Planting Micro Sword

[Jamie]

I finally got to my LFS at a time when the still had some micro sword left :) They had two 2 X 2 foot mats. I bought a 6 in square portion (which they just cut out of the bigger mat). I could really use more, but I didn't want to get too much, not knowing how well it would do in my tank. I cut it into two different pieces...but I'm struggling trying to plant them. The roots are all together in a horizontal fashion...nothing that really points down that I can bury under my flourite. Right now I have it held down with a couple of small rocks. The only thing that I can think, is that am supposed to break the mats down into individual little plants and plant them that way...does anyone have any experience with this stuff?

[Leopardess]

It will spread quicker and cover a larger area (immediately speaking) if you take some sharp scissors and break it into many little bunches and then plant them an inch or so apart. Use tweezers. The bunches dont' have to be overly small but when they are spread out and relatively small it allows water to circulate between the blades and also light to penetrate to the bottoms. They should grow runners soon and will blend in together, just like the big mat you have now.

Their roots do grow fairly shallow and seem to like growing horizontally so that the roots themselves form a thick carpet. Once they get established, they won't be moving anywhere without some of your substrate going with them!

You should have seen the mess I made when I ripped out the dwarf hair grass and micro sword in my 5g. The ENTIRE substrate came up with them. I mean, the ENTIRE thing. Left a few pebbles in the bottom;)

[Jamie]

Thanks for the info leo, I hope I can squander away some of my time this evening to cut the plants up and plant them all.

[djlen]

Plant them in small clumps and hold them down with paper clips opened up to form a U shape. Sort of like stapling them onto the substrate.
They should hold them in place until they root.

Len

[Timmain42]

Uh... what happens to the paper clips?

[Leopardess]

You take them out when its rooted:)

[Jamie]

I broke them up into about ten smaller clumps and planted them in the substrate. I didn't read len's paperclip suggestion until after I planted them...but they seem to be holding with just the flourite around them. Hopefully they take root and spread like wild fire :D