Growing aquarium plants emersed (out of water)

This is probably a natural progression of the hobby for me.My interests in fish-only setups has wained long ago and my attention is drawn toward aquatic or aquarium plants,more and more.Growing aquarium plants emersed,is the next step.

So....
For the forum members not aware of this little fact,all aquarium plants,except for true aquatics,are grown out of water,emersed,commercially for the hobby industry.:amazed:

Why would I want to grow my own plants emersed?
This way I have copies or clones of the plants currently in my tanks.If for some reason I want to remove a specific plant from a setup,I can do so without feeling guilty for loosing a scarce plant.I will have the clone to fall back on,to take cuttings and of course,give to friends.

Some pics. of my little setup.

 

Wow looks awesome!! What substrate are they growing in and how often do you water them?

 

@corylyle1,
I'm using Palmfibre peat as growing medium.The PFP has high water absorbing capability and this is the only way I would ever use PFP.The plants are not watered the way you would terrestrial plants.They need high humidity,so I keep a little water,1cm deep,in the tank.The PFP "sucks" up the water and stays moist,not wet.

Some water evaporates over time but is replaced again and at the same time ferts are added to the water.This takes place every 2 months or so.No need for aquarium plant ferts,pot plant ferts will do.

To create a humid environment,I keep the tank closed with some clear plastic.You only have to open the tank to add some water or trim the plants.The tank has been placed in the shade and never receives full sunlight.Full sunlight will overheat the tank and burn the plants.

Plants growing emersed at the moment:
Alternanthera reineckii
Bacopa caroliniana
Bacopa monnieri
Glossostigma elatinoides
H.c
Heteranthera zosterifolia(stargrass)
2 species of Hygrophila
Limnophila aromatica
Ludwigia repens
Rotala rotandifolia

This is a very low tech setup.

 

Low tech but efffect, goes to show you that you dont need thousands of rands of equipment to get the job done. Really nice.

 

Really cool. Was going to try this these holidays but was too lazy. Will have a go soon though. Just watch out that the clones don't back stab you.....8)

 

I've got a big compost heap,the last resting place of many cuttings.
Do you feel lucky.....well,do ya?

 

Is pfp really that good? I still need to start with my tank, but i dont know what to go with, Seachem or pfp/chemicult

 

PFP is only as good as the fertilizer you add to it... and yes... it is that good!

 

Is it as good as using PFP/chemicult with DSD fertilizer and hardener mix?

 

@ryanj252,
I think you are missing something here.
This setup,although in a fish tank,is not an aquarium.There's hardly any water in the tank and there's definitely no fish.
The PFP,in this setup,is used solely as a rooting medium.

To answer your question,there are many substrates to choose from,home made and commercial brands.Seachem is good,I've seen many good looking tanks with it as a substrate and have never seen a bad review.
You can use Pool filter sand and dose the water column,or small grain gravel.
You can use Mineralized topsoil and cap with pool filter sand or gravel.The tank can go for years without adding any ferts.

I personally have never seen a tank setup with PFP and chemicult,also there's allot of mixed reviews out there.
I will never use it in a aquarium.

 

Thanx Rudi for clearing that up. No wonder Toshi has been recommending Seachem to me all the time.

Im still in the process of starting my planted tank and I must say, its really difficult as a beginner to get things right, the FIRST time. Woulda been so cool if there were "Beginners Guides" to doing this, THIS WAY. But I suppose thats how we learn with Trial and Error.

I'l stick to Seachem for now and when i have a REP POWER of about 20(if that ever happens), il go to the home made chemicals. Even CO2 is still a big decision for me, should i go without it? Can i go without it? Lotsa stuff that one has to try since so many recommend this while others say, No thats not necessary.

But once again, thanks for the clear up Rudi. (You've been REP'd)

 

The effectiveness of PFP/chemicult is great. Most of the bad rep that it gets stems from people who haven't capped it properly then complaining about leaching problems. Do it right and you can't go wrong. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
Seachem Flourite is one of the best if not the best planting mediums out there. Only downside is the cost which can be steep if you have a large tank.
I'm using PFP/chemicult and DSD in my cube and the results are remarkable.
Just my 2 cents, sorry for the hijack Rudi.
Another great setup you have there by the way.

 

Thanx boebie. As i said earlier, il probably try PFP when im more experienced. One more q, when you "cap" PFP it means you're throwing another layer of gravel/sand/whatever over it right?
Then i assume its not necessary to lift that top layer every few months with a gravel vacuum, else the PFP will leach into the water.

 

Yes Ryan capping is covering the PFP about 2-3cm should do it. You shouldn't be disturbing your substrate with a gravel vac too much anyways, this could release pockets of ammonia that build up in your substrate. Rather just skim the surface so it just picks up the lighter detritus.

 

Ah ok. Thanx boebie.

 

This is an awesome thread. I am inclined to start one of these myself. My only concern is the species of plants used. Not all plants absorb nutrients the same way so are you dosing the little water that is in the tank with anything that can be absorbed or does this only work with species that absorb exclusively through the root system?

Another thing. . are these true aquarium plants or terrestrial?

Really a first for TASA

TM

 

Just to get this thread back on line :
"Growing aquarium plants emersed (out of water)"
@Rudi is using PFP only as a rooting medium, (for plants to stand in) - more gravity! He is adding plant food/fertilizer in the water that the plant trays stand in.
On another thread the PFP AND Chemicult is discussed extensively as a substrate, capped with enough sand, to prevent the PFP/Chemicult mix from entering the water column.
This is a very interesting thread, and do have some DIY in it.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

@TankMaster,
At the moment I have mostly stem plants and 1 Crypt sp. emersed.Also some Lilaeopsis,although I haven't removed it from the rock wool yet.

All stem plants will grow roots.This obviously anchors the plant and is used to absorb nutrients.In the emersed state,all nutrients is absorbed by the roots.Fertilizer is added to the water when the "tank" needs to be "topped up".

I think many forum members still believe all the plants sold as aquarium plants are either "aquatic" or "non aquatic/fake aquatic" plants.
You should rather distinguish between "true aquatic" plants,"bog" or "marsh" plants that can grow submersed and "bog" plants that can't survive long submersed.

True aquatic plants are plants that can't grow aerial leaves,I.E. the plant can not survive out of water.
Examples:
Vallisneria
Elodea
Cabomba
Hornwort
Aponogeton

Aquatic plants that can grow on land or submersed.
Examples:
Cryptocoryne
Amazon swords
Hygrophila
And many more.....

All the plants in my emersed setup is "amphibious" or plants that can grow on land or fully submersed.So if you want to call them as such,they are all true aquarium plants.
I gave all the scientific names,so it can be confirmed.

 

I had HM growing emersed in a 2l greenhouse. When I actually planted the stuff in my tank it looked way different

I like the way they change and adapt for different growth.

 

That is one reason why many people struggle to I.D. aquarium plants at the LFS.
The emersed leave form is often way different to the submersed form.
Some plants,notably Cryptocoryne Sp.,can only be positively be identified by their flowers and some only flower when it's grown emersed.:idea: