Planting bunched plants

[Lady Hobbs]

I just ordered plants (again) and they come in bunches. The instructions are to leave the weights on, lay the whole bunch on the bottom of the tank until roots form and then to plant. Also says to add a Plant Tab and the roots will began to grow toward the tab.

Has anyone tried this method or have you just planted the stems?

PS>>>>>>> I did not order from this same guy as before!!

[cocoa_pleco]

i just plant the stems. that other way sounds good too though

[Lady Hobbs]

It would be if you were in no hurry, I guess, and gives the plants a better start having roots. I may shove them in another tank and let them go and see how they do.

Did you get that filter going?

[cocoa_pleco]

i finally did.

That instruction manual BOMBED. It even had a red stamp on it "article for use in china only". It was almost all chinese will a few english words. I got the aquastop going, and after 3 hours with the O-ring i saw that 1 was already installed and i somehow got a extra.

Even though its on a 30g and its for a 200g, the flow isnt too bad and the angel fish is absolutely infatuated with the output. He keeps going up to it, and just see's whats happening with it.

The only thing thats weird is the input/output tubes are neon green. that's kinda odd

[jweintraub]

I definately wouldn't have the patience to leave some plants laying around my tanks with weights attached and looking all kinds of crazy! Plant em' in the substrate and the roots will come... I couldn't stand looking at something like that in my tanks for weeks on end waiting for roots to be long enough to plant down...

[Lady Hobbs]

LOL I was going to toss them in a spare tank so they wouldn't look all kinds of crazy. hahahahahaha

[cocoa_pleco]

i think my 20g planted would be impossible to be fixed. I have java fern, java moss, cabomba, and 4 other plants randomly scattered, none are actually planted, all are randomly floating. They all are doing excellent, and theyre so tangled i would go crazy sorting them

[nanaglen2001]

Goodmorning.

Put the weight off, its normaly lead, and that poisenous. Then put off any other crap thats eventualy wrapped around the plant.

Then clean it carefully under water.

Then take a sharp knife and cut off about an inch of the lower stem.

After this procedere you PLANT the stems, each about a third of an inch away from the other stem.

And then let it grow.

[Lady Hobbs]

That's how it did my others but this grower said to let them lay in the tank until roots form. Seems to me they would start to rot all bunched together like that. I will plant them.

[hungryhound]

nanaglen2001's description of how to plant them is the only way I have tried but it has always given me good results.

Glad to hear that you are going to plant them, as I too was wondering if the bunch would cause them to rot.

The other factor is that stem plants can grow roots out of any segment and they would have been just as ikely to grow roots up at the top of the plant as well as the bottom.