Adding plants...

[BuzzDaddy21]

I would like to know the correct way to introduce plants to a tank??

How long to leave in bags?

 

[lefty o]

 you can just stick them in the tank. receive your co-op order, unbag 'em, and plant them in the tank.

[BuzzDaddy21]

On 12/2/2021 at 4:27 PM, lefty o said:

. receive your co-op order, unbag 'em, and plant them in the tank

Just got an order today from co-op, real fast shipping.

Plus picked up some locally also today.

[PineSong]

On 12/2/2021 at 4:32 PM, BuzzDaddy21 said:

Just got an order today from co-op, real fast shipping.

Plus picked up some locally also today.

Happy planting! 

[Patrick_G]

I agree, get them into a tank as soon as you can. Some folks do a alum dip to kill potential hitchhiking snails, but I like snails so I just pull the plants out of the bag and plant them. Aquarium Coop plant weights are a big help in making sure they stay planted. 
 

[BuzzDaddy21]

Plants that come in those little plastic containers - is it ok to leave plants in them for extended time??

[lefty o]

you can leave them in the baskets. some leave them in the baskets forever, though i might add while it wont harm the plants, most will thrive more if taken out of the pots.

[BuzzDaddy21]

Ok, when planting any plant is there a standard rule on how deep - sand or gravel??  

[Odd Duck]

On 12/4/2021 at 7:35 PM, BuzzDaddy21 said:

Ok, when planting any plant is there a standard rule on how deep - sand or gravel??  

It depends on the plant.  There is no single standard rule that covers them all.  You can roughly group them, though, to get a starting place for most.

Swords, Crypts, Vals, Sagittaria, and I think most all the grasses like to be in the substrate down to where the leaves erupt to barely deeper.  Most bulb plants only like to have 1/4 to 1/3 of the bulb buried.  Rhizomatous plants (Anubias, Bucephalandras, and their relatives, and ferns) only like the roots buried but not the rhizome itself.  Mosses are also epiphytes but don’t have roots, so tied or glued to wood/rock/foam/decorations is most appropriate.

Stem plants just get poked into whatever will hold them - substrate of whatever kind, clips, plant weights, foam(?), holes in decorations, etc.

Can anybody think of anything I’ve missed?

[CalmedByFish]

On 12/4/2021 at 10:19 PM, Odd Duck said:

Can anybody think of anything I’ve missed?

Good job!

I'll just add that a lot of plants can be grown floating, even if they're usually thought of as planted plants. What group of plants would that be called? Stem?

[Odd Duck]

On 12/4/2021 at 10:27 PM, CalmedByFish said:

Good job!

I'll just add that a lot of plants can be grown floating, even if they're usually thought of as planted plants. What group of plants would that be called? Stem?

Do you mean like water wisteria, water sprite, anacharis, etc?  Yes, those are technically stem plants.  Many stem plants can be grown floating but may, or may not, have the same appearance.  @BuzzDaddy21 did ask specifically about planting techniques.

I also didn’t mention “planting” floating plants like frogbit, dwarf water lettuce, and red root floaters but they will root in the substrate if they can reach it with their roots.

[JettsPapa]

On 12/4/2021 at 10:36 PM, Odd Duck said:

Do you mean like water wisteria, water sprite, anacharis, etc?  Yes, those are technically stem plants.  Many stem plants can be grown floating but may, or may not, have the same appearance.  @BuzzDaddy21 did ask specifically about planting techniques.

I also didn’t mention “planting” floating plants like frogbit, dwarf water lettuce, and red root floaters but they will root in the substrate if they can reach it with their roots.

Pearl weed and guppy grass are two more that do well planted or floating.

[CalmedByFish]

On 12/4/2021 at 10:36 PM, Odd Duck said:

Do you mean like water wisteria, water sprite, anacharis, etc?  Yes, those are technically stem plants.  Many stem plants can be grown floating but may, or may not, have the same appearance. 

floaters but they will root in the substrate if they can reach it with their roots.

Yeah, that's what I meant. I didn't realize they may have a different appearance though. Maybe that's why my pennywort barely even pretends to grow.

I didn't know that floaters will root in substrate either. I actually just ordered frogbit a couple days ago (not here yet), so that's cool to hear! 

[Odd Duck]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:33 PM, CalmedByFish said:

Yeah, that's what I meant. I didn't realize they may have a different appearance though. Maybe that's why my pennywort barely even pretends to grow.

I didn't know that floaters will root in substrate either. I actually just ordered frogbit a couple days ago (not here yet), so that's cool to hear! 

I’ve had Amazon frogbit roots get over 10” long before I finally trimmed them.  I think they do a bit better when kept trimmed shorter.  They seem to boom back even stronger.  But if you like the look, you can grow them into quite the underwater curtain of roots.  I don’t think I have any pics of it.

[Odd Duck]

Found a pic with fairly long roots showing.  Not the longest they ever got, but halfway to the substrate in this 20 G long.  I have a short video of a root nearly all the way to the substrate but haven’t figured out how to load videos.