# How to fertilize emersed plants?



## JustLikeAPill (Oct 9, 2006)

I have a five gallon tank with some regular garden soil mixed with old fluorite I had lying around. I have three 36 watt compact fluorescents over them so they are under a lot of light, and I'd like to fertilize them daily.

I am preparing these plants for a wabi-kusa display and trying to get them ready for emersed culture. So far so good! Plants included are HC, Staurogyne repens, Rotala rotundifolia "colorate" which is already changing leaf shape, and Alternathia reineikii (spelling?)

I mist them daily and would like to add some fertilizer to the water I mist them with. Should I just mist them with my old tank water I usually throw out on water change day (I soak my Air Plants in this water, too!) or should I add fertilize to a liter of water and mist them with that?

What recipe should I use to make a liter of ready-to-use fertilizer to spray on the emersed plants with? I have all the raw ingredients... KNO3, KH2PO4,K2SO4, CSM+B, and epsoms salt. 

Normally I follow E.I. method on my 60-P and add one pinch of each macro 3x per week, and one pinch of CSM+B and epsoms salt 3x per week on alternating days. 

Thanks!

Clint


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## wearsbunnyslippers (Feb 18, 2008)

misting them with tank water should be fine, but you do get some nice foliar feed ferts that would work even better.


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## JustLikeAPill (Oct 9, 2006)

Right, I can easily make up my own foliar feeding spray solution since I'm misting them daily, I just need to know like...

1 dash KNO3
1 pinch KH2PO4
1 smidgen K2SO4 

per liter of water. Or Whatever recipe I should use for a read-to use foliar mist fertilization spray. The above amounts are just made up as an example.... I just need some guidance/instruction.


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

I mix up some miracle grow in a spray bottle. Just enough to turn the water a SLIGHT blue/green color. Mist every week or so. It easy and works well.


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## JustLikeAPill (Oct 9, 2006)

So is that like half strength miracle grow? Quarter strength?

I know miracle grow contains ammonia/ammonium or something like that and isn't good for foliar feeding because it must break down in the soil before use... 

Would adding a dash of each macro per liter and a dash of micro in a separate container suffice? Am I overcomplicating things?


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## killacross (Apr 29, 2010)

add 4 teaspoons of a kittens whisker of macros and 3/10s of a fishs eye or micros to a dollop of water

lol

why not try root tabs? wouldnt that work since its emersed?


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## JustLikeAPill (Oct 9, 2006)

I could have done root tab but didn't want to buy anything I don't already have, to be honest lol.

I ended up just taking a months worth of E.I. Fertilizer, including micros since for this purpose I don't care enough to use two seperate sprayers I decided, and added it all to a gallon jug. I spray daily and so far so good. No algae or anything. No burning of the plants. Probably very weak compared to a typical dose of house plant fertilizer. 

The HC is transitioning the best.. Actually I'd say it's already transitioned.

The S. Repens is coming along.... The rotala colorata was the first to convert and it did so so fast I had to cut it out and throw a lot away.

Alternatheria is converting OK. I just had a few sprigs of that. Gyre dwarf lobelia is very slowly but steadily converting and new growth is purple.

I had like three tiny anubias nana var. Petite that were too small to use (freebies) that came in a recent order of about ten of them. I put them in there today. I don't expect them to make it but we will see. 

I don't keep a high water table for what its worth... I just spray daily and cover the tank with glass except for a one inche strip or so. The media stays wet but it's not boggy or anything,


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Fertilizing allright. I'll leave the suggestions to others

But you MUST make sure you play gentle classical music in the room where the plants are.

That and also paint the walls bright red.

I know you know you have to gently touch and talk whispering to the plants too.

Joke aside, all 3 of the above have actually proven to impove plant growth. Don't know if the red paint works only on tomatoes.

--Nikolay


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## JustLikeAPill (Oct 9, 2006)

Well... The emersed tank is on my dresser and the back is next to a mirror... Probably better than red lol.

My plants prefer electronic music. Or at least I do lol.


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## hedson_25 (Sep 20, 2005)

using laterite is good aswell.


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