# does dwarf hairgrass + ada amazonia soil still need dosing?



## newguy (Mar 18, 2006)

1) Tank with only dwarf hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula)
2) Planted in ada amazonia substrate

Do i still need to dose npk and micro? 

If yes, why? since it's a rooted plant and obtains all of its nutrients from the ada amazonia substrate (which already contain npk + micro)

thanks


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

How much light do you have, and how big a tank? The need for water column fertilizers depends on the light intensity. It isn't that the plants won't grow without water column fertilizing, but that they will try to grow faster, possibly, than they can get nutrients from the substrate. That would mean weakened plants and an opportunity for algae. Almost all aquatic plants can get nutrients from the leaves, as well as from the roots.


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## newguy (Mar 18, 2006)

really? i thought dwarf hairgrass only gets its nutrients from the roots. As it doesnt really have big leaves, if you can call it that.

I have 12 gallon nano with 48W light and CO2 at 1 bubble/6sec


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## bradac56 (May 9, 2007)

Wow 4wpg in a nano tank I would suspect you could grow just about anything in that tank but a sword  
Maybe a light by weekly dosing schedule at most?

- Brad


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## matthew_machine (Jan 24, 2008)

newguy - I just filled my tank with water after growing dwarf hairgrass emersed for several weeks. It was in ADA amazonia II and grew like wildfire. The tank is a 5.5 with 2x13w over it. I'll let you know if it slows down after filling it up, but emersed it grew very well with just soil.


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## newguy (Mar 18, 2006)

matthew_machine said:


> newguy - I just filled my tank with water after growing dwarf hairgrass emersed for several weeks. It was in ADA amazonia II and grew like wildfire. The tank is a 5.5 with 2x13w over it. I'll let you know if it slows down after filling it up, but emersed it grew very well with just soil.


That's an interesting idea, basically you setup the tank with everything including planting the dwarf hairgrass, but didnt fill it with water? 

I heard once they become submersed, the current emersed leaves would all die out and replaced by the submersed version.

Please let me know how that turns out, i might do something similar!


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## matthew_machine (Jan 24, 2008)

yep! Works great. It's so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it years ago. Search for "The Tom Barr Method" or Emersed Growth. It makes perfect sense if you think about it. I'll let you know how it turns out. I've been growing HC and dwarf hairgrass.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

When I started up an Iwagumi (just hairgrass and HC) about 7 months or so ago with AS I dosed K and micros only as many others have done. I've had no issues with the tank and the hairgrass grows beautifully. It does bring up an interesting point about Aquasoil. If the plants are growing great emersed with no add'l ferts, where is the plant getting K from and why is it recommended to dose K when a tank is started with plants submersed. Maybe others will chime in on this.


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