# java fern



## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

How do I grow Java fern into like a carpet. I have 2 java fern plants and 1 had a bunch of little leaves growin out of it.. when I was cleanin my tank that piece fell off and I stuck it under the substrate.. now It seems to be growin into like 3 plants.


----------



## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I don't know about growing it into a carpet but maybe a bush.

Java fern has rhizomes which is the horizontal shoot right about the brown stringy roots, that should not be buried into the substrate but above it.


----------



## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Java fern is not meant to be planted in the substrate or used as a ground cover. You should tie it to wood or rock, other wise it will die.


----------



## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

trenac - what about just burrying the roots? I have a Java Fern that is planted in some inert rocks, and it's doing quite well if i must say so, and i just planted some Java Fern in SMS... But i'm willing to learn otherwise (and it's another reason to buy more driftwood)


----------



## furballi (Feb 2, 2007)

Plant should be fine as long as the rhizome is not covered by the gravel.


----------



## treesmcdonald (Mar 14, 2006)

furballi said:


> Plant should be fine as long as the rhizome is not covered by the gravel.


I agree. Just don't bury the fleshy green rhizome and the plants will be fine. This is true for anubias also.


----------



## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Muirner said:


> trenac - what about just burrying the roots? I have a Java Fern that is planted in some inert rocks, and it's doing quite well if i must say so, and i just planted some Java Fern in SMS... But i'm willing to learn otherwise (and it's another reason to buy more driftwood)


I have never planted it before, since I've always read/been told that the rhizome should not be planted at all. Since yours is doing well where it is, leave it there and see what happens. It may do good a while then start to die, but I have no personal experience with it planted.


----------



## superj30 (Jul 17, 2005)

Yeah, it's safe to plant the roots of the plant, it'll grow just fine like that.
But like the others said dont bury the rhizome.


----------



## SKSuser (Mar 20, 2006)

That said,
I have fern in my tank that are placed both ways, all from the same mother plant, harvested at the same time. The ones anchored to coconut shell halves are much larger than their contemporaries that are burried in the substrate.

Not really a scientific experiment here, but I'd say that java fern more efficiently uptakes something from the water column than from the substrate.


----------



## fredyk (Jun 21, 2004)

Plus your small java fern plants will grow into large plants, so it's not effective as a ground cover, per se.


----------

