# Dry Start Method W/Dwarf Hair Grass?



## chicago_animal

I got some HC and Dwarf hair grass to use as forground in my tank. I am thinking of using the dry start method but will the dwarf hair grass work? The strands on it are already pretty long.


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## milesm

dwarf hairgrass works extremely well with dsm. you can cut the hairgrass to keep it short and encourage spreading. watch out for the growth, the dang thing is an invasive weed.


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## killacross

^^ +1

DHG will grow extremely well out of water...it will grow extremely fast and thick with the right amount/type of light...

good luck and hope to see some pictures of your progress


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## chicago_animal

I want to plant it in one spot and have HC in the other. Will they combine?


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## houseofcards

They will most definitely combine over time. The DHG will send runners right under the HC and you will have a blending of the two plants.


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## doctorp

Can someone give me a little guidance on how to start my planted tank "dry". Do I need to have any water in the tank or just moist gravel? Are grasses like HC able to stand on their own without the presence of water? Sorry for posting this here, its just that I've not been able to find much info on how to go about starting dry.


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## ecotanker

For the dry start method you want to have water just at gravel level and be sure to keep the tank humid. Using saran wrap works very well with the humidity.

The HC will do fine with out water covering them. My current tank with HC is being set up this way.


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## newday3000

I'm doing a dry start method with HC now and have my progress on this thread.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t.../97452-first-high-tech-planted-75g-first.html

I'm using misting daily with 10 PPM mature tank water from another tank as ferts. and 10 hours a day of light in Eco-complete. It's growing well.


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## chicago_animal

The saran wrap wont melt onto the tank? I am going to use this on a nanocube with 150W light, the light from when it was SaltWater.


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## newday3000

I have 216W T5HO and glass is between the saran and the lights and its no issue T5 really don't get hot enough to melt it.


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## chicago_animal

This is on a NanoCube so there is no glass. The light does have a protected cover on it.


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## ecotanker

Do a search on melting point of saran wrap, but I believe it is around
220°F (105°C) above the boiling point of water, so if your light does not get that hot. It should be ok.


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## Darkblade48

ecotanker said:


> Do a search on melting point of saran wrap, but I believe it is around
> 220°F (*105°C*) above the boiling point of water, so if your light does not get that hot. It should be ok.


 I would be quite worried if my fluorescent lights got that hot!


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## chicago_animal

I touched the plastic that houses the light and it gets pretty warm right where the bulb is


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## jman

If you don't want to use saran wrap, plexi-glass works well. It does warp, but turning it over each day keeps it flat. It's what I use on my terrarium.


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## ecotanker

You can always form the saran wrap into a bowl shape, so that there is an air pocket between it and the light. This should be more than enough to prevent it from melting.


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