Pogostemon stellatus 'dassen' - Purple

Overview: Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’- Purple is a beautiful stem plant, popular among the aquarists for its vibrant color and fine-textured leaves. It grows vertically, creating an eye-catching and striking aquascape. Native to different regions of Australia and Southeast Asia, the ‘Dassen’ variant is a result of selective breeding. The compact growth and intense color are what make it extremely popular. Often, when aquarists want to create a Dutch-style layout, Pogostemon stellatus becomes their foremost choice. It is because of the contrasting colors and visual rhythm. Since this plant has specific demands and requires a little more maintenance than other undemanding aquatic plants, it is suitable for intermediate and advanced aquarists only. It is often used as a focal plant of the tank due to its astonishing appearance.  

Appearance: When Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’- Purple receives the right water parameters and light conditions, it becomes the most rewarding plant of the aquarium. The leaves are long and needle-like, growing in whorls around the stem. The color may vary from green to golden-yellow, orange, pink, and deep magenta, depending on how long and how much light intensity it gets. Macro and micro nutrients also play a role in giving the colors to the plant. It can be grown as a background plant or use to create a colorful focal point in a well-established planted tank for its highly decorative look. When efforts are made to maintain it, it shows dense and bushy growth. Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’- Purple can grow as tall as 50 cm.

Hard/Soft Plant: Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’ is a delicate plant and highly sensitive to fluctuations in water parameters. You need to maintain stable water conditions to allow proper growth and development of purple color.

Ideal water temperature: Maintain a temperature between 22 and 28 degrees Celsius to obtain vibrant purple color and its shades. Stable temperature is also necessary to prevent the melting of leaves and keep the plant in proper shape.

Lighting Conditions: Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’ requires high light conditions. It will help the plant to attain beautiful purple color and enhance its vibrancy. The red and purple tones come only when the plant is exposed to high light. On the contrary, when there are low light conditions, the plant gets leggy and overgrows.

Ideal pH Level: The ideal pH for Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’ is between 6 and 7.5. This plant prefers soft to moderately hard water to show the best growth.

Other Requirements: Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’ requires additional carbon dioxide and a regular dose of nutrients to have healthy growth and vibrant coloration. Maintain proper water flow so that nutrients and carbon dioxide are distributed evenly around the plant. It also demands regular trimming to maintain proper shape.

Propagation: You can propagate Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’- Purple through stem cuttings. Just cut the top part of the stem having leaf nodes and replant it on the substrate. Over time, the cutting will develop roots and start growing as an individual plant.

Do you know: Pogostemon stellatus ‘Dassen’- Purple is a result of selective breeding. It is thought that the name ‘dassen’ refers to either the location where it was bred or the name of the breeder who introduced it. One can easily attain multiple colors in this plant by providing it with intense light and carbon dioxide.