remember to clean the container once it get very dirty and top up the water always (dilute salt concentration). Water the top sand too.

When they outgrow this pot, I will see what will happen when I repot them.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/spheredome/IMG_1182.jpg

[Slysoh]

spheredome, on 17 July 2012 - 10:03 AM, said:

Here is an update on the seedlings. The smallest seedling has died months ago, left 3. My observation is they wilt from direct sun, so they are all under reflected lights from the wall along the sun facing corridoor. For those without direct sun, you will want to place the plant on the sun facing side. I guess at some point, I will have to give them a lot more sunlight.

I put 1 pellet of slow release fertilizer into the water container, that's all. As for the packet of cooking sea salt, still got a lot to go. But do remember to clean the container once it get very dirty and top up the water always (dilute salt concentration). Water the top sand too.

When they outgrow this pot, I will see what will happen when I repot them.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/spheredome/IMG_1182.jpg

Wow this is so cool! any updates?