Planting Glosso

[Arfie]

I've got hold of a lovely supply of glosso and have read that you need to plant each plantlet separate to ensure the best growth. I have planted a load of individual plantlets and I've also planted a few clumps, now the problems

My cory's and my loaches love to nuzzle through the sand and they have dug it up and created a lovely floating lawn of glosso They've managed to get the individual plants out as well as the clumps.

So any handy hints for planting glosso, I've read the java moss/riccia thread and I don't think that method will work (unless you are gonna tell me different).

The one thought I had was to use a bit of craft (plastic) canvas and shove the roots through the holes at 1" intervals then the new plantlets can grow through the unused holes The whole thing can be weighted down if needed with the edge of a decoration or a small stone etc and the canvas can be covered with sand to hide it and as a bonus it could be easily lifed out for maintenance/pruning if required. What do you think, can this work? any better ideas?

Arfie

 

[pseud]

Seems like a good idea. Try it. Just remember to post pics along the way so if the method works you can easily create a DIY thread. Good luck!

 

[AndyTaylor]

It might work...keep us posted. I re-did my glosso yesterday as my last attempt didn't go so well. The one problem i don't have is my loachs and corys digging it up. It's planted in sand and they play in it but only the odd plant floats. Doesn't seem to grow though!

 

[RYO]

I have gloso in both my tanks,1 with sand substrate and 1 with gravel. The glosso in the sand tank was very slow growing and tended to grow upwards rather than carpet, even with fertilisers in the sand. The other tank has enriched gravel substrate and grows like there's no tomorrow. It took over the whole tank within a month.
My corys dig up a few bits now and then but not to bad, once its established they love burrowing into the glosso, its pretty entertaining.

 

[zig]

From what i can gather just from reading through the threads over the last couple of months is that glosso planted in sand just does not seem to do so well even if laterite is mixed through it, just an observation, but it seems to be the general experience of those that have tried it, RYOs experience particularily seems to back this up, but there have been several members who have had problems growing glosso in sand.

Arfie i think you just have to be persistant in replanting it, but if it does take off in your tank it grows quick thats the good thing about glosso, the downside to the fast growth is that you have to replant it regularily, every 2-3 months because it gets quite invasive.

 

[Arfie]

Yeah I've seen that and I'm guessing (hoping) it's partly to do with the fact that they can't stay rooted as easily in sand, because once it is rooted in whatever substrate it seems to grow all over itself rather than in the substrate, but we will see.

Is glosso OK left floating for a while? as I have tons of it and I'm not planting it all right now, but in the next few weeks I'd like to add it to other tanks and I don't want to arse about planting it, to then rip it out and replant it elsewhere.

Arfie

 

[zig]

Yeah I've seen that and I'm guessing (hoping) it's partly to do with the fact that they can't stay rooted as easily in sand, because once it is rooted in whatever substrate it seems to grow all over itself rather than in the substrate, but we will see.

Is glosso OK left floating for a while? as I have tons of it and I'm not planting it all right now, but in the next few weeks I'd like to add it to other tanks and I don't want to arse about planting it, to then rip it out and replant it elsewhere.

Arfie

Floating it for a while should be fine, ive done this, just keep an eye on it.

When you do plant the glosso initially just make sure it has plenty of light if its shaded by other plants it will be slower to take off.

Good luck with it.