Made some changes to my emersed setup, a labor of love

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Sean W.

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Aug 8, 2013
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Hey guys,


I setup my first emersed tank about a month ago, If youd like to see what i did when i first started it, also showing how i did it, i invite you to watch my video documenting this. That first try was really an effort to grow a Tropica 1-2 Grow alternanthera reineckii mini culture.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=agrPZ7wIRh4


The other day i took a long hard look at what my emersed setup had become and knew i could do it better. This is what it looked like


NOTE: This is an old picture from the day i set it up, things had grown quiet a bit



All in all, a great setup and i was getting fantastic results, but there were a few problems with the way i had it set up.


1. It was difficult to see how high the water level was. You want the water level to be around 1/2" - 1" below the top of the soil

2. It was difficult to maximize the space. I was having a hard time estimating how much space each plant would need, and would over compensate, and gave each plant more room than it needed.


3. It was difficult to move plants around, especially if i saw a plant that was struggling, i couldnt easily move it to a spot that got better light for example.


4. It was difficult to keep track of individual plants


5. It was difficult to trim and propagate plants, especially AR mini. AR mini you gotta get the plant at eye level to trace the daughter stem to trim it, very difficult to do from above.




So, over the last few days ive been thinking of a way to address all of those issues. and im pretty sure i got it figured out.


I took all the plants out and put them in a bucket, went to my local landscaping yard, where i was pleased to find very small clay pots, i got one size up from the smallest they had, if you can believe it!





I cleaned and squeezed out all water from the dirt, which i haven't mentioned is Miracle Grow Potting soil.


and filled all the pots with soil, compacting it slightly into the pot








Then make a hole in the middle








then place the specimen in the pot and compact the soil around it





And repeat.... 50 times.... haha




Before:



After


 

XanAvaloni

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Nov 13, 2009
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Sean may be onto something for his Step 2 here. I am early in the design process for a paludarium setup. Which means I am looking for emersed/bog/edge/very wet but not totally aquatic plants for possible occupancy. Keep up the good work Sean, you have an audience lurking. :)
 

Sean W.

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its my understanding that most aquatic plants can also be grown emersed. From what ive read, to my (limited) knowledge only Blyxa Japonica cant be grown emersed.
 

Rbishop

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Dec 30, 2005
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Great idea! Do you think enough water will soak through the terra cotta, even with the hole in the bottom, to keep the soil adequately moist?
 

Sean W.

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Bob,

you can see here, that the top of the soil is quite moist, leading me to believe that the soil below the water level, where the roots are, is completely saturated with water.

 

Rbishop

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Was just worried about dry out from the lights.
 

calivivarium1

Finished the fight
May 5, 2008
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Fresno, California
I've grown the following emersed with good results: Cryptocoryne wendtii, Vesicularia dubyana, some other moss that I don't know what it is, Hygrophila corymbosa, Alternanthera reineckii, Microsorum pteropus, Anubias barteri, Anubias something or another (lanceolata maybe), Hydrocotyle leucocephala, and a few others that I cannot remember the names of.
 
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