How to stick into the gravel a plant that float big time?

Question

My moneywort, doesn't have much grip at the bottom.

I divided it into 4 small groups of moneywort so it looks like a lot in the back ground. I used 1 hour to plant them into my 32-gallon fish tank, but no hope.

It won't stick to the gravel cause it floats too much, with its clean straight slippery bottom stem (no root).

Right now, i tied each of the 4 moneywort with a single ribbon, and have lots of big rocks and gravel on top of the ribbon/plants. It now stays.

But is there a true official solution to that? Keeping in mind that, i want to spread my moneywort across the background, and not have 1 big bush. I now have 4 groups of moneywort, each has about 3-4 stems, which is really little realistically.

The height of my gravel is... about 1 inch where there's plant. And 1/4 inch where there's no plant. It's a fish tank afterall.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi!

I love plants dont you?

I love growing them and watching them and watching my fish enjoy them.

But anyway, on to your question!

First of all you are going to need to add more gravel. As someone else already mentioned, three inches is good but no less than one inch of gravel anywhere. Even if you do have really great medium in your filter you will still need a bed for your plants to grow in. Gravel being your choice, be sure to put enough in to hold the nutrients that the plants convert into energy to grow.

I have a single peice of moneywort that was included by accident when I bought a lot of plants from the pet store, I gently tucked it into the rocks and didnt disturb it until it grew roots enough to be able to plant it somewhat.

Like some one said, it takes time. The only way to get it to grow faster is to manipulate them with co2, the correct lighting, macro and micro nutrients.

They will THRIVE in these conditions.

That said, moneywort of course will need to be planted, it's not a floating plant and you can use rubber bands, or fishing line to tie it down until it grows a little root so you can plant it. Use some plant food (Fish safe) tablets that you can push down into the gravel, and push one down where you have it planted, those roots will grow like crazy!

Dont cut off too much at once, but you can grow that bunch of money wort into a tankful given a few months and the right conditions.

Let the plant sustain itself again before you make any new cuttings, obviously.

With moneywort you should be ok to just clip off a good stem just below a leaf and it should regenerate into a separate plant.

I hope I've helped!

Answer 2

It sounds like you have already come up with a good solution of your own.  Lots of plants that can either be floated or planted have to be tied down and weighted when they are first planted.  I had a terrible time getting my watersprite to stay down at firist when I tried to plant it.  I basically did something similar to you.  I tied it down to a big rock and heaped gravel over its roots.  Eventually it will grow more roots in and around the gravel and become more stable and you will probably be able to remove the ribbon.  Planted tanks always take a while to look the way you want them to.  Just give it some time.

Answer 3

What I do to keep my plants down is use a little more gravel than you're using (up to three inches in some places, and at the minimum an inch) and allow the plant to send roots everywhere.  I also keep plants down with, yes, ribbons, and often heavy rocks.  You just wedge the plant genty in between two weights and it stays down well enough.  

If that's not working, you might want to try a planting sponge.  They sell them in most gardening stores, it's just a little green sponge you stick a root into and you can use to keep the plant down.  I think they were originally intended for flower arranging, but since the root grows in it, I use it to weigh plants down underwater, too.

Whatever works for you, keep doing it.  If ribbons work, then they work, you know?  Practicality first.