# How long does it take for HC to root?



## changaroo (Aug 16, 2017)

Hey guys,

On week 4.5 of my DSM. The HC in my tank has grown but really slowly. Some yellowing has occured on some of the leaves.

I think I am going to go ahead and flood the tank & crank the co2. 

Before I do so, is there any way for me to tell if it has rooted? Do people trim HC during DSM to encourage rooting?

Thanks!


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

4.5 months should have grown some roots. yellowing is prob cause its not moist enough. i wouldn't trim it as its going through DSM. do crank up the co2 if you have no fish. if you pull a strand out of the dirt, you should see little white threads. some of those white roots should be stuck on pieces of the dirt.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

4.5 weeks should be enough for it to start rooting. I do have some images of my DSM setup, but they're at home (and I'm at work). If I remember, I can double check my photos and let you know how long it took for them to root.


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## changaroo (Aug 16, 2017)

IntotheWRX said:


> 4.5 months should have grown some roots. yellowing is prob cause its not moist enough. i wouldn't trim it as its going through DSM. do crank up the co2 if you have no fish. if you pull a strand out of the dirt, you should see little white threads. some of those white roots should be stuck on pieces of the dirt.





Darkblade48 said:


> 4.5 weeks should be enough for it to start rooting. I do have some images of my DSM setup, but they're at home (and I'm at work). If I remember, I can double check my photos and let you know how long it took for them to root.




Heres what it looks like currently.










I plan on flooding this weekend as it isnt growing very well dry. I mist twice a day. Not exactly sure what I'm doing wrong but it seems to be growing very slowly for me


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

changaroo said:


> Heres what it looks like currently.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you should have split those clumps into smaller pieces. even one strand of plant can root and spawn more strands. if they have not rooted yet, i would advise splitting your monte carlo looking plant into 1/10 and spread them apart and flood the tank. The plants take about 1-2 weeks to get settled and comfortable with their new environment. Once they get familiar and comfortable, they send signals to start growing. your plants for some reason has not gotten comfortable yet. once they are settled in, they keep growing and growing.


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## changaroo (Aug 16, 2017)

IntotheWRX said:


> you should have split those clumps into smaller pieces. even one strand of plant can root and spawn more strands. if they have not rooted yet, i would advise splitting your monte carlo looking plant into 1/10 and spread them apart and flood the tank. The plants take about 1-2 weeks to get settled and comfortable with their new environment. Once they get familiar and comfortable, they send signals to start growing. your plants for some reason has not gotten comfortable yet. once they are settled in, they keep growing and growing.


thanks for the info. the MC looking plants are actually HC.

This is what the tank looks like 3 weeks apart (barely any progress aside from yellowing). I may take your advice and spread them some more.










I also noticed some algae growth on the rocks... should I let it be? or treat with h2o2?


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

changaroo said:


> thanks for the info. the MC looking plants are actually HC.
> 
> This is what the tank looks like 3 weeks apart (barely any progress aside from yellowing). I may take your advice and spread them some more.
> 
> ...


hmm not much of a difference for 3 weeks. 

spread them apart like poka dots

algae is ok on the rocks. hydro proxy hit would be fine if it makes you feel better.

make sure you leave a small opening 24/7 for your dry start method. maybe an opening the size of a quarter. allow the tank to breath a little sip all day. otherwise mold and other bad stuff will grow. 

give your tank a full air out once a day. remove all the covering and let it breath with the room for 10-15 min. then mist and cover it back up 98% of the way.


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