potted plant

[schizo_fish]

i just bought a potted plant but dont know how to "root it down" do i need any particular type of gravel or something for the plant to go in? do i leave it in the little pot that it comes in or remove it? help me please....

thanks

 

[StrontiumDog]

would help to know what plant u have?

I bought my Anubias nana, and Java fern in pots. My nana is tied onto a piece of bogwood with fishing line and my java fern are planted in the gravel with the rim zone above the gravel. Both are doing just fine, lots of new growth on them.

hope this helps a little

 

[schizo_fish]

this is the plant ive bought, its a Limnophila aquatica.

 

[Bol]

That's a stem plant -- it'll get almost all of its nutrients from the water, not the substrate (gravel). With a plant like this, it's generally suggested you take it out of the pot and carefully remove the rockwool from around the roots (edit: unless it's the kind of stem plant with roots that can become invasive -- in which case some people prefer to leave them potted -- but I don't think that's the case with Limnophila).

Then, just 'plant' it, basically. Nothing special needed, just bury the root end under enough gravel to keep the plant down.

 

[schizo_fish]

i cant get my plant to stay in the gravel, they were in a pot but broke off and just float round my tank, is my filter too fast? or is there something ese i need to know?

 

[Silly me]

how much gravel do you have.. for a planted tank 2-4inch thick layer of gravel, most stem plants grow fast, uhm wait this is of the tropica web site

An extremely beautiful aquarium plant circled by light-green and finely branched leaves. In the right growing conditions with added CO2 and a nutritious bottom this plant grows fast. In good light it forms horizontal side shoots and becomes attractive and bushy. Most decorative when several stems are planted in a small group. In open aquariums it sometimes sends shoots above the water surface, forming small blue flowers.

What is you light setup and gravel,,

it needs high light and nutritious bottom

 

[Lateral Line]

Something else which frequently causes problems is people crush the ends of the stems. These then rot and the buoyant top floats away. You should use clean sharp tools to prepare the cut ends of stem plants and be very careful not to dmage the stems when planting. Normally easiest to bind 3-4 stems together, plant and then place a small stone or something in the created "cup".