Riccia Moss is a floating plant that is found all over the world. It is also called Crystalwort. This species is actually made up of four different kinds that come from Thailand, Singapore, Europe, and Japan.
But only the Japanese strain can grow well when fully submerged. There are a lot of things to know about this plant. So, we are here to explore how Riccia Moss reproduces? And much more about it.
Table of Contents
- How does Riccia Moss reproduce?
- How Long Does It Take for a Riccia Moss to Reproduce?
- Main propagating Problems of Riccia Moss
- Indoor Propagation of Riccia Moss
- How to Trim Riccia Moss correctly?
- How can I plant Riccia Fluitans tissue culture?
- Can Riccia Fluitans grow emersed?
- Can I plant Riccia Fluitans in Terrarium?
- Conclusion
How does Riccia Moss reproduce?
Riccia can reproduce both vegetatively and sexually.
Vegetative Reproduction in Riccia
Vegetative reproduction in this plant is quite common and can bee is seen as the following methods.
- Death and decay of the older part of the thallus
Riccia’s thallus has two sets of branches, and the growing point is in the notch at the top. Because of age or drought, the bottom or back part of the thallus starts to rot or fall apart.
When this process of breaking down or decay gets to the place where the thallus splits in two, the thallus lobes separate, and through apical growth, lobes that break off become their own plants. It is the most common way for Riccia to make more plants.
- By adventitious branches
In species like Riccia fluitans, the new branches grow from the bottom side of the thallus. When these branches are held still, they grow new thalli.
- By persistent apices
Some species, like Riccia, and discolor, lose everything but the growing point because of a long, dry summer or at the end of the growing season.
Later, it gets thick and grows deep into the ground. When in the right conditions, it grows into a new thallus. It’s more of a way to keep going than to make more things.
- By tubers
At the end of the growing season, the tips of the lobes of the thallus get thicker and form the tubers that will last for a long time. These are strong enough to get through the bad times. When suitable conditions come back, the tubers make new stems.
- By rhizoids
The apical part of the early age rhizoids split and re-divides to produce a gemma like a bunch of cells in some species. These cells have chloroplasts in them and can grow into a new thallus.
Sexual Reproduction in Riccia
Riccia has oogamous sexual reproduction. The parts of a plant that reproduce are called antheridia for males and archegonia for females.
Some species of Riccia are monoecious or homothallic, which means that both antheridia and archegonia grow on the same thallus. Some other Riccia species are dioecious or heterothallic.
Antheridia and archegonia grow on the dorsal side of the thallus. They stay inside the antheridia and archegonia chambers. The sex organs grow from the top down.
In monoecious species, antheridia and archegonia grow in groups far from the growing point. The development of sex organs doesn’t happen at a set time so you can see all the stages of development in different parts of the same thallus.
How Long Does It Take for a Riccia Moss to Reproduce?
Riccia Moss is a plant that grows very quickly. It can live in a wide range of conditions and still make more of itself. The easiest and most successful way to grow Crystalwort is to cut the parent plant into smaller pieces.
Then, these pieces can be tied to a stone or mesh or just left to float. Once that is done, the plant will start to grow and come back to life. Both ways work fine, but it has been said that if left to float around, it will grow exponentially faster.
Main propagating Problems of Riccia Moss
Riccia Moss is an easy plant to take care of and propagate. It won’t take much work to grow it. It is a plant that spreads out and makes new plants by sending out spores.
Riccia moss is often very thick, which can trap a lot of trash and make it easier for algae to grow. You can fix this problem by ensuring a slow but steady water flow. The plant will also stay healthy and grow if the water is changed regularly and if it is trimmed.
On the other hand, Algae growth is something else to watch out for. Algae growth may affect not only Moss plants but also fish and other aquatic plants.
Indoor Propagation of Riccia Moss
As was already said, Riccia Moss is a plant that grows very quickly. These spores will expand on the tips of the stems and then blow away, which will help the liverwort spread. The process will continue on its own every so often to ensure the plant keeps growing.
It can live in a wide range of conditions and still make more of itself. The easiest and most successful way to grow Riccia Moss is to cut the parent plant into smaller pieces.
Then, these pieces can be tied to a stone or mesh or just left to float. Once that is done, the Moss plant will start to grow and come back to life. Both ways work fine, but it has been said that if it is left to float around, it will grow exponentially faster.
Riccia Moss usually grows completely underwater or partly underwater, so it doesn’t really need to be watered. The plant likes a lot of nitrate, phosphate, iron, and potassium in its soil.
It will also do better with liquid fertilizer, and CO2 added to the tank, especially if it is kept at the bottom.
How to Trim Riccia Moss correctly?
Riccia Moss is known for the fact that it grows quickly. It will grow freely and beautifully if the right pH level, temperature, and amount of light are provided. Every two months, it will grow about 3–5 centimeters.
It’s best to trim the plant regularly since the fallen leaves can clog the fish tank filter in your tank. Riccia Flutians can be grown from the pieces that have broken off or been cut off.
But be careful because it grows quickly and could take over your tank. If you don’t control the Riccia Fluitans, they could rise from the bottom of your tank to the top.Keeping them at an average height by trimming at the right time is the best thing you can do here.
How can I plant Riccia Fluitans tissue culture?
Riccia Fluitans tissue culture plants are made from tiny pieces of the mother plants and grown in a sterile lab. This makes sure that the plants are healthy and of high quality. Here’s how you can plant Riccia Fluitans tissue culture in your tank.
- You can cut up one cup plant into many small pieces to cover a large area of your aquascape. Plants are compact from the start, and if you give them the right fertilizer and CO2, they will grow densely and beautifully.
- Just don’t open the plant cup to look inside until you are ready to plant it in your tank. You don’t want to contaminate its environment.
- To plant, carefully take the plant out of the cup, wash the jelly off it, cut it into small pieces with sharp scissors, and then use tweezers to plant each piece into the substrate.
- CO2 is a great thing to put into your aquascape. CO2 should be between +/-30ppm.
- Even the simplest aquarium plants need care and maintenance regularly if you want your aquarium ecosystem to stay healthy.
- Use sharp scissors to trim your plants properly to prune and spread them and keep your desired aquascape.
- Keep your aquarium’s pH and general hardness (GH) stable and in line with your aquascape plan. The best pH range for your plants is between 6 and 8.
- Give your plants the best start by putting nutrient-rich soil at the bottom of your aquarium.
Can Riccia Fluitans grow emersed?
Riccia Flutians grow very well emersed in water, and it should continue growing as long as some of it stays in the water and gets enough light.
Riccia Flutians that are partially immersed in water would grow faster and need less care than those entirely emersed. For example, it wouldn’t need to be injected with CO2 to help it grow.
Can I plant Riccia Fluitans in Terrarium?
Trying to plant Riccia Fluitans in a terrarium would not be a good idea. It still needs high humidity, but like most aquatic plants, it can grow in water. As it gets bigger, it gets more compact, and it can also spread.
Conclusion
Riccia Moss plants can reproduce in both vegetative and sexual ways. As a fast-growing plant, it needs regular care of trimming and good environment conditions to live and reproduce.
Using tissue cultures to plant Riccia Moss would be a smart option to have healthy plants. The best things you can do to maintain a healthy plant are, giving a regular water supply, trimming schedules, and feeding them with fertilizer.
