Emersed Project:Rotala Macrandra 'green'

This time round, I would like to try an emersed setup with Rotala Macrandra 'green'. This type of plant is very easy growing in the tank. With sufficient light and CO2, it grows very fast. Frequent trimming will make it become bushy in no time. :) 

A jar for planting

Aquasoil

Garden fertilizer 

And of course, some trimming stalks of aquatic plants 

I had some trimming stalks of Rotala Macrandra 'green' to try in this project. Below are step-by-step illustration how to set up this project.

Add a little bit of fertlizer at the bottom of the jar

Just a little bit since the size of the jar is quite small

Add aquasoil in the jar to cover the fertilizer. About 3-5cm depth is good enough for stem plants to spread the roots.

Add in water with water level just above the soil surface

Group 3-5 stems at one go and insert them in the jar. You don't need to plant them one by one :)

After planting is done

Cover the top with a clear plastic ClingWrap

Poke some holes for ventilation and to prevent molding 

Place the jar outdoor under medium sunlight and watch the plants grow.

I normally prefer to put my emersed plants outdoor where it would have good medium sunlight. You just need to have a daily check to ensure the moisture in the jar is alright. Normally, if you see water vapour on the jar / clingwrap, the moisture level there is alright. Spray some mist time to time to keep the leaves wet.

And that's it! Now you can just watch the plants grow. :) 

Emersed Project: Rotala 'bonsai''

What would you do with trimming stalks of aquatic plants after tank maintenance? Put for sale? Or giving them for free to fellow hobbyist? Or to throw them away?

There is another option: planting them emersed. 😊

I would like to write down step-by-step guide for planting Rotala 'bonsai' emersed for your reference. This plant is beautiful underwater. Below are some of the photos taken from my tank before trimming.  

Beautiful Rotala 'bonsai' in the tank (submersed condition)

Frequent trimming is required to get bushy shape

Trimming stalks