planting bunches

[TomFromStLouis]

You know those 'lead' strips that come with bunch plants (like myriopyllum or lysimachia)? Do you use these at all when sticking the plants into the gravel or do you separate each stem and plant each stem individually?

I am inclined to plant each stem separately, but would they uproot too easily?

 

[Lukara]

Personally, I don't use the weights that come with the stem plants when you purchase them. I remove the weights and foam, disinfect the plants and keep them in quarantine. After the quarantine is over, I cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the stems and remove any bottom leaves that would otherwise end up buried in the substrate and plant the stems in the gravel by bunches of 2 or 3 depending on the stem plant. They should hold in the gravel if your substrate is thick enough and will produce roots quick enough.

 

[thom336]

i seperate the plants into smaller bunches, removing the foam, and use new lead weights (or part of lead weights) to hold it down if it wont stay (which often is the case with my large sailfin pleco...never eats the plants, just knocks em).

 

[NJ Devils Fan]

What foam are you talking about?

 

[Lukara]

Some stores use this and some don't I guess. It's the foam used between the weights and stems to protect the roots.

 

[NJ Devils Fan]

Oh, that foam, spongy thing. I always take it off carefully.

 

[125gJoe]

I also get rid of that foam stuff. Some plants will have it, others don't.
Once, a small chunk of that stuff got by me and the next day I wondered how was it possible that "chunk algae" grew overnight!?

 

[Flohrie]

Is that foam stuff your talking about called 'rock wool'??

And yes I remove both the wool stuff and the lead weights.

 

[thom336]

yea, its the rock wool Flohrie. but round here we use technical terms...such as 'foam stuff'!

 

[thom336]

oh, if the plants dont have roots then trim a bit off the stem, and if they do then cut the roots down to about a cm.