# Noobie questions about emersed setups



## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

I've been growing a few species of plants emersed in these smaller glass bowls that look like this:










I put about an inch and a half of Miracle Gro Organic Potting Mix in the bottom, planted, and then cover with saran wrap. Every day or two I open the saran wrap and mist the plants to keep them moist. So far the growth has been great, however, I want to do an emersed display setup that will look good in my living room.

Is there any way to do an emersed setup with aquatic plants without the plastic wrap? I assume you would have to mist daily at least, or perhaps even every few hours. I was thinking I might need to DiY a mister similar to the ones that grocery stores have in the lettuce aisle - you know, a mister that comes on every few hours and sprays all the leaves.

I think an emersed setup would look beautiful if you could keep it from drying out, and I just wanted to know if anyone has done this successfully. It's a shame that we have to keep all these beautiful plants hidden away in bins or covered with plastic.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

...Glass lids hold in moisture just as well and are noticeably more attractive than saran wrap


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## Storms (Sep 12, 2011)

asukawashere said:


> ...Glass lids hold in moisture just as well and are noticeably more attractive than saran wrap


Ok, but what if the bowl is too short for plants to grow? How can I get the plants to grow out of the bowl and keep them moist?


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## lbacha (Apr 12, 2011)

You will need to experiment there are some plants that will grow in less than high humidity I've had Alternanthera reinekii growing out of the top of a tank for a long time and I know others have had it out doors. Most crypts won't do well but some like ciliata may do ok. I would talk to hydrophyte about this he has experemented with a lot of aquatic plants emersed in his ripariums in both high and low humidity setups. The more plants you have in the tank the better as they will form a higher humidity zone around themselves

Len


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

You've got to pick and choose your plants, then. As lbacha noted, A. reineckii does okay in low-humidity setups. Other choices include swordplants (if you have lots of space), Bacopa, Lindernia, Hygrophila, Hyptis lorentziana, Purple bamboo, Acmella repens, some Ludwigias... basically, plants that can also be found growing well above the waterline in the wild. You'll have to acclimate them slowly, but it's doable 

Also, you might try marginal pond plants - they're used to growing up and out of the water.  They tend to do very well in open-top environments. Some make for lovely houseplants and are easily obtainable as such (i.e. Spathiphyllum, Cyperus, etc.) The false aquatics sold in many pet stores are good choices, too (i.e. Alternanthera ficoidea, Hemigraphis spp.,and so on).


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