Plant help.....

**jbeining75** · 03-04-2008, 11:17 PM

How long will it take Anacharus and hogwort to root into the gravel of my 10 gallon.... I am not using ecocomplete or co2 system. I am using fert spikes and a chemical that adds potassium and iron.... They are bundled together and weighted at the bottom......

Thanks in advance.....

**Adrian** · 03-04-2008, 11:41 PM

First, I would remove the weights, as it will end up crushing the stems. I would say, within a couple of weeks the plants should have rooted themselves. Please remember that stem plants are really fragile until they grown a good root system. Most times, the stem where it is inserted into the gravel rots off.

Or: You can let them float on top for a bit until the roots grow out, as they should, then plant them into the substrate. Just be really careful when planting them, that you do not damage the stem when pushing it into the gravel. I have used an old uptake tube, placing the plant within the tube, and pushing the plastic into the gravel and gently pressing the plant into the gravel after the tube has hollowed out an opening. Gently swish back and forth allowing the gravel to close in on the hole and removing the uptake tube. Plant should remain, and no damage to the stem.

Just my suggestion.

**digital3** · 03-05-2008, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by Adrianpaul32

...I have used an old uptake tube, placing the plant within the tube, and pushing the plastic into the gravel and gently pressing the plant into the gravel after the tube has hollowed out an opening. Gently swish back and forth allowing the gravel to close in on the hole and removing the uptake tube. Plant should remain, and no damage to the stem...

Hmmm.... I'll have to try that. Thanks.

**karbomb** · 03-05-2008, 06:08 AM

my ludwigia (also a stem plant) took about a month and a half to get rooted. for the longest time some stems would just float around the top of the tank and i would collect them and press them back into the gravel, after about 80% of the plants were in place, i left the floaters alone and eventually they found their way. i think one died. i also have no CO2 and a 10g. i think the hornwort will be rooted much faster then the ludwigia, as it is a fast growing plant.

**Dave66** · 03-05-2008, 06:18 AM

Hornwort is by nature a floating plant. It does not root. Those are simply hold-fasts to keep the plant in place. Ditch moss is also primarily a floater, and though it can produce small roots, what comes out of the stem are hold-fasts.
Just FYI, the longest single stem of Anacharis in nature on record was 33 feet long.

Dave

**karbomb** · 03-05-2008, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by jbeining75

How long will it take Anacharus and hogwort to root into the gravel of my 10 gallon.... I am not using ecocomplete or co2 system. I am using fert spikes and a chemical that adds potassium and iron.... They are bundled together and weighted at the bottom......

Thanks in advance.....

you do mean hornwort right?
hogwort is not an aquatic plant.

**jbeining75** · 03-05-2008, 06:25 AM

Originally Posted by Dave66

Just FYI, the longest single stem of Anacharis in nature on record was 33 feet long.

Dave

I got some shears to take care of that lol..... Thanks guys....

Yeah hornwort lol...sorry ( I watched Harry Potter today lol... Hogwartz)

**karbomb** · 03-05-2008, 06:28 AM

Originally Posted by Dave66

Hornwort is by nature a floating plant. It does not root. Those are simply hold-fasts to keep the plant in place. Ditch moss is also primarily a floater, and though it can produce small roots, what comes out of the stem are hold-fasts.
Just FYI, the longest single stem of Anacharis in nature on record was 33 feet long.

Dave

i didn't realize that hornwort did not root, is it a type of seaweed? i guess i am thinking of milfoil which i know is a very close relative of hornwort. whenever i see it in michigan (where it should not be) it always has long stems that go way down 20 or so feet and then the bushy top takes over about 3 feet from the surface. i guess i always assumed it was rooted way down there.

**Incredulous_Ed** · 03-05-2008, 07:13 PM

Yes, hornwort is a floating plant, ad does best floating. As for the anacharis, I've had some get rooted and growing n only two weeks. Seems abou the usual for most stem plants.

**Dave66** · 03-05-2008, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by karbomb

i didn't realize that hornwort did not root, is it a type of seaweed? i guess i am thinking of milfoil which i know is a very close relative of hornwort. whenever i see it in michigan (where it should not be) it always has long stems that go way down 20 or so feet and then the bushy top takes over about 3 feet from the surface. i guess i always assumed it was rooted way down there.

Kar,
Nope, not seaweed. Just a floating freshwater plant, like most all the worts in the hobby, like crystalwort (Riccia). They aren't flowering plants, like most aquatic plants are, and spread by vegetative fractioning. That is, a piece breaks off, and the broken plant turns in a brand new functioning plant.
Hornwort is hard and brittle, so pieces break off easily.
Funny thing is those plants used to be classified as algae, but they are real plants.

Dave