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Anyone growing Mangroves?

I've got 4 Mangrove tree seedlings at a blowout sale at my aunt's Bachmanns flower shop growing in a 4" undrained pot of aquarium gravel and they should really be moved to a nice big new container (they're almost 2 ft tall) but I'm curious about several things. I'm hoping someone else has some and can answer me these questions:

1) Do they need to be potted in seawater (or at least calcified water) for longterm health? I can pre-treat my RO water if need be.

2) Is aquarium gravel really the best "soil" for them"?

3) Should they be waterlogged continually or should I let the water level drop (for the last couple months I've been letting it rise and fall). Is there a level on the stem I should keep the water filled to?

4) How much fertilizer would a mangrove like to have? So far I've been fertilizing with orchid fertilizer about twice a month at half strength but some plants like more.

If any of you grow these I'd like to hear from you!  
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My parents live on a salt water lagoon and mangrove seeds wash up everyday. I have sprouted seeds by simply putting them in an empty peanut butter jars and filling it them water. I have never tried planting them in any media but I suppose the best would be pure sand or sand with a very small amount of peat in it. When I think of it I put some fertilizer in the water and they seem to benefit from that, I think it was just orchid fertilizer. After the seeds have healthy roots and several leaves I plant them along an empty lot next door in a constantly wet sandy bank along the lagoon. They seem to grow equally in fresh or salt water. Hope that helps a little.
-Nick Z
 
Cool thanks for that info Nick! When I repot em I'll divide them and try one in a sand+peat and one in sand only and one in gravel one in sand+gravel and see which seems to do best.
 
They live equally happily in salt to freshwater. The plants have a special organ that changes de-saltifies the water. If you keep it in saltwater, you can actually see salt form on the leaves, then you can wipe it off with a towel, napkin, or whatever
 
Ugh! Thanks for that bit of info! I guess I'll just use R/O then, I hate that white crust that forms on plant leaves at the greenhouses. It takes forever to get off even with lemon juice. I never could understand why professional plant farms won't use decent water.
 
I never could understand why professional plant farms won't use decent water.
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basically? because for most species it doesnt matter, plus some of that is fertilizer thats piped into the water.

Mangroves will grow in fresh, brackish or salt water. they aint to picky. i plan on using one in the sump of the saltwater tank im planning to help get the nitrates and such out of the water
 
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