Planting Real Plants

[snailhoc]

Hi. Got my first real plants today and when I took them out of the bag the roots were wrapped in what looked like some kind of insulating material do you remove this when planting or not?? thanks snailhoc.

 

[lym]

Yes you need to remove that before you plant them in your tank.

 

[fishboy619]

i always leave mine on, loosen it a little bit to allow the plant to grow, then plant

 

[doresy]

remove all media from the roots and plant in you substrate

 

[fishboy619]

why do you have to remove it?
will it do any harm, or what i mean is, do i have to put up my plants and take them off?

 

[discodave]

So my plant which i bought some time ago, it has a metal ring thing around it and a foamy thing. That must be removed?

 

[BigIan]

yep the foam and lead weight will really restrict the plants growth

 

[blabadie]

Also, the material around the plant will break up and spread into the water. I have always taken mine off to let the plant "roam"

 

[rdd1952]

One of the best reason for removing the foam around the roots is that it will begin to deteriorate, rot and create waste (ammonia).

 

[AndyOleszczuk]

Does this include plants that are in the little plastic tubs ?

 

[highfire]

I'm glad I looked at this topic. I have never removed the foam from around my plants, but I guess I will do now.
Thanks guys!

 

[BigIan]

Does this include plants that are in the little plastic tubs ?

yep

 

[fishboy619]

should i remove all my foam things from around my plants, even tho they are already planted?
if you should remove all things around from the plant base, how will the plant stay at the bottom, some plants arent planted like java fern, which i weight and drop into the tank.
i usally loosen the material around the plant anyway.
its not lead either, most are made from zinc.

 

[rdd1952]

if you should remove all things around from the plant base, how will the plant stay at the bottom, some plants arent planted like java fern, which i weight and drop into the tank.

For plants lie java ferns and anubias, I tie them to a rock or decoration with black sewing thread. Just loop it around over the rhizome and the rock and it works great. Nothing there to restrict it's growth.

 

[blabadie]

Java Fern will generally stay under loose gravel fairly well. As for Anubias, I would just stick it under a rock and let the roots grow onto the rock, etc. It just depends on your setup. I do agree with tying the plants to something, that can turn out to be very cool, especially if you have a neat piece of driftwood or something in your tank.