How To Plant?

[Scatta]

This may seem like an extremely stupid question (so please, be gentle! ), but how do you secure plants into the substrate? Do you leave the foam / lead strips around the bunches and push them into the substrate or do you gently insert each stem and weigh the plants down so that they don't float?

 

[Themuleous]

Whatever you do remove the lead weight and foam it restricts root growth. After that just push the end into the substrate, no doubt some will float out, but just replant them, they'll get a hold in the end.

Sam

 

[SuperColey1]

I always cut some of the stem off just below a leaf
then trim the leaves off the bottom 2cm
then push them into the sand as far as I can so that they reach the TetraComplete

Some things like Bacopa or Elodea come up for the first week or so, until they start getting roots

Andy

 

[Scatta]

Thanks. What about stemless plants such as Vallis? Do you just shove the bottom of the plant into the substrate? I'm worried about my plants rotting at the base.

 

[Dave Spencer]

With Vallis you bury the roots, but leave the part where all the leaves originate clear of the substrate.

 

[Scatta]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[fishboy619]

you can leave the foam and lead weight on, just losen the lead weight by easing it apart a little, ive had no problems doing it that way, then just push the roots and base of the plant into the substrate and leave. some plants need roots about substrate, such as java farn, but then you would attach that to an object.