# How to plant in ADA Amazonian and Plant ID



## snickle (Apr 8, 2007)

I am trying to plant my new nano tank with ADA Amazonian and struggling to get plants to stay in the substrate. Most I can manage but one I can not. I also am not sure what it is.

Can you tell me what it is and how to get it to stay down?










As you can see all it has are small roots. Is is about 2 inches tall.

Getting it to stay down in a gravel substrate is no problem, but the ada stuff is so light.


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## snickle (Apr 8, 2007)

It might be ERIOCAULON CINEREUM, but I am not sure.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Just use a tweezer to push the plant 1/3 to 1/2 way in. Don't worry about the plants possibly rot because ADA soil is very loose and will allow ample circulation. You can also tie it with cotton thread to a small rock. That will work too.


Good luck and show us your new set up soon!


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## snickle (Apr 8, 2007)

I can't push it that far in because since this is a nano tank (2.5G) I have a small amount of substrate. Reading up on what I think the plant is. It should eventually send out a large root structure..


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

Hi snickle

Can you wrap a plant weight around it until it gets a good root structure?


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## snickle (Apr 8, 2007)

Maybe, where can I find some?



Left C said:


> Hi snickle
> 
> Can you wrap a plant weight around it until it gets a good root structure?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

That could be eriocaulen or blyxa japonica....either way the roots are missing so it makes it that much harder....

I would use some tweezer and just stuff it under the substrate...you will have a die off of the lower section of the plant cause you will need to use the leaves to hold the plant down but in time it will all grow back into a nice plant with ADA soil.


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## snickle (Apr 8, 2007)

It is not Blyxia, I have a bunch of that. The roots fell off first time I tried to plant it in the ADA.

I will try to weight it down. Stuffing i to the substrate does not work, as the substrate is very shallow in the nano.


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

The plant is ERIOCAULON CINEREUM, I know it had roots! Just bury the bottom of the plant, it should be fine. It is a very buoyant plant and without roots it will be difficult to keep down, maybe even wedge it between rocks until it grows roots


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## snickle (Apr 8, 2007)

Jeff,

I am not blaming you, it did have roots, until I tried to put it in the ADA soil today. When I got back from the meeting, I planted it in my 10G. No problem.

I pulled it out today still with roots, thinned out and area of the DA soil in the nano and spread the roots out and covered with the soil came back 10 minutes later and the plant was floating with most of the long roots floating seperately. I am just trying to salvage in the Nano. I am sure I could get it going in the other tanks.

Do you have any more? I tore down my 90 after the meeting and rescaped it. SOme more would be nice as my primary foreground.


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

Try it in the ADA by bury the bottom of the plant, if it shows signs of stress try it in another tank.

I dont have any more, Im propagating some so I will have some soon


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## Felf808 (Mar 21, 2006)

Bury the bottom of the plant but angle it so that more of it is covered and weighed down. It will take some waiting and watching but once some roots have formed and grabbed onto enough gravel, you can straighten it out without worry of it floating up again; that's what I did with blyxa in a 3g nano and 1/2"-1" of florabase.


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

snickle said:


> Maybe, where can I find some?


Most LFS, Pet Smart, Petco, etc. carry them. They're strips of zinc or lead.

There's many versions. Some are smooth and some have grooves. Some are light and some are heavy.

I use Lee's Large Plant Weights. Cat. NO. 10555. They're the smooth-heavy type.


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