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The centre sections of each leaf in Swords in between the veins start to get thin and eventually rot away leaving the outside edge usually intact with lots of veins until the whole leaf finally rots away.
These plants are grown emmersed. That is the roots only are covered in water and the leaves are left out of the water. This allows the growers to produce faster growing Swords.
However when newly purchased and immersed in a aquarium tank the plant only has leaves which have adapted to the atmosphere and can not absorb water-based nutrients. The leaf has adapted to a life of photosynthesis and exchanging gases only.
So the plant discards its leaves and grows new ones which are adapted to a underwater life for the current water and its hardness, nutrients, etc.
This process takes typically 4–6 weeks and during this time novice aquatic plant growers often believe the plant is dead or dying and discard it. But keep the plant in place and if it has the right nutrients and CO2, it will grow back.
If the plant is not fed correctly with nutrients in the roots, CO2 in the water then it will slowly use up its internal storehouse of nutrients until it runs out and die. This can take 3–8 weeks depending on the size of the plant and its rhizome.
The aquarist makes big changes to the conditions of the plant. The owner may have a inconsistent CO2 supply, weak lights or has changed the light period, not supplying enough plant nutrients to the roots of leaves or is making large water changes therefore changing the water chemistry.
The plant reacts by dropping its leaves in an effort to grow new ones that better suit the latest water chemistry.
Perform regular consistent fertilisation with a constant CO2 supply, check lighting has not become old and need replaced. Keep water changes to a minimum.
A truly immersive experience, Tosca is a gem in London’s current pub-theatre scene. It deserves to be seen by opera adepts and neophytes alike.
I normally don’t like using quotes overheard from other members of the audience, but this time I’m going to make an exception. As the audience started to leave the intimate space of the King’s Head Theatre, the girl next to me turned to her friend and exclaimed: “I’ve changed my mind, I like opera now!”. I think this is the greatest reaction any opera could ever hope for, and Tosca deserved it all.
A famous aria from this Puccini’s old classic is “Dammi i colori” (“Give me the colours”). If this production was to be described with a colour, that would certainly be burgundy. The much-loved tale of love, wine, and blood is here passionately staged in a new version by Becca Marriott and Adam Spreadbury-Maher. Several are the things transposed, modified, adapted: translated into English, the opera is set in WWII Paris, and performed by as little as four actors, in a small venue – but it works.
The original play is set in 19th-century Rome, when the capital was contended between Napoleon and the Kingdom of Naples. World War II is a similarly tumultuous time, in which fake passports, fugitives, and imprisonment are not out of place. Apart from the casual mention to the gas chamber in Auschwitz as a punishment (which perhaps carries further, more complex implications), everything else is done in a very accurate and credible manner. Even the costumes, props, and set design (by Becky-Dee Trevenen) are in-keeping and gorgeously ’40s in flavour.
Jealousy and passion, cruelty and betrayal are brought to life with great intensity by the cast. The production peaks in the second act, in the exchange between Tosca (Becca Marriott, also co-writer of the libretto) and Scarpia (Michael Georgiou). Absolutely brilliant is Tosca herself, who goes from diva to victim, to forceful heroine in the most ductile and magnetic manner. Her acting engages the audience like it’s hardly seen at the opera. Roger Paterson as Cavaradain is also notable, and powerful are the fight scenes he shares with Thomas Isherwood, in the double role of Jacob Cohen and Alexandre Villaplane.
A truly immersive experience, featuring copious (but atmospheric) smoke and authentic replica pistols and gunshots, Tosca is a gem in London’s current pub-theatre scene. It deserves to be seen by opera connoisseurs and neophytes alike.
Tosca is running at the King’s Head Theatre at 7pm, until 27th October. Tickets can be purchased on their website.
Filed Under: Review Tagged With: Italian opera, King's Head, king's head theatre, Music, Opera, Pub theatre, Puccini, Tosca