{"product_id":"title-african-onion-plant-crinum-calamistratum","title":"Title: African Onion Plant (Crinum calamistratum)","description":"\u003c!-- ============================================================\n     BEST4PETS.IN — PRODUCT DESCRIPTION BLOCK (DARK THEME)\n     African Onion Plant (Crinum calamistratum)\n     Paste into Shopify \u003e Product \u003e Description \u003e \"\u003c\u003e\" (Show HTML)\n     ============================================================ --\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#EAF0F5;line-height:1.65;font-size:16px;max-width:760px;\"\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- HOOK --\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 18px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eLong dark ribbons with crimped edges, growing from an onion.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eCrinum calamistratum\u003c\/em\u003e is a bulb plant from Cameroon that throws narrow, almost black-green leaves a metre long, each one deeply corrugated along both edges so it twists and ripples in the current. Nothing else in a freshwater tank looks remotely like it.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 22px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    It is also close to indestructible. The leaves are leathery and unpalatable, which makes this one of the very few plants that survives large cichlids and goldfish. It needs no CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e, tolerates hard alkaline water and Indian room temperature without complaint, and a settled bulb will keep going for years — this is a plant you buy once and still have a decade later.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- SIGNATURE CALLOUT --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"border-left:4px solid #F2A03D;background:rgba(242,160,61,0.13);padding:14px 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;\"\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-size:15px;color:#F7E4CB;\"\u003e\n      \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFC978;\"\u003eDo not bury the whole bulb.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;color:#F7E4CB;\"\u003e\n      Plant the roots and the lower half of the bulb, leaving the top third to half sitting proud of the substrate. A fully buried bulb rots, and that is the single most common way this plant is lost. It should look slightly awkward when you have planted it correctly.\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- QUICK FACTS --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eCare Snapshot\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n  \u003ctable style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:0 0 30px;font-size:15px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003ctbody\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);width:42%;color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eScientific name\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrinum calamistratum\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eAlso known as\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eAfrican Onion Plant, Crinkled Crinum, Thin Onion Plant\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eFamily\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eAmaryllidaceae\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eNursery-propagated; the species is West African (Cameroon)\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003ePlant type\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eBulb plant with heavy root system\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003ePlacement\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eBackground or corner specimen\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eLeaf length\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e60–120 cm, roughly 1 cm wide\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eGrowth rate\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eSlow — very long-lived\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eLighting\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eLow to medium — undemanding\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eCO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eNot required\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eTemperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e23–29 °C\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003epH\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e6.0–8.0 — wide tolerance\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eHardness\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eSoft to hard — handles Indian tap water well\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eSubstrate\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eFine sand or gravel, 6 cm+ deep\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr style=\"background:rgba(255,255,255,0.06);\"\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eFertilisation\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.14);color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eRoot tabs — it feeds almost entirely through the roots\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003ctr\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003eDifficulty\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003ctd style=\"padding:9px 12px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eEasy — the hard part is patience and space\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n  \u003c\/table\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- SIZE REALITY --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eHow Big It Actually Gets\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:16px;margin:0 0 30px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cdiv style=\"flex:1 1 260px;border:1px solid rgba(95,212,196,0.35);background:rgba(95,212,196,0.08);border-radius:8px;padding:16px 18px;\"\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#5FD4C4;\"\u003eWorks well in\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eTanks 45 cm tall or deeper, 90 litres upward, with 6 cm or more of substrate. Best in a back corner where the leaves can arc up and then trail along the surface — that sprawl is part of the look, not a problem to solve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n    \u003cdiv style=\"flex:1 1 260px;border:1px solid rgba(242,160,61,0.4);border-radius:8px;padding:16px 18px;background:rgba(242,160,61,0.1);\"\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#FFC978;\"\u003eThink twice in\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003eShallow or nano tanks. Leaves reaching a metre will lie flat across the surface of a 30 cm tank and shade everything beneath. Trimming them short does not work — cut leaves do not regrow from the tip and simply die back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- PLANTING --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003ePlanting It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 30px;padding-left:20px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eTop of the bulb stays exposed.\u003c\/strong\u003e Bury the roots and the bottom half of the bulb only. Leave the upper third to half above the substrate line.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eDeep substrate.\u003c\/strong\u003e 6 cm or more. The root system is substantial and the bulb needs to sit stably without being pushed deeper over time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eRoot tabs from day one.\u003c\/strong\u003e This plant feeds through its roots almost exclusively. In plain sand or gravel with no tabs it will survive but barely grow.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eBack corner, and leave it there.\u003c\/strong\u003e Crinum resents being lifted and can sulk for months afterwards. Place it once, properly.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eBe patient for the first few months.\u003c\/strong\u003e A newly planted bulb often does nothing visible for weeks, then sends up one leaf at a time. This is normal. Do not dig it up to check on it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eDo not trim the leaves to fit.\u003c\/strong\u003e A cut leaf will not regrow from the cut and usually dies back to the bulb. If the leaves are too long for your tank, the tank is the problem, not the leaves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- PROBLEMS --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eWhat Usually Goes Wrong\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 12px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eThe bulb rots.\u003c\/strong\u003e Buried too deep, nearly always. A soft, mushy bulb that smells is finished. Caught early, lift it, cut away the soft tissue with a clean blade and replant the firm portion with more of it exposed.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 12px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eNothing happens for months.\u003c\/strong\u003e Usually just the establishment period, sometimes a lack of root nutrition. Add a root tab and wait. This plant operates on a timescale closer to a garden shrub than an aquarium stem plant.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 30px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eOld leaves yellow and die back.\u003c\/strong\u003e Normal turnover. Trim the dead leaf off at the base once it has gone, and check that new ones are still coming — a plant producing new leaves while shedding old ones is healthy.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- PROPAGATION --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003ePropagation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 30px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    A mature, well-fed bulb eventually produces small offset bulbs alongside it. Leave each one attached until it has several leaves and its own root mass — often a year or more — then separate it carefully and plant it with the top of the bulb exposed. This is slow by any standard, which is precisely why established Crinum is expensive everywhere. Under good conditions the plant may also flower, sending a stalk to the surface with a white, spidery bloom. It is rare in aquaria and harmless to the plant.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- TANK --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eWhat It Pairs With\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 30px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eThis is the cichlid and goldfish plant.\u003c\/strong\u003e The leaves are tough and unpalatable enough that Oscars, Severums, larger Africans and goldfish generally leave them alone — a very short list of aquarium plants can say that, and it is the main reason people seek this species out. It is also shrimp-safe and snail-safe, and it stands up to Corydoras and loaches digging around the base. Underplant with \u003cem\u003eCryptocoryne\u003c\/em\u003e or Anubias on wood; the fine ribbon leaves above broad foliage below is a good contrast.\n  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- INDIA NOTES --\u003e\n  \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eGrowing It In Indian Conditions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 30px;padding-left:20px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eHard, alkaline tap water suits it.\u003c\/strong\u003e No RO, no buffering, no CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c\/sub\u003e. Another of the small group of genuinely striking plants that will simply grow in an ordinary Indian tank.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eHeat is not an issue.\u003c\/strong\u003e Comfortable to around 29 °C, so peak Indian summers cause no trouble. Where fine-leaved stem plants melt in April and May, this carries on unchanged.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003eNo heater needed anywhere in India for most of the year.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom:9px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style=\"color:#FFFFFF;\"\u003eBuy one good bulb rather than several small ones.\u003c\/strong\u003e Growth is slow, so a larger established bulb is worth the difference — and one plant is usually all a tank has room for.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- WHAT YOU GET --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"border-top:2px solid #5FD4C4;padding-top:18px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch3 style=\"font-size:13px;letter-spacing:.12em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5FD4C4;margin:0 0 12px;font-weight:700;\"\u003eWhat You Receive\u003c\/h3\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-size:15px;color:#EAF0F5;\"\u003e\n      Nursery-propagated bulbs held and conditioned at our Bengaluru facility. No wild-collected stock. Bulb size and leaf count vary naturally, and leaves reach full length only over months of growth in your own tank. Plant with the top of the bulb exposed; some older leaves may be shed after planting while the plant establishes, which is normal and is not a fault.\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:15px;color:#A9BCCB;\"\u003e\n      Covered by the Best4Pets live arrival guarantee. Please film an unboxing video before opening the bag — it is required for any DOA claim.\n    \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Best4Pets","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44961255850073,"sku":null,"price":1600.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0075\/9814\/5587\/files\/crinium-calamistratum.jpg?v=1790227702","url":"https:\/\/www.best4pets.in\/products\/title-african-onion-plant-crinum-calamistratum","provider":"Best4Pets","version":"1.0","type":"link"}