# Dwarf Hairgrass tips



## sjb1987 (Feb 23, 2012)

I have dhg Belem I think it's slower than regular ole dhg and mine took off... in a week or so I could see new sprigs comin up


----------



## aweeby (Oct 1, 2011)

it's torturous to plant it in an established tank. it does help slightly if you don't separate it too much, although you are sacrificing a lot in carpetting speed. If you have coarse gravel, it's like 10x worse. I feel your pain. 

That said, I never did find an easy way to plant it and KEEP it planted without having to resort to something ridiculously complicated. If you can try it, I am a big fan of the dry start method. If you can't do that, I'd take out the fish for a bit, and if the dhg isn't dying, just let it establish roots for a bit, then put the fish back in. Or, if you can't remove the fish right away, try removing the DHG. Put it in a well sealed plastic container with very very wet potting soil and leave it under a good light until you can relocate the fish. within a month, it's biomass should double and it should become healthier to boot.


----------



## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

One needs to plant DHG to truly appreciate a full carpet of this plant when one sees it.


----------



## dmagerl (Feb 2, 2010)

After watching mine grow up against the tank glass, it appears that shoots sprout from runners fairly deep in the gravel. I mean as much as an inch below the surface.

Normally we've been taught to keep the crown of a plant at the gravel surface, but I've been planting it much deeper than that to keep the fish from uprooting it and it still grows just fine.


----------



## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

DogFIsh, boy are you right XD
2.5 hours, it wasn't even that much dhg lol
however, I am proud to say that as of now, only 1 crown is floating, and considering I am attempting this with large cichlids (I know, I'm asking for this to be torture lol) I am relatively pleased 
I am finding that simply because of how you have to trim the tops that the plant ends up under the gravel when its disturbed anyways, so its good to hear that it is able to pop up from deeper under the gravel
btw, I am doing this in a substrate of eco complete topped off with some old larger reddish gravel (I just like the look tbh/why not)
I am going to get around to starting a journal one of these days for the tank too, since I'm noticing that I am going to need a lot of help with brainstorming ideas lol


----------



## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

What's your fert regime like?


----------



## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

Next try planting dwarf baby tears ....


----------



## anubiasnick (Mar 20, 2011)

To discorage uprooters I just push it under the substrate like a seed its grows in quite fast under the right lighting and I have it in all my tanks some are real pretty low on the lighting spectrum ,its a hardy bugger try planting some in a small aquarium and put outside or in windowsill sunlight makes it grow crazy! then you have extra for the bits u missed also regular trimming keeps it throwing more runner out , soon you will have everywhere but your ears seriously brilliant plant


----------



## dj2606 (Mar 27, 2009)

OVT said:


> Next try planting dwarf baby tears ....


+1

or even UG


----------



## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

UG=what again?
I tried planting baby tears once, not individually though, jus tin little cut out sections, still was a nightmare lol

as far as my fertilization regime, tbh, I'm working on finding a good one
I have some stuff that I can dose weekly or so, a couple of flourish products basically, but I really want to look into dry ferts since this is a high light set-up that is going to be needing a lot of ferts and probably co2 when I can work that out (probably not soon either)

Its a high light 75 gallon tank, substrate is eco complete, if that changes anything
want to suggest ferts and regimes for them to me? cause I need help there for sure


----------



## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

I recommend root caps of some sort. Also is this tank already high light? Because without the CO2 you're going to get algae.


----------



## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

It is already hi light
No algae as of yet, just some on the sides of the glass which I couldnt care less about
Will be figuring out the CO2 thing when time and money permits though


----------



## cahoosier (Jun 8, 2012)

I've tied (not tightly) cotton thread around plants that tend to uproot easily. That method and the use of tweezers has been more successful and less frustrating. The thread keeps the tiny stems together and provides more horizontal friction to keep the plant in the gravel. The thread also serves as a visual clue that the plant is coming up.


----------



## jcgd (Feb 18, 2004)

I planted my foreground on my 165 in minutes by draining it to the substrate. Makes it easy as pie. The soil is just too light when it's under water. When I filled it not a single plug floated up.


----------

