plants wont stay down
- Thread starter matt2615
- Start date
I'll tell you what.... if you tell us which kind of substrate you are using currently that would help out a bunch. Regardless of which substrate you use you simply must develope a technique by which you deliver your plants into the substrate. For long stemmed plants I use a pair of long tweezers with a curved end that I plunge the stem into the substrate and pull it backwards (away from the tweezer tips), then upwards. This technique may sound anywhere from easy to complicated depending on your level of expertise, but regardless, it takes time to develop the proper technique if you are new to this. Practice makes perfect. Very simply, a novice will find that this techniqe looks very easy, but it requires time and skill to develop. The way to find out how hard it is, is to try it for themselves.
i have that round river bed type gravel, too. many of my plants are coming out, too. i've used the metal (zinc) plant weights, but the bunching of the stems just makes them rot. i am going to upgrade to some plant-specific substrate because i think most of the problem is that the plants aren't growing roots fast enough. good luck!
I believe the recommended substrate depth is 3 inches. A smaller grain size will hold your plants better. I currently use eco complete, and have found it to be pretty easy to plant in.
Dangerdoll
Global Moderator
The plants I have are camboba, banana plant, giant hydro and one more but im not sure what it is. And as for the fish I have one female betta, two african dwarf frogs, four neon tetras and a guppy. And I am planning on buying some plant specific substrate whenever I get enough money for it. Thank you for your help.
my cabomba is a pain, in terms of pulling out of the gravel. my giant hygro came potted so it already had good roots, that helps a lot.
for affordable plant substrate, try drsfostersmith.com. they have 20 oz for $7.99! they recommend using 1 oz per gallon. that's what i'm going with because it also doesn't have all the extra added stuff (copper, other metals) and pH buffering ability that the other more expensive substrates have. i don't need the frills, just something that will hold onto nutrients and allow roots to grow through it easily.
good luck!
for affordable plant substrate, try drsfostersmith.com. they have 20 oz for $7.99! they recommend using 1 oz per gallon. that's what i'm going with because it also doesn't have all the extra added stuff (copper, other metals) and pH buffering ability that the other more expensive substrates have. i don't need the frills, just something that will hold onto nutrients and allow roots to grow through it easily.
good luck!