# Dwarf Hair Grass Carpet



## G0rkhe (Mar 3, 2014)

Hi,
I am new to planted tanks. I was planning on doing a little planted scape to my aquarium. Currently I have lots of *jungle val* for the corner and background, *java fern* on a driftwood and a little patch of *dwarf sag* in one corner. I just ordered a bunch of *DHG* and wanted to carpet the rest of the unplanted area with that. I have read and heard about how it is best to plant the DHG (correct me if im wrong but "take as little hair as possible and spread it as evenly and thickly as possible and then cut it to about 1 cm above the substrate.") I have a sand substrate so I plant to use osmocote root tabs for my substrate but I do not know what water column fertilzer/s to use. I know I can't use florish excel because it melts the jungle val I have. 

Do you have any advice for me? What would be very good water column fertilizer for DHG as well as my jungle val, java fern and dwarf sag?

P.S. I can't grow it emersed because the tank already established.

Thanks!!

Tank size: 10 gal
Lighting : 2 x 23 watt 6500k cfl with clip on desk lamps
DIY CO2
Sand Substrate with Osmocote root tabs


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

You are pretty close on how to plant DHG. There is a video on YouTube that shows that step by step. I think it's by Green Machine?

Fertilization wise, do read stickies at the top of Fertilization section of this forum - there is more info there then anybody needs . 

v3


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

Yeah check out http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com

Also use that same name and do a youtube video search. He has some really great videos there. :hihi:


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

*Youtube Link*


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

No need to cut it when you first plant it. Let it get established first and form some runners before you trim it.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

I'd cut the tops if it was grown emersed though, that's my two cents


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## G0rkhe (Mar 3, 2014)

The greenmachine is where i learned how to plant these. I am new to this forum. What are stickies?


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## G0rkhe (Mar 3, 2014)

Very nice set ups Monster and Hybridherp. What fertilizers do you guys use for your tanks?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

G0rkhe said:


> Very nice set ups Monster and Hybridherp. What fertilizers do you guys use for your tanks?


Thanks. I haven't really updated those links but I used dirt, root tabs, and dry ferts.


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## G0rkhe (Mar 3, 2014)

After doing some research about dry ferts, I was thinking may be NPK and CSM + B. Do you think that is a good idea?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

G0rkhe said:


> After doing some research about dry ferts, I was thinking may be NPK and CSM + B. Do you think that is a good idea?


Add a separate source of chelated iron and GH booster if your water is soft and you should be set.


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## darkmark (Jan 31, 2014)

Thought I'd post here instead of opening a new thread.

I did DSM with some DHG for about 3 weeks, everything was lush and green. Shortly after filling the tank EVERYTHING started yellowing. After filling, I am doing basic Seachem Flourish Dosing 
http://www.seachem.com/support/PlantDoseChart.pdf

Some of the DHG patches are sprouting new green shoots, should I be going in and trimming all yellowing grass, leaving only the new green shoots?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

What kind of substrate are you using? The emersed grass will slowly die back but since the grass is already established, new growth should pop up quick. Injecting CO2 will speed up the process.


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## darkmark (Jan 31, 2014)

I'm using Mr. Aqua aquarium soil (was unable to get my hands on ADA AS), but I do have some OSMO+ root tabs under the substrate.

I'm only dosing Excel for my co2 needs, hope it all comes together. The yellowing of the DHG was immediate and only a day or 2 after filling. should i trim the yellow blades or let it work itself back?

btw, thanks for all your help, TPT has really been a blessing (all the tips) and a curse (always tempting me to spend more $)


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Excel might work, depending on how strong your light is. Not sure about Mr. Aqua aquarium soil but the osmocote+ should be alright. How big of a tank is this and how many osmocote+ capsules did you use? Though the fact that the leaves turned yellow shortly after flooding is probably a cause for concern. Whenever I'd flood my dwarf hairgrass after a dry start, the emersed grass would still survive under water for quite some time. When they finally did start to die off, the plant had already shot up fully aquatic leaves.


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## darkmark (Jan 31, 2014)

Yeah, i'm thinking i may have just lost most of my DHG and wasted a 3 week DSM... 

it's actually a Fluval Spec V, i have about 10 capsules of osmo+ under the substrate. The Mr. Aqua soil seems to be a bootleg version of ADA AS, and is my first time using it. hard to find reviews on it, but some say it has similar properties to ADA AS. throughout the DSM, the DHG tripled in density..but flooding the tank did it in (probably 90% started yellowing quickly)

I'll see what I can save and maybe consider a less tricky carpet plant (if that exists). thanks for your comments!


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

You used too many Osmocote+. The ammonia from the osmocote+ probably burned your grass.


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## darkmark (Jan 31, 2014)

Monster Fish said:


> You used too many Osmocote+. The ammonia from the osmocote+ probably burned your grass.


dammit, i see. so after filling, the ammonia probably seeped out and killed it all off...

GEEZ! so i'm guessing large water changes are needed for the next couple of days....thanks for the input. lots of work ahead of me!


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Some of the grass might have survived. Do some more water changes as you suggested.


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## G0rkhe (Mar 3, 2014)

How many osmocote tabs would be good? Like for say 10 gal. Is one osmocote for 2-3 bunch alright? And I'm saying osmocote, not osmocote plus since I heard osmocote has very little or no ammonia compared to plus?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

One every 3-4 square inches. Regular Osmocote has more ammonia based nitrogen. You don't need that much since it's very potent. Here's the product specification sheet for regular Osmocote:

http://www.scotts.com/smg/products/osmocote/PDF/Osmocote - O _ I Product Page.pdf

And here's the one for Osmocote+

http://www.alliedbotanical.com/pdf/Osmocote15912.pdf


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## Italionstallion888 (Jun 29, 2013)

when I planted my DHG, I put one root tab under each clump of DWG about 4-6 inches apart from each other. 6 months later I have an entire tank covered. 

For my big root feeders they get 2-3 tabs directly under them.

everything else I just space out 6 inches or so.


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## MiSo (Oct 26, 2005)

i've never seen a carpet with sand. i'm not sure how well it'll spread. 
if you're going to plant dhg, i suggest not trimming it until the plant has been given some time to acclimate. lots of ppl say to trim it after planting but in my experience with it, it's too much of a shock and the plant dies or takes a long time to recover.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

It carpeted pretty well for me with fluorite black sand. My next tank is gonna have black diamond blasting sand over dirt so I'll see how that goes.


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## G0rkhe (Mar 3, 2014)

I cut the top and planted it in the tank today. I hope it works out and doesn't die. Fingers crossed. :/


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

Any word on how it's doing?


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## boosted16v (Feb 2, 2014)

I just planted about 50 bunches in my tank, I cant keep the damn barbs from pulling it up


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

boosted16v said:


> I just planted about 50 bunches in my tank, I cant keep the damn barbs from pulling it up


Do you have a mesh you can place above it (think screen door material) with some space in-between the DHG and the mesh? Maybe hold down the corners/sides with some large stones. Just a few weeks or so until it can root. You just don't want the DHG to really start growing and become all entangled in the mesh before you can remove it. That'd be terrible :icon_conf


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