# How to plant HC?



## otter (Oct 22, 2005)

I just received a nice patch of HC from another member. It's one 4x4" patch. I want to carpet my 5g bowfront with it, should I be planting each stem individually or what's the best way to plant this stuff? Any other tips for growing it? Thanks!


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## Tino (Jan 9, 2005)

Using tweezers is essential. 
You plant every little stem individually (actually two or three stems at a time works either) by half burying it in the substrate with tweezers. 
Also essential is to leave it alone to give it a chance to root. If you have bottom feeders or fish that like to hang around the bottom - forget it, so you'll have to make appropriate adjustments if necessary.


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## otter (Oct 22, 2005)

This is going to take forever! I better get started. Thanks Tino!


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## otter (Oct 22, 2005)

This is incredibly tedious! I've been planting for an hour and it doesn't look like I've dented the patch of HC. I think the flourite is a little to big, so that's not helping matters. Will the HC be OK if I float it in one of those plastic breeders until I can get around to planting the rest of it? I had to plant it pretty sparsely to avoid disturbing what I had already planted, does it grow together quickly?


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## yoink (Apr 21, 2005)

It'll do just fine floating while waiting to be planted. It will not spread fast at all. It took me 2-3 weeks before I noticed any growth at all. When I tired to plant it individually, I just got lots of floating bits of HC. Planting in small clumps with pieces of lead wieghts on top was much more productive.


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## otter (Oct 22, 2005)

Really? I'll give that a try too.Thanks for the tip.


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## Saints1804 (Oct 27, 2005)

I also think you will have better luck planting it in clumps. It will take some time but it should take off nicely. I just did that with baby tears and its working fine. I really want HC but my 240 gallon has to many fish that like to move stuff around.


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## Johnny Relentless (Sep 2, 2007)

I've been reading that you should plant it in dime-sized clumps. And apparently a great way to get it going is to leave the tank empty (unless it's already full of course) and just fill the water to the level of the substrate. Let it grow emmersed, and only when it is filled in well should you fill the tank the rest of the way. 
I am getting a tank set up to try this myself. Some people say that growing it emmersed is not good, because when it makes the transition to immersed it will shed it's leaves or even melt, but I have found many posts that deny this, some even saying that that is a myth. They say that although that may be true of many other aquatic plants, it is not true of HC. At least not when you have allowed a good root structure to develop and are not transplanting to water.
I dunno, but I'm eager to find out for myself. Supposedly this method avoids all the usual problems with new tanks, such as algae.


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## trfjason (Aug 10, 2006)

About the filling the water up to the substrate, I am guessing you are referring to the post made by Barr. I guess his way will work since you are suppose to use a glass or something clear to cover the aquarium, therefore, it will remain humid inside. It will then allow the plants to make the transition to immersed without having leats melting.


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## Johnny Relentless (Sep 2, 2007)

Yes, exactly.


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## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

I know hc loves excel. Should it be just added to the whole tank or squirted directly on the hc with a syringe?


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

> I also think you will have better luck planting it in clumps.


Yeah, planting it just a few stems at a time is ridiculous! (no offense intended) Small clumps is fine. Large clumps is fine. You could have even planted the whole piece as it was. It's just the more you spread it out, the larger an area you can cover faster because it will fill in the gaps as it grows. 

Your lighting and other conditions will play the greatest role in how it grows, not how you plant it.


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## ianiwane (Sep 7, 2004)

Robert H said:


> Yeah, planting it just a few stems at a time is ridiculous! (no offense intended) Small clumps is fine. Large clumps is fine. You could have even planted the whole piece as it was. It's just the more you spread it out, the larger an area you can cover faster because it will fill in the gaps as it grows.
> 
> Your lighting and other conditions will play the greatest role in how it grows, not how you plant it.


Have you ever planted it? HC that is planted bare in clumps get uprooted a lot easier than HC planted in few strand pieces. HC is a pretty buoyant plant. People that have problems with HC uprooting are normally planting them in too large of clumps. Sometimes its not only about growth. There may be other reasons to the madness.


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

I don't see how a heavier clump can up root easier than a much lighter single stran, (accept that a big turf like piece will up root if just one end of it comes loose) but assuming this is true, so what? Use the Jeff Senske method and leave a little rockwool on each clump. Tedious is an understatement. There is no way I would ever spend hours upon hours planting individual stems that are not much bigger than a hair! A dime size clump would be the smallest I would be willing to do. I do the same thing with Glossostigma, Lilaeopsis. Basically any carpet plant

I planted a 12 gallon nano cube this way. I divided each pot into four bundles and planted with rockwool attached. I had no problems what so ever with any getting up rooted


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

Leaving the Rockwools Mains that it came from a Pot yea?,
Then The roots and the wool are Cup Shaped making it Easier to Stab into the Substrate. Try With just a flat peice like 3x3.

Anyways It depends on how the Person wants it to spread. And PLacement


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

> Then The roots and the wool are Cup Shaped making it Easier to Stab into the Substrate. Try With just a flat peice like 3x3


:icon_eek: Cup shaped roots.. stab the substrate? lol.. ok.. when you take it out of the pot and divide it, it looks pretty much like any other HC to me! But maybe you are right! Whatever works I guess right? You guys just have way too much time on your hands!


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## ianiwane (Sep 7, 2004)

Robert H said:


> I don't see how a heavier clump can up root easier than a much lighter single stran, (accept that a big turf like piece will up root if just one end of it comes loose) but assuming this is true, so what? Use the Jeff Senske method and leave a little rockwool on each clump. Tedious is an understatement. There is no way I would ever spend hours upon hours planting individual stems that are not much bigger than a hair! A dime size clump would be the smallest I would be willing to do. I do the same thing with Glossostigma, Lilaeopsis. Basically any carpet plant
> 
> I planted a 12 gallon nano cube this way. I divided each pot into four bundles and planted with rockwool attached. I had no problems what so ever with any getting up rooted



That is all and good if it came potted in a pot. Not all HC comes this way. It does not take hours to do this. When I planted my 120p with HC, it took max maybe 20-30 mins.


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## aquanut415 (Jan 21, 2006)

ianiwane said:


> That is all and good if it came potted in a pot. Not all HC comes this way. It does not take hours to do this. When I planted my 120p with HC, it took max maybe 20-30 mins.


HC potted in rockwool usually dies anyway shortly after planting... but +1 for trying to plant the HC in tiny groups of plantlets... the fewer the better. and it only takes a short period of time to plant even in a large tank. certainly no more than 30min for a large tank.


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## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

aquanut415 said:


> HC potted in rockwool usually dies anyway shortly after planting... but +1 for trying to plant the HC in tiny groups of plantlets... the fewer the better. and it only takes a short period of time to plant even in a large tank. certainly no more than 30min for a large tank.



ok if it dies when planted in rockwool then why have other people had success with it?


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## aquanut415 (Jan 21, 2006)

RachPreach said:


> ok if it dies when planted in rockwool then why have other people had success with it?


its a statistical anomally(jk). sure they can grow.. but they usually die.

ever notcied why so many people on this website cant grow HC? my guess is cause the HC they bought was grown emersed in rockwool. for some reason, it just seems to die rather quickly.


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## WaveSurfer (Oct 3, 2007)

aquanut415 said:


> its a statistical anomally(jk). sure they can grow.. but they usually die.
> 
> ever notcied why so many people on this website cant grow HC? my guess is cause the HC they bought was grown emersed in rockwool. for some reason, it just seems to die rather quickly.


Hmm... I'm still struggling with my HC, which I bought as the emersed form in rockwool. Trying my best to keep them alive now.


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## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

im still wondering about how to dose excel to the hc...


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## FacePlanted (Jul 27, 2007)

I have actually found that my HC responded MUCH better when I used a syringe and squirted the excel into the bush/mat of it. Dosing just into the water is fine, but I noticed a faster change when I applied it underneath the plants with a syringe.

As for planting it, FOR ME I tried to plant it in clumps with rockwool on the roots, and they would never stay under the substrate. They just keeped working themselves up to the top. As well, they started just kind of withering away. I think that in the beginning, the roots didn't have access to the nutrients in the aquasoil b/c they were surrounded by rockwool, and the suffering plant had to grow runners first before it could put roots into the soil. Over a few days, I took out a clump at a time and separated it into strands and planted each strand individually. The strands were able to send roots into the rich substrate and they really took off. The whole foreground filled in faster than if I would have left them in clumps. This is just my experience and I feel that there are many ways to do this with success.

-Mike B-


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## Johnny Relentless (Sep 2, 2007)

I have to say, I'd sooner count all the grains of fluorite in my tank than plant each strand of HC, even if that was the best way. I just don't have that kind of patience.


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## WaveSurfer (Oct 3, 2007)

FacePlanted said:


> I have actually found that my HC responded MUCH better when I used a syringe and squirted the excel into the bush/mat of it. Dosing just into the water is fine, but I noticed a faster change when I applied it underneath the plants with a syringe.
> 
> As for planting it, FOR ME I tried to plant it in clumps with rockwool on the roots, and they would never stay under the substrate. They just keeped working themselves up to the top. As well, they started just kind of withering away. I think that in the beginning, the roots didn't have access to the nutrients in the aquasoil b/c they were surrounded by rockwool, and the suffering plant had to grow runners first before it could put roots into the soil. Over a few days, I took out a clump at a time and separated it into strands and planted each strand individually. The strands were able to send roots into the rich substrate and they really took off. The whole foreground filled in faster than if I would have left them in clumps. This is just my experience and I feel that there are many ways to do this with success.
> 
> -Mike B-


Hi Mike,

Thanks for sharing your experience. For my case, it does look like the HC on the sides of the patches are doing better.

Tonight I will start off with the smallest HC patch, remove them from the tank, and start separately each individual strand as much as possible, before replanting them back. I really hope to keep them alive.


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## RachPreach (Jan 16, 2006)

ok ive had my hc planted for about 1.5 to 2 weeks and it doesnt look like it has grown any I have some planted in small bunches and some planted stem by stem. Neither is doing better than the other. I squirt flourish excel on it about every other day. I have maybe seen a little bit of growth but nothing drastic at all. I really want a pretty foreground but this is ridulously slow! help.


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## PROLINKer (Sep 30, 2008)

HC don't do magic, a very good development of HC can bee seen at around 4th week.


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

I have attempted/failed/succeeded at HC foreground a couple times now. 

The first time, I planted it in clumps from a non rockwool sample. It melted away and died, most likely because I was inexperienced, and thought my mickey mouse DIY CO2 could support it.

The second time, I got it in rockwool. The rockwool sample worked fine for me, grew and spread eventually. I think you need to cut up the rockwool a bit to allow the roots out. This one also died, eventually during a diatom breakout.

The third time, I grew it emersed over the course of a couple months, and man was it great. Filled it up, the whole damn thing floated. Real angry, took forever to plant it back. I learned that the substrate is important. It needs to be heavy enough (I was using SMS), and grain size matters. 

I have just finished growing it emersed again, this time on eco-complete. I filled the tank today, and it appears to be doing ok, staying down. 

The emersed method is by far the easiest, but it requires you sit on an empty tank, which is really hard to do


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## beviking (Aug 2, 2005)

Tsk, tsk, how can you be a planted tank enthusiast if you can't plant HC one stem at a time? j/k I think people tend to leave too much exposed vs. the amount buried. Take a single strand/stem with several nodes on it and bury it so you can barely see the top of the topmost leaves. If you can see the leaves, even between the pieces of substrate, it will be o.k. ime, provided it isn't shaded by something else. Don't worry about leaving it floating, it'll be fine. I've had it do well floating as long as there are ample nutrients in the water column. Take your time, take a break and enjoy it. It's suppose to be relaxing :icon_roll

Direct dosing excel is very interesting. Thanks for that tidbit!


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## Lorenmws (Jul 27, 2008)

I just did it a week ago w/ HM (pearl grass), 225 sprigs w/ tweezers. Very time consuming but worth it. I have already noticed them growing quite a bit. 

Right after I finished planting-










Lorenmws


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## beviking (Aug 2, 2005)

Lorenmws said:


> I just did it a week ago w/ HM (pearl grass), 225 sprigs w/ tweezers. Very time consuming but worth it. I have already noticed them growing quite a bit.
> 
> Right after I finished planting-
> 
> ...



That is going to look sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!:thumbsup: Nice sized rocks/tank for HM as a groundcover.


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## welchrock (Jun 12, 2008)

interesting thread...

so after all this talk about growing HC emersed, you think it'll grow at a decent rate fully submerged? i'm a little curious into why you (Lorenmws) would go this route - is it so you can have excel/ferts in the water column? do you feel it will grow just as quick submerged as it will emersed?

not looking to create drama, just curious into the justification and reasoning!


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## wschalle (Aug 17, 2007)

I've never put much stock in the whole growing emersed thing... HC grows just fine submerged under the right conditions... and if you can't grow HC for whatever reason, just give up and grow HM.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I just planted mine in groups of 3-6 stems, what a pain. My back is killing me. If possible, I would say at least drain your tank, if possible, as if you are growing it emersed and you save yourself a whole lot of hassle. It was 4 hours for me, i can't imagine what i would have done if it kept floating up like it should have if my tank was full.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

This sucks. I've been planting HC for over two hours and still have tons left. My back hurts and I don't think I ever finish. Someone feel sorry for me!:icon_cry:


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## welchrock (Jun 12, 2008)

Totally been there! Sleep well knowing that the more plantlets you separate and individually plant, that the quicker the HC will spread and thrive.


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## helgymatt (Dec 7, 2007)

Why feel sorry? Just plant it in clumps! Planting stem by stem seems rediculous to me. Who in there right mind wants to spend 4 hrs to plant a foreground? I feel I'm pretty dedicated to this hobby, but come on! I planted in about nickel size clumps in the foreground of my 29, just as I have done in other tanks with success and spent about 10 minutes.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

helgymatt said:


> Why feel sorry? Just plant it in clumps! Planting stem by stem seems rediculous to me. Who in there right mind wants to spend 4 hrs to plant a foreground? I feel I'm pretty dedicated to this hobby, but come on! I planted in about nickel size clumps in the foreground of my 29, just as I have done in other tanks with success and spent about 10 minutes.


 
Me, me I will be planting it in 2-3 stem sections, want to come watch:eek5:

Craig


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## helgymatt (Dec 7, 2007)

Craigthor said:


> Me, me I will be planting it in 2-3 stem sections, want to come watch:eek5:
> Craig


:thumbsup:Only if I can sit and drink a beer and eat cheetos...LOL


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

helgymatt said:


> :thumbsup:Only if I can sit and drink a bear and eat cheetos...LOL


 
Remeber it's BYOB and I'll take some cheetos too. Think CRS eat cheetos?:icon_eek:


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## helgymatt (Dec 7, 2007)

Now I am really..."Laughing Out Loud"!


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I feel sorry for you, i did it yesterday and my back still hurts.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

talontsiawd said:


> I feel sorry for you, i did it yesterday and my back still hurts.


How does it look now? I tried to plant it in bigger clumps, but it all floated to the top when I added water.  So I drained the tank and started planting one to two stems at a time. I still have over half of it to do. :eek5: I left it floating in the tank until tomorrow.


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

for my old tank, i planted the hc in clumps and it grew pretty fast. It took about a month and a half to cover my foreground.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

sewingalot said:


> How does it look now? I tried to plant it in bigger clumps, but it all floated to the top when I added water.  So I drained the tank and started planting one to two stems at a time. I still have over half of it to do. :eek5: I left it floating in the tank until tomorrow.


I was able to only have maybe 4-5 stems float. This is with flourite. I basically did a section with the tank drained. After i did a certain amount, i pushed on the substrate to make sure they stayed. My biggest concern was that it would all float up so i really took my time and also filled my tank to make sure anything that floated only came up a few inches, then filled the whole tank.

Now i'm doing my 10 gallon. SOOOOOOO much easier with sand. I'm doing it with tank filled to so also long as the fish don't mess with it, I think i'll be good.


ddtran46-Very inspriational. Nice tank, progress looks excellent.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Good to know it will stay in flourite. That's what I have in this ten gallon. I still have a ton left to go. I am not sure this will ever end. How long can I leave it floating I wonder?


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I have to say, i did make a huge effort to make it not float as i went as that was the main thing i did not want to happen. I drained my tank but only for hours, i do have fish and other plants, i just couldn't imagine doing it otherwise. 

As for how long, i don't know under light but mine was shipped for a few days, and then i planted my 29 with most, 2 days later, did my 10. That's with NO LIGHT at all. Short term, don't worry. Long term, the only reason i would worry, under light, is it seems like this plant can be touchy. I'm sure someone can answer better than me, i probably shouldn't even comment as i have only had experience for a few days, lol, but you have a few days for sure, that's my main point.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Thanks for the help. I am not sure I will be successful, but I noticied pearling tonight with the planted portion! Yeah!


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## chilled_fire (Jun 4, 2010)

Why did this thread end abruptly ?
And what was the output ? emersed or submersed ? I am planning to use HC myself got some part of my 29G so please revive this thread 
post the new pics .... :hihi:


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## Bandit1200 (Dec 11, 2010)

I just planted mine. I have to say I really thought that was a small pot...until I started trying to plant them individually. 

Most of the center was one big mat with all the roots grown together so I just left it and planted it as a clump, pushing it down and I sprinkled a some of the flourite on top of it for good measure.

Tomorrow when the co2 and the lights kick in I'll take a look at it.

BTW, that rockwool sucks....


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## 10galfornow (May 13, 2011)

aquanut415 said:


> its a statistical anomally(jk). sure they can grow.. but they usually die.
> 
> ever notcied why so many people on this website cant grow HC? my guess is cause the HC they bought was grown emersed in rockwool. for some reason, it just seems to die rather quickly.


mine grew in gravel coming from rockwool. not fast at all, but it grew. and now it's growing fast as hell in shrimp stratum.


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## willknowitall (Oct 3, 2010)

ok this is how i plant a whole tank in about 10 min
the whole process takes about a hour but thats just the filling and draining part
this is for a new tank 
i fill and then drain all water to wet substrate and drain off any cloudiness
this is with fluorite 
i take the hc from other tank and pull bunches apart . maybe 5 strands or so each and lay on substrate
i do this until its pretty well completely covered
then i take substrate that is wet, cleaned and strained through a mesh
and sprinkle it all over the hc to hold it down
then i slowly fill tank
Small percentage may float up but dont care because i have a even dense planting that fills in to carpet very quickly.
the waters is clear right away too


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## NewDisign (Apr 6, 2011)

I'm getting some HC off eBay tomorrow and I just need a little advise before I get it. I have the tank all set up to be grown emersed. I understand that HC requires, or is highly recommended, to have co2 injected into the water when grown submerged. I'm currently getting supplies for the submerging phase but I need to know two things:

Do you need co2 injection during the emersed process?

Is it required or optional to have a heat source when being emersed? Or is the heat created by the high humidity during the emersed process? 

If possible, PLEASE somebody respond with an answer within a period of about 8-9 hours because seller sends packages on Monday(s)[Wednesdays and Saturdays]. Any response is accepted and welcome. Thanks


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## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

NewDisign said:


> I'm getting some HC off eBay tomorrow and I just need a little advise before I get it. I have the tank all set up to be grown emersed. I understand that HC requires, or is highly recommended, to have co2 injected into the water when grown submerged. I'm currently getting supplies for the submerging phase but I need to know two things:
> 
> *Do you need co2 injection during the emersed process?*
> 
> ...


im a little late to this party, but from everything i've read, the atmospheric co2 is plenty enough for the hc to thrive with.

as far as heat goes, im currently using cling-wrap over the top of my 11.4g emersed start up, and the tank walls stay nice, humid and moist, beaded with water droplets. i mist it every morning to keep the humidity up, and the plants moist.


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## jameslibtech (Sep 20, 2011)

agreed, individually spaced and planted allows the best looking and best growth from my experiences with HC


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

You plant it with patience, tweezers and a bottle of Tylenol. :hihi:


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## yohohon (May 27, 2011)

Adding phosphates, along with stepped upped concentration of nitrates (50+ppm), provided that HC is planted in a direct light area, would help kickstarting the plant quite a bit. In my experience it began developing shoots in less then a full week. Phosphates really help growing roots attaching the plant to the substrate, it was a crucial discovery for me, as I use gravel as a top layer, and had lots of troubles with uprooting.


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## Abrium (Jan 7, 2011)

I've read this whole thread and it just doesn't seem worth it to me, there has to be beter options out there than HC. Why is this plant so well liked if it is such a pita to grow?


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

Because when it grows in well, it just looks amazing. The thousands of tiny leaves creating a lush carpet is just great imo. Worth all the pain of planting it. HC is my first carpet plant and I love it so....yeah.  To each his/her own!


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## Jim Miller (Dec 24, 2002)

I just tore apart the bit of HC carpet I bought into smaller scraps and pressed them down roughly onto the flourite black sand. Once there it has multiplied nicely without attention.

Jim


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## beedee (Jul 1, 2010)

^ i recently did that too. with my hc, that i'm dsm, i had a larger clump in the back corner of my scape. i cut it up into about 8 smaller pinky-nail sized pieces and just pressed it down into my substrate. looks like it has already shot new little sprouts since i did it 3 days ago.


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## Abrium (Jan 7, 2011)

I have a tiny, tiny bit and it really hasn't moved.


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## mfurufuru (Mar 20, 2012)

just got some hc. gonna rake the challenge.


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