emersed growing

tedr108

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I decided to dedicate a 10G tank to growing some plants emersed for later transfer to my aquariums. The water level is at the top of the substrate. A couple of questions:

1) Does java fern grow emersed? If so, can you stick it on top of a piece of driftwood? The roots would basically be in damp air at that point.

2) I know that anubias can be grown emersed. However, I have the same question as with java fern re: the roots. Would they be OK on top of some driftwood? Or, would the roots have to be sitting in water?

Thanks...
 

Gerryd

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Hey Ted,

1). Yes it does. It is found at the edges of waterfalls, pools, etc where it is not submerged normally in nature.

We do the opposite of what it normally does I think............

2). Again, I would say as long as the rhizome remains saturated you should be okay. I would recommend wood or rock as opposed to just the gravel. I have found anubias does better IME when placed on roots and such. It will grow in gravel as well though, but looks better on wood and stones.

The rhizome on these plants is what supports it in lean times and stores nutrients. Also the growing tips are from the rhizome, so it is vital it is not damaged or dried out..............that being said, splitting a healthy rhizome is a great way to create new plants.............

Both are grown emersed in nurseries. I would recommend keeping them at least very wet, and not allow them to dry out.

However, I have ONLY grown them submersed, so what do I know lol

I have had speciments throw leaves out of the top of the tank with no issue, but they dry out after a bit w/o the required humidity at that height..............

Hope this helps.
 

behhl

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Jan 16, 2008
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I had anubias for a few months emersed in a earthen pot - the issue is not the roots which i had only partially submersed; but the leaves which tended to brown and dry out if exposed to wind (I had it on the porch).

Perhaps because the one I had came from submersed and did not cope well to emersed. I put it back submersed after a while and cannot tell what happens longterm
 

gmccreedy

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May 1, 2007
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Java Fern and anubias can both be grown emersed and they do not require substrates at all. All you need is to keep the humidity up!

Here is my setup from a few months ago.

IMG_0574-1.jpg


You can read up on my full set up specs here if you like.

From Planted Tank
 

Tom Barr

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This is what they do at aquatic plant nurseries BTW.
No algae.

But you can get other pest like white flies, mealy bugs etc, and fungus.
Make sure to the blow out the system with dry air every so often and also lady bugs and fly sticky tape also works very well. Some chemical natural sprays, neem oil etc can work.

You can also flood the pest and add CO2 for a bit to kill pest(the biblical "Noah" Method) and then return the level back later.

Flourite, SMS, soil, you can use pots or a tray system like above. Sheep manure + sand is pretty good etc. You can use hydroponic nutrient solutions etc.

Easy to use and grow most things, and you do not need much light(they are not CO2 limited or nutrient limited now). Also, if you have plants that got covered in algae, say, a lot of Anubias, placing them in here gets rid of it.
Does not solve the root issue in the tank however.


Regards,
Tom Barr
 

tedr108

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Thanks to all of you for the good advice. I'm seeing this as a good way to stock my non-CO2 tanks with nice plants. Everything but corkscrew vals grow very, very slow in my non-CO2s!

Never would have thought to air out the emersed growing tank occasionally, Tom. I'm glad you mentioned it.

Nice setup, gmccreedy. I see some c. wendtii in there too -- I have some of that also and will give it a try.
 

gmccreedy

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tedr108;32582 said:
Thanks to all of you for the good advice. I'm seeing this as a good way to stock my non-CO2 tanks with nice plants. Everything but corkscrew vals grow very, very slow in my non-CO2s!

Never would have thought to air out the emersed growing tank occasionally, Tom. I'm glad you mentioned it.

Nice setup, gmccreedy. I see some c. wendtii in there too -- I have some of that also and will give it a try.

crypts are great for growing emersed, and once they settle in, grow at a very good rate. Just keep in mind that their leaf structure is completely different then submersed.

But like Tom said, its a great way to rid algae from plants that may be covered (great for anubias).

As Tom said also, airing out the system is good. I simply take the cover off for a half hour every two weeks or so for this reason and also have good ventilation.

Fungus and little critters can be an issue, so be weary of that. The system above is an ebb and flow setup, so any critters that may run around get quickly flooded every hour, so I have not had any problems.

Its very easy and enjoyable though~~ Good luck! Keep us updated on how it works out!
 

tefsom85

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I am trying the DSM for a few plants in a 120G with HC being the main focus but experimenting with a few others. I have a couple questions.

1. I believe I read somewhere that HC grows faster submersed than emersed. Is there a method that anyone has tried where you submerse it just enough to cover the HC and then drain and repeat maybe once a week or so. This would keep the HC emersed which would hopefully lead to faster fill in of the HC. I am assuming the main drawback for this would be algae but would hope a final 'dryout' prior to the final tank fill would help kill off the algae.

2. As I am growing in my HC, I am experimenting with other plants that seem to be suitable for emersed growing. In addition to the HC, I am trying out ech. tennellus, ech. angustifolia, ech. quadricostatus, rotala rotundafolia, rotala macandra, bacopa carolina, pogostemon erectum and one of the ludwigia's (forget which one). I am misting twice a day and there is plenty of humidity but notice that the echinodorus's are starting to brown up. Is this normal? Also, has anyone tried growing any or all of these emersed?
 

DaveSurfer

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Mar 14, 2005
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I've planted Anubias and find that if I didn't mist them at least 3 times a day the leaves would start to dry out and brown on the edges and tips. I do however live in one of the most driest places here.