# How do you plant Dwarf Baby Tears?



## frozenbarb

phibo said:


> I just bought some baby tears. When i go to take it out of the basket, its root is stuck to the cotton. Am I suppose to plant it in with the cotton? When i try to sperate the cotton and the baby tears, it seems like Im killing them.
> 
> Im trying to plant hair grass and baby tears. I just want to ask if its possible to plant them with out co2 and i think my lights are only putting out 2.5 watts.
> 
> I also have 2 rams, 2 cory, 3 otto in there to create poop to make co2.


What gallons is your tank and what is the wattage of your light and type of light.

Just rip it out of the cotton it won't make a different, they are stem plants and will grow back from where they were pulled off.
"Baby Tear" are stem plants 
Poop doesn't make co2 lol. For Co2 try the DIY method.

What Baby Tears are you talking about?
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ails.php?id=51&category=genus&spec=Hemianthus -HC
OR
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ails.php?id=33&category=genus&spec=Hemianthus -HM

For HC you will need co2
For HM you won't neeed it but it will help.


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## phibo

haha I was told by my LFS that fish pops produces co2 lOl.
I have a 17 gallon long tank. As for the light, I was told that i can grow marijuana with it, but of course its my LFS who told me that. I have 2 Katana T5 each one 24w/w10000k. Can i leave the cotton on it? Oh ya, the baby tears are HC


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## JustOneMore21

I would not leave the cotton/rock wool on it. Tear it off of that and separate it into small groups, then plant them. There shouldn't be too much roots on the wool.


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## frozenbarb

phibo said:


> haha I was told by my LFS that fish pops produces co2 lOl.
> I have a 17 gallon long tank. As for the light, I was told that i can grow marijuana with it, but of course its my LFS who told me that. I have 2 Katana T5 each one 24w/w10000k. Can i leave the cotton on it? Oh ya, the baby tears are HC


Lol your LFS would be so fun to have. They seem like nice people. Especially when they stock HC. My LFS would never do that.


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## phibo

So i went back and try to pull all the cotton out, but i cant get all of them out. Now my 1 basket of HC looks like nothing and i have alot of them floating around. I try to catch as much as i can and roll it into ball and dip it back into the sand. Hopefully that will work, because i already went thru 1 basket already due to my balloon Red Eye Tetra clean them out. I lost 47 bux just to get these baby tears.:frown:


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## o snap its eric

sorry to bring up an old thread but, i was told that you can leave about 1/2 to 1" of the cotton to help plant the HC. Without the cotton, its hard to plant it down securely. Are there any drawbacks to this? I too just planted a few HC in my tank.


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## cjp999

frozenbarb said:


> Poop doesn't make co2 lol. For Co2 try the DIY method.


Well it sort of does, indirectly. Poop is broken down by bacteria that produce CO2 in the process. This is basically what is going on inside your DIY CO2 bottle. It's also the same thing as what goes on in you compost pile. The carbon in the bio-material is combined with O2 to form CO2, thus reducing the bio-mass in the process. That's why compost piles get smaller over time. It's no just compaction.


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## o snap its eric

poop is known more for producing ammonia if you want to categorize poop. Answer my questions above though!!!!!!


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## brion0

Fish make CO2 by breathing just like you.


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## Ebichua

o snap its eric said:


> sorry to bring up an old thread but, i was told that you can leave about 1/2 to 1" of the cotton to help plant the HC. Without the cotton, its hard to plant it down securely. Are there any drawbacks to this? I too just planted a few HC in my tank.


You can but it's not suggested. The wool gets really messy in the long run and getting the wool out as much as possible would be better in the long run. Also, one needs to make sure that the HC needs to be on equal ground with the substrate you want it to spread to. If the wool elevates your HC too much, it won't spread effectively. (That's obvious though!)


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## Choco

Plant stem by stem 
a lot of work..but definitely gives better growth and better rooting than planting the whole clump.


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## hokuryu

Hope I'm not hijacking the thread, but I've got the same thought - I have been wanting to plant out the foreground to the left, below, allowing the C. parva to grow slowly in on the right. 











My question is over planting submerged HC in an existing tank over trying to grow it emerged from the start. 

In my tank, recent plantings of L. aromatica have been a bit problematic (but only a bit) with some of the cuttings (thanks, Maclellan) that are not yet rooted, floating away after some time - I've got a Fluval 205 goosed, along with a Mini-elite as a reactor, and I think the flow in the tank is fairly strong. 

I've got 65W PC over this 20H, injected CO2, EI. Again, I hope I haven't hijacked this thread, but can any tell me if it is a losing battle to try to plant HC in an established tank?


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## Choco

I don't see a problem with planting HC in an established tank.

The pics I posted the above, the HC was planted after the tank has been running for around 2 months (I set up the tank but didnt' have time to plant the HC for 2 months..)

It turned out great. The 3rd pic was <40 days after planting the HC.

I am definitely not a fan of emerged growth.
I have tried growing HC 2x submerged & 1x emerged. 
On both submerged occasion, the HC turned out great. I got a thick and bushy carpet.
on the emerged occasion, I barely had any growth, the leafs & stem looked small and weak. When I fill up the tank 1.5 months later, more than half of the HC was gone within a week. That's just my experience


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## hokuryu

Choco said:


> I don't see a problem with planting HC in an established tank.
> 
> The pics I posted the above, the HC was planted after the tank has been running for around 2 months (I set up the tank but didnt' have time to plant the HC for 2 months..)
> 
> It turned out great. The 3rd pic was <40 days after planting the HC.
> 
> I am definitely not a fan of emerged growth.
> I have tried growing HC 2x submerged & 1x emerged.
> On both submerged occasion, the HC turned out great. I got a thick and bushy carpet.
> on the emerged occasion, I barely had any growth, the leafs & stem looked small and weak. When I fill up the tank 1.5 months later, more than half of the HC was gone within a week. That's just my experience


LOL - your water was so clear I thought that was emerged growth....

Good info, thanks, Choco. It occurs to me that I wanted to add an additional member to the tank, an albino bristlenose. Does it make sense to hold off on adding that bristlenose until the HC has established its root system, or is the fish gentle enough over the bottom that it wouldn't likely uproot the new plantings?

Also, another noob question - I have used my hands for all of my plantings - and far too often, uprooted existing plants just to get a hole for my new plant. So I end up either moving, like a bulldozer, a lot of substrate around, or dumping additional substrate to anchor plants - and I'm about out of all the height I want to add in the bottom. 

People mention tweezers all the time - sorry for the question - how does one actually use the tweezers? Do you dig a hole with your hand, grasp the plant with tweezers and hold the plant while you place it and overlay with substrate, or are tweezers used to gently push a plant down through the substrate (or would that kill fragile root systems)? 

I'm sure it's a naive question, but I'm considering getting a pair of long tweezers and scissors, just want to know how I'm supposed to used them (the tweezers - I get the scissors, LOL).


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## Choco

hokuryu said:


> LOL - your water was so clear I thought that was emerged growth....
> 
> Good info, thanks, Choco. It occurs to me that I wanted to add an additional member to the tank, an albino bristlenose. Does it make sense to hold off on adding that bristlenose until the HC has established its root system, or is the fish gentle enough over the bottom that it wouldn't likely uproot the new plantings?
> 
> Also, another noob question - I have used my hands for all of my plantings - and far too often, uprooted existing plants just to get a hole for my new plant. So I end up either moving, like a bulldozer, a lot of substrate around, or dumping additional substrate to anchor plants - and I'm about out of all the height I want to add in the bottom.
> 
> People mention tweezers all the time - sorry for the question - how does one actually use the tweezers? Do you dig a hole with your hand, grasp the plant with tweezers and hold the plant while you place it and overlay with substrate, or are tweezers used to gently push a plant down through the substrate (or would that kill fragile root systems)?
> 
> I'm sure it's a naive question, but I'm considering getting a pair of long tweezers and scissors, just want to know how I'm supposed to used them (the tweezers - I get the scissors, LOL).


I don't have any experience with the fish you mention, but newly planted HC gets uprooted fairly easily, so I would definitely hold off on fish that move glide on the tank bottom first.

I definitely wouldn't use you hand to plant hc stem by stem. 
I didn't dig a hole when I plant the HC. I just hold the stem with a tweezers and push it into the substrate. Pushing in is very easy, taking the tweezer out without bring the plant with you is a little bit more tricky, but it shouldn't be too difficult if you take the time to do it.


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## zavikan

*hmmm*

I have generic gravel from Petco (this aquarium has gotten high end rather quickly...but some things are left over..) attempting to plant it one by one seemed like an insane idea. I had 3 pots of it (lfs sells this stuff for 5 bucks a pot). I just kinda broke up the pots into longer strips, but its still basicly a big hunk. I put a few pebbles on top of the hc corners to hold it down. nothing has messed with it in a few days. I realize this is the inefficient way of growing it, but im hoping it will still spread. what kind of time we talkin here? as long as I can notice progress, I can be happy


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## Bugman

While it is recommended to remove the rock wool from most plants, it is actually recommended by some that you leave on a little with HC. Check out this vid from Tropica. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44cDbR2YvK4&feature=channel_page near the end of the vid they show their method of planting HC. Makes a lot of sense.

If you aren't familar with Tropica, they are one of the largest aquatic plants producers in Europe.


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## ZooTycoonMaster

Bugman said:


> While it is recommended to remove the rock wool from most plants, it is actually recommended by some that you leave on a little with HC. Check out this vid from Tropica. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44cDbR2YvK4&feature=channel_page near the end of the vid they show their method of planting HC. Makes a lot of sense.
> 
> If you aren't familar with Tropica, they are one of the largest aquatic plants producers in Europe.


At 5:01, to be exact


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## hokuryu

Great video, thanks. 

After thinking on this, I think I'm holding off on the HC or carpet cover for my next tank (or a rescape of this tank), and I plan on doing it correctly - along with a much higher wattage, and, generally, a much more planned aquascape. So far, although everything else in the tank seems to be proceeding apace - L. aromatica screaming (in a few days only - knock on wood, seems this is a real weed in my tank), all my other crypts doing well, the C. parva seems to be growing very, very slowly, if at all. I'm sniffing a complete re-scape in the near future....for now, the only other additions will be an additional C. beckettii and some flame moss; more amano shrimp; and an albino bristlenose. I'll depend on propagation from existing plants in the scape above to fill things out. 

Side note - I know crypts tend to melt if uprooted and moved - and this re-scape would mean these crypts will have been transported/moved several times. If I rescape, float these plants during the several hours of the rescape, and replant them - should I expect a good deal of melt, or outright die off?


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## Bugman

> L. aromatica screaming (in a few days only - knock on wood, seems this is a real weed in my tank)


like a weed in my tanks also. Got 3 stems from the swap and shop a few months ago and now have it in 4 tanks and a bunch of clippings in my grow out tank.



> the C. parva seems to be growing very, very slowly, if at all.


Just got some C. parva a few days ago so no experience, but from all I have read it is a very slow grower.



> Side note - I know crypts tend to melt if uprooted and moved - and this re-scape would mean these crypts will have been transported/moved several times. If I rescape, float these plants during the several hours of the rescape, and replant them - should I expect a good deal of melt, or outright die off?


I have moved crypts in the same tank with great success. I have ordered crypts and let them sit in a holding tub of water for several days so I think you will be ok. There is always a strong chance they will experience at the minimun a little melting if not complete but it is rare that I haven't had them come back strong. Root tabs are a big help since they are strong root feeders.


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## exv152

*planting HC*

Since this thread is about planting dwarf baby tears, here has been my experience so far. I bought four baskets of the stuff, and planted three in a large 75 gal and one in a 37 gal (both have CO2) and I came up with an idea that hopefully may help someone looking to plant this awesome foreground plant. I had some extra chicken type mesh hanging around the house, and by removing most of the wool, and managing to keep them in relative good sized clumps, they seem to be doing ok...so far

















'
It's only been two days since I planted them, any feedback would be appreciated.


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## Bugman

Pretty cool idea. Only one problem I see. Do you plan on leaving the mesh? Once the HC grows through the top of the mesh it may become difficult to remove it without uprooting the HC.


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## exv152

No, I'm not going to leave it in that long, only long enough for some of the roots to begin to take. I'm thinking 2-3 weeks. Not sure though, maybe there's someone who knows better.


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## DC_84

I planted my new tank with HC stem by stem. I'm using CO2 and they are growing new leaves rapidly over the past weeks, but the leaves progressively turn brownish/spotted after a few days but the stems continue to grow new green leaves. I bought some Seachem Flourish...do you think I should be dose some fertilizers too?

All I have planted so far are dwarf hairgrass, HC and a few rocks with fissidens fontanus. I don't want to overload the tank with nutrients. The hairgrass looks healthy and turned very green and seem to be doing well, and the mosses are starting to stand upright.

The tank is a ADA Mini-M which I think is like 5 gallons or something. I have 36watts of 6500K lighting.


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## exv152

Dosing potassium is always a good idea, that along with iron, in heavily planted tanks are always in short supply. In your case, you're dealing with 5 gal, and if everything is growing well I wouldn't change it. It may be a good idea to test for phosphates & nitrates a couple of times a month, that way you can always adjust accordingly. But 36 watts of 6500k for a 5 gallon seems a bit high though, you may get some algae growth with that.


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## rbarn

Tom Barr has a sticky at BarrReport about growing dry first, then filling tank.


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## wakesk8r

I just replanted my lawn in my 29 gal. I did the stem by stem method and with the rockwool in a couple spots. i'll post pics later.
I have used the stem by stem method in the past with great results. It does take longer to plant but seems like it fills in and sends out runners faster than if planted in a clump.


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## kc2ped

I have a BioCube 14 and got a pot of Dwarf Baby Tears to use as foreground cover. I an uneasy about putting the shipping media in the tank so have been peeling it off potted plants before planting them. This is a big job with Baby Tears as the roots are so short. But I got it all done and divided my plants into three clumps which I tried to plant in the Flourite substrate. I found that there wasn't enough root to get them planted and when I was lucky enough to get a few roots planted as soon as the plant started pearling they floated free. I came up with the expedient of placing a few of the large pebbles I was using as a central accent on top of the mat of Baby Tears. After a few days the plant roots had enough hold that I could remove the pebbles and the plants were none the worse for the wear. And now that they are rooted and spreading out over that corner of the aquarium they no longer pearl.


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## gagaliya

I am about to throw this whole ()$*()@ thing out and break my tank. It's impossible to plant those HC in my biocube, i tried turning off the filter, lower the water level, and used a tweezer. It keeps floating to the top no matter what!!! 

Can i use some aquarium sealant and superglue this whole $#*($&*(# thing to the eco complete?


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## Aquazan

Choco said:


> Plant stem by stem
> a lot of work..but definitely gives better growth and better rooting than planting the whole clump.


So sorry to bring up this old thread, but the photos of your HC tank was so amazing I had to 

I wanted to know what lighting you had on the tank, and if you had Co2? 

I am planning to make an HC carpet, so I just wanted to ask for any tips you might have had to get as much success as you were getting


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## elvisr29

*Baby Tears*

I talk about everything here......


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## Piscolero

Choco said:


> I don't see a problem with planting HC in an established tank.
> 
> The pics I posted the above, the HC was planted after the tank has been running for around 2 months (I set up the tank but didnt' have time to plant the HC for 2 months..)
> 
> It turned out great. The 3rd pic was <40 days after planting the HC.
> 
> I am definitely not a fan of emerged growth.
> I have tried growing HC 2x submerged & 1x emerged.
> On both submerged occasion, the HC turned out great. I got a thick and bushy carpet.
> on the emerged occasion, I barely had any growth, the leafs & stem looked small and weak. When I fill up the tank 1.5 months later, more than half of the HC was gone within a week. That's just my experience


You are using co2 in the tank?


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## Urban Farmin'

My HC came in a petri dish without roots anchored to anything. How do I plant them?


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## rstampa

I had the same problem. Drove me crazy trying to keep them from floating around etc. I was told from the grower that I should just keep them in the basket. They will grow out and a spread like a carpet. I have not tried this yet but just a suggestion.


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