Re: [APD] Bunched plants? -- or - everything but the Kitch-en Zinc

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Best effect for aquascaping, even if you're shlub at it
like me, is to plant each stem separately. It's a bit
tedious if you can find the zen in it, but youo will get a
nicer grow out. The stems are more likely to stay put when
planted separately. A tweezers or hemostat or forceps works
great for this job and it goes faster than you might at
first think. Put the base of the stem in the jaws as
parallel as you can, poke it into the substrate. To keep
the stem from following the tweezers back out of the hole,
wiggle and jigle the tweezers gently as you go [No, Gary
Lange, you just wiggle the tweezers ;-)].

Remove the weight (which is zinc, btw, not lead) and put it
in a plastic bag and in the trash. The metal might be ideal
for the vendor but it's waste product for you. It's a shame
vendors don't remove it before sale or just avoid the
things but some polants come that way formthe wholesalers. 
It's only value really is to hold/organize things in
bunches and to sink them down when they aren't planted --
things most aquatic gardeners don't want or need to do.
Anyhow, check the stems where the zinc was and see if the
stems are crushed there -- usually are. If so, snip off
that damaged tissue with a sharp scissors.

One way to create a "stand of stems" is planting sideways,
so to speak. Many stems can be rooted quickly by laying the
stem horizontally on (not in) the substrate. The nodes will
send out lots of roots and new shoots will start growing
vertically. Use anything handy and nontoxic to hold a
horizontal stem down until the roots grab hold. Of course
nothing beats metal for holding things down, but anything
that sinks will do fine -- rocks driftwood and other
natural items might be preferred, especially if they will
be in sight. But for vertically planted stems, planted tank
substrates will do fine for holding down stems ;-)

Scott H.

--- skipp at attglobal_net wrote:
> What is the proper method of planting bunched plants?Keep
> the bunch as it was purchased?Remove the lead
> weight?Separate the stalks?Use another method of
> weighting the plants?


=====
S. Hieber
-  -   -   -   -   -   -   -
Aquascaping by Takashi Amano and more at
the AGA 2004 Annual Convention
Nov 12, 13 & 14; Marriott Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Aquatic Gardeners Association www.aquatic-gardeners.org

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