Low maintenance plants

[jowag1541]

okay, this is probably a stupid question but..... I never have dealt with live plants before so I picked up a few low maintenance plants such as anubias and java ferns. I was told these plants prefer to attach to drift wood. As of now I don't have any drift wood in my aquarium. I ordered some driftwood online tonight. For the past week I have just put them in the gravel in my tank, I just put them down far enough to hold them so they don't float to the top. My question is, when I receive the driftwood how do I get them to attach to the driftwood without floating to the top of the aquarium and do they need any special type of food to keep them healthy? and would they be fine if I kept them in the gravel? any information on live plants would be very helpful to me as I know absolutely nothing about caring for them . Thanks!

 

[wvusexybeast]

To attach the plant to the drift wood you tie it on with fishing line

 

[Krissycakes]

I used small rubber bands. And a liquid fertilizer would help the plants since the feed through their rhizome. API leaf zone or Florapride are fertilizers I use. I have a bit of Anubias and java fern

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[jowag1541]

Thanks for the info on the plants. I will give this a try once I get the driftwood in my aquarium.

 

[NYgiantsRP]

If those plants are put into the gravel for an extended period of time the rhizome will rot and the plant will die.

 

[jowag1541]

Thanks! Hopefully they'll make it for a few more days. I didn't push them down far in the gravel. That probably doesn't make too much of a difference tho

 

[DragonFish71]

As long as just the roots and not the rhizome itself is in the gravel, they will be fine. I put my roots in the gravel all the time with just the rhizome resting on top of the gravel and they grow like mad.

If you don't have fishing line handy, thread works just as well.

 

[jowag1541]

Okay, great. Thank you so much. This is all new to me. I'm so glad I found this website. A lot of useful information and great help.

 

[Old Scales]

+1 with Dragon. Mine have grown beautifully for over a year in the substrate. Bury just the hair like roots and keep the tuber part just at the substrate top and they will do fine. If you have ever grown Iris plants in the garden, you plant them like that. Attaching them to DW or rocks is just one way to grow them, not the only way. OS.