# DHG won't stay planted



## jan db (Dec 20, 2011)

Does anyone have any tips to keep hairgrass rooted? I do have bottom dwellers that I'm sure are disturbing them and wondered if anyone had a trick to keep them down until they're rooted?


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## nilocg (Jul 12, 2010)

Just takes some patience, just keep replanting them. Eventually they will root in.


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

MORE INFO IS NEEDED! with smaller types of sands it will do much better than river pebbles, if your using sand then take a few handfulls out and after your done planting just sprinkle it on top to help, thats how i do it when messing with my carpet as when i thin it out or trim sections to allow for new growth it can lift/seperate from the ground just sprinkle the sand on top and brush it in done the roots will re anchor back down in no time. also with bottom dwellers or anything moving the substrate it might be best to plants in more dense areas an have a few "trails" for them to use if u dont have any ive noticed that can help minimize uprooting.


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## victorp (Sep 3, 2012)

you might just need heaveier substrate


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## jan db (Dec 20, 2011)

I have flourite and gravel over a sand cap, soil,vermiculite etc below. I could easily add more sand over the top. That may be a good idea.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

You can't have newly planted dhg with bottom dwellers. 
Maybe you can grow the dhg somewhere else until they form a mat. Then move the mat into the tank.


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

You can have new dhg an botton dwellers but might take a little more effort to do it. Leaving a small path can really help also florite sucks imo vs a fine sand for thick ground covers why this is now coal slag had exactly what u used and wasnt pleased vs this the root growth/structure alone is much much better/thicker more fine hairs rathe than anchoring roots which will vary per tank specs. Here is a pic of newly planted dhg old growth on the right you should see the diff. If you still have the issue an want to keep the sub try using larger sections to plant.

if you have a fish that loves to dig or mts it can be super difficult expecially with larger substrates, think of it like this the finer the sand the more surface area for the root to grab on to with larger subs they need deeper anchoring roots to keep from drifting away. hope it helps kinda explain it a little more for ya.


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## jan db (Dec 20, 2011)

Hypnotic, if I just add sand over the dhg, about 1/8" higher than the current substrate will that hurt/rot it?


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## ua hua (Oct 30, 2009)

I was having problems with my roselines tearing up the dhg belem I planted on a daily basis. I was replanting strands everyday. I finally just planted the dhg a little deeper and two weeks later and I haven't noticed any pieces floating up yet, but I agree that the substrate also plays a big role in how well it stays planted. Mine is planted in the foreground of my tank that uses flourite black sand.


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## flc (Sep 10, 2012)

I'm not sure this will work for your fish, but you might consider ringing the dwarf hair grass tufts with river cobbles until the plants have rooted and sent out runners. It will constrain their growth for the time being, but not as much as constantly being disturbed.

I've managed to establish a mixed carpet of Dwarf Sagittaria and Dwarf Hairgrass in Kuhli Loach tank using the cobbles as bumpers on top of fine cracked granite substrate until the original plants became established.


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## HypnoticAquatic (Feb 17, 2010)

here is another example this is some dwarf sag will grow large or small due to tank specs light,co2,etcetc. this is how the plant has naturally grown havent touched this in months but u can see how deep the plant grows then comes up to make sure it has a solid base to grow from, i could show u dgh again but its all the same an kinda nice to see that other plants can and do grow naturally like this. the only thing that might give you issues is depending on the sand some that have mixed fine/coarse can and tend to have more anerobic areas vs not having mixed sizes just from my experiance. 

if all else fails then make a cage out of some stainless steel mesh until it roots might look ugly for a short while but for a last ditched effort it could very well be worth it in the long run.


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