Re: java moss and fern

[Tony K]

"Benjamin Brizzell" > wrote in message
7...
> Today I received some Java moss from an internet retailer and I am unsure
> of how to plant it. Right now I have it sitting on the gravel and it
looks
> really ugly. Maybe this is just because it is not established yet. What
> are your recommendations?
>
> Also, I purchased a Java fern and I understand that it should not be
> planted in gravel. Is this really the case? I think it looks great in
the
> gravel but I don't want it to die. Thank you.
>
> --Ben

Java Fern can be planted in gravel but the rhizome must never be covered by
the gravel or it will rot and die.

Tony

[RedForeman ©®]

"Benjamin Brizzell" > wrote in message
7...
> Today I received some Java moss from an internet retailer and I am unsure
> of how to plant it. Right now I have it sitting on the gravel and it
looks
> really ugly. Maybe this is just because it is not established yet. What
> are your recommendations?
>
> Also, I purchased a Java fern and I understand that it should not be
> planted in gravel. Is this really the case? I think it looks great in
the
> gravel but I don't want it to die. Thank you.
>
> --Ben

Java moss, the clump of stuff you have, won't look pretty until it's
attached to something with either fishing line, thread, staple, or whatever
you can come up with, and soon it'll be thriving well... The Java Fern, just
loosely tie a string/line around something and attach it... I just place it
in the gravel and pull up until the rhyzome is exposed, soon it'll be
attached to the gravel and it'll be thriving well too....

[LeighMo]

>Today I received some Java moss from an internet retailer and I am unsure
>of how to plant it. Right now I have it sitting on the gravel and it looks
>really ugly. Maybe this is just because it is not established yet. What
>are your recommendations?
>

Java moss tends to be a mess if not attached to something, especially in a
brightly lit tank. Others have already suggested stapling it to wood or tying
it to rocks. Some people also grow it on the background of the tank. (On
cork, or on needlepoint mesh.) It makes a very pretty background.

My friend had some in planted horse trough she had in her backyard. It grew
out of the water, straight up the side of the trough, and over the edge. It
was gorgeous.

>Also, I purchased a Java fern and I understand that it should not be
>planted in gravel. Is this really the case? I think it looks great in the
>gravel but I don't want it to die. Thank you.

The rhizome -- that horizontal "root" -- should be above the gravel, or it
might rot. One trick for planting java fern is to tie it to a small rock.
That way, you can easily move the plant if you want to, even after it's
attached. You can bury the rock under the gravel (as long as you make sure the
rhizome isn't buried), if you don't want it showing.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Benjamin Brizzell]

I'd like to thank everybody for the advice on my new plants. This
newsgroup is great. Thank you.

--Ben

[rogermackk]

Java moss is often a mess, and if something does not add, particularly in brightly lit tanks. Others have suggested binding wood or stone tied to it. Some people also plant it in the background of the tank. (In the cork, or tip the grid.) It makes a very beautiful background.