Rotala 'Green'

Overview

Rotala ‘Green’ (Rotala rotundifolia ‘Green’) is a fast, forgiving stem plant with fine, needle-like leaves in a fresh bright green. Unlike the standard rotundifolia, it stays green rather than flushing orange-red, which makes it a versatile filler and a perfect green contrast for red plants. It grows quickly, trims into dense bushes, and — unusually for such a decorative stem — does perfectly well even without CO2, which puts it firmly in easy territory.

Planting & placement

Plant the stems individually into a nutrient substrate, spacing them a little so light reaches each one, as our how to plant aquarium plants guide describes. Grouped in the midground to background, repeated trimming turns them into a rounded green bush. It makes an ideal green backdrop for reds like Rotala macrandra and Ludwigia super red in a colourful aquascape.

Light, CO2 & ferts

Give it medium to high light for compact, bushy growth; under low light it grows leggy with wider gaps between leaves. CO2 is not required but makes it grow noticeably faster and denser. As a fast grower it appreciates a full liquid water-column fertilizer — see our best aquarium plant fertilizer guide for a routine.

Propagation & problems

Propagate by top cuttings: snip the top few centimetres of a stem and replant it. The cut stem branches from below, so trimming both multiplies the plant and thickens the group — the standard way to build a stem-plant bush. The main issues are leggy, sparse growth under weak light and bare lower stems when light can’t reach the base of a dense clump; thin and replant to fix both. It adapts to a wide range of water parameters and is forgiving of the occasional missed fertilizer dose, which is rare among decorative stems. Its fast growth also makes it a useful nutrient sponge that helps outcompete algae in a new tank. Easy, fast and endlessly trimmable, Rotala ‘Green’ is a superb first stem plant and a dependable green backbone for almost any layout.