# How do you plant Hydrocotyle?



## Rony11 (Jan 21, 2012)

You can attach it to a tiny stone and bury the stone in yr substrat or tie the plant to a driftwood.


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

This is how I've done Hydrocotyle Tripartita Japan. Not sure if all Hydrocotyles grow the same or not, but I assume so.

Do you want it on the substrate? If so, you can just set it there and then put a small rock(s) on the runner part(s). It'll grow roots down into the substrate, and then later you can remove the rocks. This area here was done that way, and you can still see a small rock in the middle:










Here is an example of it not on the substrate... I put it on top of a small piece of wood and wrapped thread around it to hold it in place. This is before it filled in.










Now that it's all filled in, there are lots of roots reaching down to the ground (although you can't see them very well). You can see both areas pictured here. The middle lower area is on the substrate, and the lifted up higher area in the back right is on the wood. Neither area needs the thread or the rocks to hold them in place anymore:


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## sleepswithdafishez (May 23, 2013)

Awsome scape!What lights do you have?


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## AnotherHobby (Mar 5, 2012)

sleepswithdafishez said:


> Awsome scape!What lights do you have?


For plant growth I have a Finnex Ray 2. For color, I have 4 two foot long strips of 5050 SMD RGB less controlled by an arduino. They are not bright, but they add a lot of color. It run it at full red during the day, then sunset (an RGB mix) in the late evening, moon lights very late at night (mostly dim blue), and sunrise in the morning (an RGB mix).

The pics above were taken with only the evening sunset lights, so it's very warm and rich looking. It won't grow plants, but it was a great addition to my Ray 2.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

I have H. leucocephala (Brazilian) both planted as a stem and floating. I've tried planting it like runners but I was too careless and it never took.


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## zachawry (May 28, 2013)

I just break the stems/runners off and plant them individually. When they get long, I cut and then propagate. 

When I bought mine they were maybe 6 inches long per stem, which I cut into four of five plantlings, which I planted individually.


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

zachawry said:


> I just break the stems/runners off and plant them individually. When they get long, I cut and then propagate.
> 
> When I bought mine they were maybe 6 inches long per stem, which I cut into four of five plantlings, which I planted individually.


thats how i did it too...

i cut the plant into individual pieces just one node and the root. the bottom looked like an upside down "T" with the roots hanging down

i think this plant is pretty versatile and can just be transferred my moving entire vines and not breaking them down but think of how many new vines you get every time you divide it. i started with 30 nodes, broke em down to individual pieces to plant. now its more like 30 vines. i could break it down again and plant but i have so much its crazy


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

jpappy789 said:


> I have H. leucocephala (Brazilian) both planted as a stem and floating. I've tried planting it like runners but I was too careless and it never took.


I had leucocephala. Although it was growing crazy floating, when planted it was dying. I think it requires intense light.

Michel.


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

Mine's been fine with one end just stuck into the substrate and grown vertically to its liking, but I've had issues getting it to stay short and horizontal...if that makes sense.


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

jpappy789 said:


> Mine's been fine with one end just stuck into the substrate and grown vertically to its liking, but I've had issues getting it to stay short and horizontal...if that makes sense.


the higher the light the more carpeted the look of it i would say

in my hightech it was way more compact


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

That was most likely the big issue.


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

jpappy789 said:


> That was most likely the big issue.


also trimming it should help with it spreading horizontal


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## jpappy789 (Jul 28, 2013)

hambone870 said:


> also trimming it should help with it spreading horizontal


For me it was more of an issue of getting it to root down, it wanted to float back up.


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