# Growing HC



## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

I am in the process of trying to salvage some HC that I recently bought. The HC came in sod like pieces with a lot of the root mass actually looking brownish with a lot of the leaves rotted away. There are approximately 7-8 2x2 inch pieces. There is about 30% of the actual HC with good foliage left that looks very healthy, and there is actually a tremendous amount of good root structure left without its foliage. So, instead of trying to scape immediately with it, I have put it in a shallow dish with a flourite base. I scooped the flourite from an exisitng planted tank. 

I added tank water to the dish and it barely covers the substrate and keeps the sod wet. I added seachem liquid ferts to the top off water. I have approximately 20 watts of 6700K lighting 5-6 inches over the top of the dish. Obviously, no filtration or water movement. If suggested, I could move this to a one gallon nano tank and add CO2 via a Redsea cannister system? I am kind of desperate to salvage this stuff. I have not had very good success with HC. Maybe it is a patience issue for me. I don't know but I do know that there are a lot of folks out there that grow this plant like a weed. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Darrell

[smilie=c:


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I think you're on the right track with keeping it in a shallow bowl for now until it recovers from shipping. It might be a good idea to let it float and let the roots grow out before planting. 

I've been planting my HC in little springs, sort of like glosso. It takes a long time to grow into that sod form, but it eventually does if you're careful not to uproot it or have fish that cause problems with HC.

-John N.


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

I have a small one gallon nano tank and a Redsea CO2 cannister that is not in use. I think I am going to set up the nano, put the sod plugs in that tank, with CO2, and it just let it go until it gets going. I am also thinking about trying some other kind of substrate than flourite. Flourite just seems to be rough on the roots. Maybe a fine sand would work even better. Thanks John.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

No Problem D! I should also mention that using Excel and high light seems to be the best way in gettin HC to grow like fire.

-John N.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I do not think letting it float is a good idea. When I tried that the roots just rotted away. The roots being in contact with soil with the leaf structure exposed to direct sunlight will make it grow faster than anthing else. I would have used soil instead of flourite. You are putting it in emersed conditions, so soil would give it immediate nitrogen. Nitrogen provides the fastest growth. This is all Miracle grow and other garden ferts are, and they produce great results. You could even get some Miracle grow, dilute it in water and spray it on the HC. If it get lots of direct sun, stays wet, it should double in mass within a month.


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

I think you are spot on with the fourite Robert. I can not seem to get it to root very well with flourite, so I will give a soil base substrate of some kind a shot. Thanks so much guys. Will let you know how it goes.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

I've had this happened to me before and I was able to keep it going and now its growing really well for me. Letting it float is a good way to let it restart its growth again. 

However, I have another method that I use when I recieve plants. When ever I recieve plants from another person, I usually plant it in a section where it will recieve the most growth, basically in the center of the tank. Once it gets gowing I uproot it and plant it where ever I wanted it to be.

Hope my advice will help!


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## ianiwane (May 6, 2005)

floating the plant has worked really well for me, I've never seen it grow better than when I would float it. I believe the first person that was selling it here and on plantedtank in bulk was floating it to grow it out.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Never worked for me, maybe because what I get is emersed grown, not submersed. 

Daryl, I am using Miracle Grow potting soil. I do not know if it is any better than any other potting soil. It seems to have a lot of bark and peat in it. To early to see any results yet. I have it outside and this past week it has been real cloudy, not a lot of sun. I am experimenting.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Robert Hudson said:


> Never worked for me, maybe because what I get is emersed grown, not submersed.
> 
> Daryl, I am using Miracle Grow potting soil. I do not know if it is any better than any other potting soil. It seems to have a lot of bark and peat in it. To early to see any results yet. I have it outside and this past week it has been real cloudy, not a lot of sun. I am experimenting.


Hmm, I'm always up for experimenting, and this sounds like something I should try. How'd you plant them in the soil Robert? The roots are so small and thin that I would imagine that it would be hard to get them into the soil. So I'm thinking that maybe you're just laying them on top of the soil, and letting the roots grow into the soil by it self.

Also are you planting them in sod patches or individual stems? Pictures? 

The next HC patch that grows out or I decide to purchase might get this experimental treatment. Great Idea! Hope ya don't mind if I steal/use it. 

-John N.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I'm giving away my secrets and I won't have anyone to sell it to anymore!  

I am just laying it on top of the soil and and pushing it into it a little. The soil is kept very very wet. It would be great if I had an automatic mister


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

I am going to change over from flourite to something like miracle grow soil as you mentioned Robert. I have both forms of HC at the moment, the sod like pieces with threads of still viable and leafed out HC, and stems with no soil attached. I am thinking about mixing in a little sand of some kind to the soil mixture. Is the miracle grow light and fluffy? Some of those specialty soils are so light that when they dry out they blow away if something isn't growing in it. More later. Thanks for contributing to this thread guys. It would be nice to figure this thing out. Darrell


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

I have Miracle Grow potting soil at home for the garden but did not know I could use this in the same tank/bowl as fish. If I have this underneath SoilMaster Select Red will that work and be safe for fish?


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

You dont want to let it dry out anyway, ever. It gets dried out the plant is toast. Jim, I am not talking about using it in an aquarium. These are trays that are only about three inches deep


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

Question to the fourum, when you suggest letting it float, how long and what I am looking for? Am I doing it just to let the plant acclimate, or do I need to look for the roots to start growing out. I have received some sections of HC with great root structure intact, and some with very little. Anyway, let me know your thoughts please.


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## John P. (Nov 24, 2004)

ianiwane said:


> floating the plant has worked really well for me, I've never seen it grow better than when I would float it. I believe the first person that was selling it here and on plantedtank in bulk was floating it to grow it out.


That would be me. 

Yes, floating works best for me. Great, white, healthy roots & all.


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

Very good....... thanks John. That works for me. I still have my little green house going. After getting fried, I got it out of the direct sun light and the plantlets have made a nice comeback. I water every few days with a mixture of ferts in the water bottle. I am keeping the soil moist, but the plants are growing emersed. Anyway, I am making progress here. More later. Darrell


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## Themuleous (Jun 6, 2006)

I have found HC to be quite NO3 hungary and had to up it from 10ppm to over 20ppm to get it to stop turning brown. It now grows like crazy!

Sam


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

Jimbo205 said:


> I have Miracle Grow potting soil at home for the garden but did not know I could use this in the same tank/bowl as fish. If I have this underneath SoilMaster Select Red will that work and be safe for fish?


 Some people do use this in their aquariums.


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

Themuleous said:


> I have found HC to be quite NO3 hungary and had to up it from 10ppm to over 20ppm to get it to stop turning brown. It now grows like crazy!
> 
> Sam


I have had the same problem, now that NO3 is up though its actually growing and its bright green.


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## abnormalsanon (Jun 6, 2006)

So is the general consensus here that new HC should be floated before it is planted into the substrate, if one wishes to grow it submerged? I don't have much interest in growing it emersed--my stupid cat eats all of my above-water plants!

Sorry, just getting a little lost in all the replies and different methods here.


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## deeplove (Apr 21, 2006)

You will find that a couple of people float some of their plants so they can get those roots to grow. Once the roots grow a bit it's much easier to get a pair of tweezers, grab the root and shove the plant in. This is especially useful with small plants like HC, Glosso and some fine, small plants. The substrate also plays part in this decission. 

I personally shove the plant right in and that's it. I don't have fish that can uproot my plants so I don't have to worry about that. I personally use Eco-Complete and I haven't had any problems with it not holding the plants down.

It's personal preference really.

If you want to wait till the roots grow out a bit just because they're easier to plant, then just wait. My personal experience says I don't need to wait and float the plants. But hey, what ever floats each others boats.


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## djlen (Jun 22, 2004)

Time to revisit the great HC Growing Debate .
I just got some from John P and am floating it under good light to grow it out and then intend to start cutting up tiny sections and plant them.
Just wanted an update from those of your who are experimenting with different methods/substrates etc. on how you've progressed.

Len


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## kram (Mar 8, 2006)

Hi ho

On another thead there was some talk about HC and I mentioned Ihad got some and would keep the thread informed but I cannot find it now so I will post here:

Bought four or six (cannot remember) Tropica HC pots. Posted to me but du to an error they lay in th ebox for over a week before I got them. They looked a bit shook and one pot died.

The tank was a shallow (< 12 inches tall) 10 gallon, with 30 W of normal flourescent light, homemade CO2 (into filter outlet and then into a CO2 bell), plain 3 mm gravel, simple internal filter, nitrates around 10 ppm, no detectable phosphates. Weekly 30% changes, Tropica MaterGrow at reccomended rates. Other plants include some vals and crypts.

Broke up the pots and removed most of the rock wool. In the end I had maybe 1 cm2 patches of wool, 5 mm deep, each with a small clump of HC on. These were buried in the gravel with a tweezers. Maybe 15 in all. Some bits floated. Other stems were encased in a net pouch I made and floated.
Some stems were placed in a plastic dish in potting compost with a desk light over them (8 hrs per day) and with maybe 1 cm of water (above the soil surface).

After two weeks not much growth observed. Some pearling. Floating HC was burned by the lights. The stuff in th epouch was doing better but not thriving. The bits in the dish: some died, others seemed to be growing.

After 4 weeks noticed thread algae (7 cm long, light green) on the HC. Cannot remove it as it pulls up the HC. 

Increase the CO2 with a second bottle. Start adding Flourish Excel at double the dose (5 mls to start, then 2 mls daily). Plus Flourish Trace and Flourish Iron at normal rates.

HC starts sending out steady bubble streams and spreading laterally. Floating HC all dead, remove HC from net and just plant it. 

Two weeks later. Algae still present, EXcel doesnt seem to be working. Stop adding Iron as hear that that may cause the algae. HC has yellow leaves in places, not deep green.

Start adding nitrate as KNO3 to maintain 20 - 30 ppm. Algae still present but browner in colour and less amounts.

HC is rooting and not as susceptible to floating. Hasnot filled in fully, has not formed a carpet yet, can still see gravel between the clumps. (8-9 weeks after planting).

HC in the soil/Dish has a number of healthy looking shoots and is standing erect up out of the water. But not spreading.

So Im not sure. Its not a failure but its hardly the lush carpet I was expecting even though it has highish light, plenty of CO2, plenty of nitrates and traces.

And the algae is freaking me out still.

BUt planting it was no problem at all with a tweezers and little bits of rock wool. Maybe the wool is what is preventing it spreading? Akthough you can see it sending our shoots with roots going down into the gravel.

kram


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