[jonathan]

I appreciate the more compact uniform growth distance the stems in this pic have for each other. How can I encourage this type of shape ? I'm starting smaller, but its still a very annoying amount of stems to individually plant. If I'm going to make the effort I want to do it the best way.

1) Should I just leave them in a bunch ?

2) Would you empty the tank for planting individuals ?

3) I've heard of people laying stems horizontally. I tried this with rotala and so far its not very uniform or predictable. The side shoots are random in distance, but maybe I'm doing something wrong ? Is this the more preferable method ?

 

[Darkblade48]

If you want compact, uniform growth, the best way is to plant each plant individually.

High light, good fertilizing and good CO2 is also essential, as expected.

Finally, using a dry start method may be less frustrating when trying to plant (and also prevents them from getting uprooted by fish, water currents, etc).

 

[OVT]

That's basically it - a stem at a time. It can drive any normal person insane. The good news is you can plant them without stripping off the bottom leaves.

There is at least one other way, arguably, a bit longer, but that will give you the result:

Get a fine SS mesh/chicken wire/hard cloth at a hardware store or on TPT.
Cut it to the footprint you want.
Thread individual stems ~1-2" long through (you can do it in a tub, kitchen sink, counter etc and in several time chunks)
Once complete, clear away the substrate, move the whole thing over and cover with substrate
The substrate covered stems will rot, but that's ok
The stems above the substrate will root
Trim the whole thing back to ~1-2" tall in a week or two

I usually have a ton of HM every couple of weeks or so. PM if you need any.

 

[tomfromstlouis]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I am one step ahead of you: I got the plant in the substrate (one at a time with tweezers) and it is growing well, but not looking anything like your picture which is my goal. I want a shrubby look but mine tends to grow horizontally with only a little vertical growth. Is this a pruning issue or a lighting one?

 

[Tinanti]

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ails.php?id=33&category=genus&spec=Hemianthus

 

[acitydweller]

I was fortunate that one of our local hobbyists was able to share this beautiful plant. Once established, it appears to grow horizontally and carpets rather quickly. If you were after the stemmy look, you might have to persist in trimming the side shoots of roots to force it to continue growing upward rather than send side growth out.

 

[R.sok]

You can plant them in a bunch of 3 about half an inch apart. That's what I did with my Rotala & it filled in nice.

Now With the cuttings I'm planting each stalk separate to encourage a thicker stem. Tweezers help a lot!