Fresh Princess Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 (edited) Tried numerous times to plant and grow Scarlet Temple, but one of two things happen every time..... they melt and/or won't stay planted. So I give up but I have been brain storming ideas to secure stem plants in the gravel. So here goes.... #1 Create a small faux/clay rock type formation that is cut in half with tiny magnets inside to attach the two sides. It could be removed easily once the plant roots anchor. (If anybody makes one.... let me know!) #2 I purchased plastic bobby pins and it can hold anything from 1 to 4 stems, but more importantly is can be shoved down in the gravel and hold the roots. Later I could just slide them out. I actually tried this today to plant my Pogo Octopus and it worked really well too. Any thoughts? Edited March 20 by Fresh Princess 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 @Fresh Princess the bobby pins will probably work for keeping the plants rooted, you can also purchase plant weights for this purpose. Also scarlet temple is a difficult plant to grow due to its VERY high lighting requirements, so that would explain the melting. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh Princess Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 (edited) We'll see if the Pogo is still there tommorrow! Fingers crossed.... they felt pretty secure in the gravel. I tried weight for my Amazons but the weights didn't work for me with stems. If it does work maybe I will try Scarlet again, now that I have a new lighting. Edited March 20 by Fresh Princess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 What are you using for substrate, and how deep is it? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh Princess Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 2+ inches of gravel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 (edited) Would adding another inch of gravel be an option? Some substrates are more difficult than others to plant into. And extra depth of substrate can help. Ie going deeper can help. Also, using one set of angled tweezers to insert the stem into the substrate, and a pair of straight tweezers to nudge some gravel up to the base of the stem followed by holding the stem just above the area where the angled tweezers to hold the stem put as you loosen the grip with the angled an extract them from the substrate, and nudge the gravel a bit to the stem base.. sounds involved reading it above, but it quickly becomes automatic. I dont use plant weights or such. Safe T Sorb fired clay is the easiest substrate I have ever planted in. It is a joy. Scarlet Temple is one of the harder plants I have dealt with. It has only started to thrive for me since I went with pressurized CO2. Note, I am not saying you need pressurized CO2 to grow it well, just that once I got it dialed in it started to take off. People have managed it without CO2, but the ability to balance the tank to do so eluded me… Edited March 21 by Pepere 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Adding another inch or two of substrate will definitely help the plants stay. Regarding the scarlet temple, it's a very finnicky plant and I suggest to get a different plant to save you the headache of trying to get that plant to thrive. They prefer tanks with high light, good nutrient levels and pressurized co2. They are doable with medium lighting and without co2 but you'd really have to find that perfect balance which can invite algae in the process. There are other stem plants that aren't sensitive and can still give you a nice shade of red. Ludwigia palustris super red and rotala h'ra turns red/orange without co2 and high light. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 And Red Tiger Lotus is nigh unto foolproof… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh Princess Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 Got it! It has even started a new plant. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now