No offense, but that was a terrible article. It is filled with very bad information. Wow, I don't even know where to begin! I will just point out a few of the worst bits.
First off, the person is selling mangrove "seeds" for $8 each (reduced from $17). I assume they are selling propagules, not seeds. I have already posted a link to a place that sells them for $0.47 each ( a bit better than $8 i'd say)
The person knows very little about plant biology. I found error after error on various things. I will comment on this Answer in the Q&A section....
Will my mangroves grow too large? No, they will not. The roots get larger but you can alwasy trim those back if need be. The seed itself can be kept small by nipping off the leaves (always leave at least one). Never pinch all the leaves off.
This will keep the mangrove to 8 to 10 inches. If you feel like it you can let it grow larger but it is not necessary for water purification. I have one that has 16 leaves and is about one foot tall and looks real nice and sits in a 30 gallon sump installed on a 75 gallon tank. It is not yet in mud or sand and has a rather large root structure. I am letting it grow to see how large it will actually become in aquarium conditions as opposed to in nature. It has taken over 9 months to get it that large and I "planted" it in styro shortly after we arrived in Atlanta in early April of 1997.
This is a terrible answer. You should want as many leaves as possible and a very large root system. The only reason you should prune the leaves is to keep the height in check. This person advocates keeping only one leaf on the plant at a time. They claim its the roots that are important, not the leaves. They obviously don't know the function of leaves and their impact on root growth. And please, dont trim the roots... this makes no sense at all!
This also shows what type of growth to expect with their care techniques. In 9 months, ive had mangrove plants grow 2 feet and produce hundreds of leaves.
They also try to support the claim that mangroves are excellent for nutrient removal and oxygen stabilization. The way this is supported is almost comical. Absolutely no understanding about how plants work
Okay, thats all i'll say for now. Please don't believe anything you read in that article. Remember, he is selling a product, i'm not.
