How to plant

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Kasakato

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
Messages
351
Location
Ontario, Canada
I have just got these plants from my LFS. How do I plant them in my Eco-complete gravel bed?

Anubias hastifolia
Anubias barteri 'marble'
Java fern
Anubias nana
Cryptocoryne x willisii
Cryptocoryne wenditt "green"
Hornwort
 
From your list i only have experience with the fern and hornwort. The fern you can bury the roots, but leave the rhizome (the green looking stem with the roots coming from them) exposed. Or you could attach it to most hardscape (driftwood etc) with a rubberband, cotton thread, or fishing line. In a few weeks they'll grab hold of it. Hornwort i leave floating with non-lead plant weight attached to it.
 
there's still a rhizome...you can either tie it to a rock, driftwood, or try to just weight it down with a rock. just don't bury the rhizome under the gravel or you'll kill the fern.

The anubias are planted the same way...don't bury the thick rhizome, just the roots coming off it.

On the crypts, you can plant these like a normal terrestrial plant, but the 'crown' where the leaves all sprout...that should be above the gravel and not buried. So you should have a little bit of white above the gravel, before it splits into leaves.

Also, expect the cryptes to melt...several leaves will disintegrate. This is normal. Cryptes don't like to be moved or bothered, and they melt when they are disturbed. After a couple weeks, it'll start putting up new leaves. If you have any root tabs, put one under each crypt to help reduce melting.
 
remove the wire, remove the sponge. If all you got was some individual leaves tied together, you got ripped off. Please look at the link I posted earlier to see what a java fern SHOULD look like.
 
If there's no baby plants on the leaves, then it sounds like you were just given a bunch of useless leaves.
 
I'd like to see a pic.

If you got no rhizome, you have been jobbed.

I will have to say though, sometimes Not Often a plain old leaf can survive and either a) put out a bunch of baby plantlets as Malkore described, or b) just start roots from the cut end of the leaf. It's not frequent, but I've seen it in my tanks with fairly large leaves that were torn from the main plant by accident.

Having said that, it will take months for any of those leaves to grow into an actual plant IF the above scenario plays out.

More than likely they will just die and rot.

You are way better off to return it and get a new plant with a rhizome.
 
Sorry to say I've never seen Java Fern sold attached to sponge before. Nor have I ever seen single leaves sold like that. What did you pay for this Java Fern?
 
I say bring it back to the lfs - leaves, sponge, and wire - and demand a replacement.
Do this quick before it turns brown and they bleme you for killing it.
Selling java fern without roots is like selling bettas without fins - it's just wrong! :crazyeyes:
 
I got the same "deal" too! I thought I was getting a plant, but when I unwrapped it all I got was individual leaves. Only I paid $3.75 for my bunch.

This article, however, says that a single leaf floating free will produce many baby ferns. So I am going to give it a try. <Too lazy to return for a few bucks!>

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/ah_main/july1998.html
 
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