# can java fern be planted on sand?



## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

ok, I know somebody got to have done this before. Can Java Fern be planted on sand substrate without attaching it to something?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Why don't you just attach it to something? You can easily just tie it to a small rock with some fishing line or dental floss. I don't think that the Java fern roots will hold onto the sand very well at all.


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## manntetra (Feb 18, 2010)

You need to keep the root zone above the sand and it should be fine, but it is best to attach it to something.


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

I was going to go with a narrow leaf/needle leaf java as a background if it can be planted in sand. Kind of similar to having vals, but having a slightly different texture. Also, java are more hardy compared to vals, and thus the reason to have it root on sand instead of something else.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

You can still accomplish your goal, but you will need to tie the ferns to a bunch of small rocks and then line the rocks up against the back of your tank. You can hide about half - 3/4 of the rocks in the substrate, as long as the rhizomes are above the substrate the ferns should be fine, IME.


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## deleted_user_9 (Feb 28, 2009)

My java fern came rooted into a piece of coconut moss, so I threaded the mat with fishing line and weighted it with a sinker. The sinker is buried under the sand, and the plants have been doing well for about four months now.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

What I did was attach the ferns to small twigs using fishing line or super glue gel. Then stick each twig vertically into the substrate leaving the rhizomes exposed, above the substrate. Keep doing this until you have yourself a nice bush or whatever form you're going for. Whatever you do, don't bury the rhizomes or the fern will eventually die.


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## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

you can grow java fern in space on an asteroid. lol

on a serious note, put a small pile of sand on a table, put some super glue on it, put some more sand, some more glue, more sand, more glue, add java fern, and sprinkle sand over it an voila!

java fern rooted in sand that will not float away


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## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

it cant float away... its super glued to the table.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

If your java fern has roots already, you can put/push the roots (not the rhizome) into your sand. Orient it parallel to the back of the tank so the rhizome grows in the direction you wish. If it doesn't have sufficient roots to bury, stick it to something as advised above.


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## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

timwag2001 said:


> it cant float away... its super glued to the table.


Key here is base layer sand lol, not base layer glue


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## keithy (Jun 8, 2010)

timwag2001 said:


> it cant float away... its super glued to the table.


thanks tim, that made my day! lol. 

thank you all for the suggestions, I think I will go with the twig idea and see what happens. Hopefully, I will have a wall of java ferns.


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

I have java fern in sand and it seems to be fine. Since I have a ton of it I am not worried that the rizome is beneath the surface of the sand by a little bit. Doesn't seem to affect it at all(for now).


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