Plants root well and grow healthily when all their necessities are fulfilled in the growing stage. Once they root and establish themselves, they continue growing even with little care. As land plants require soil, water, and sunlight to perform photosynthesis and grow, aquarium plants also have similar needs. However, when it comes to growing plants under water artificially, you need to maintain specific parameters for healthy and quick growth.
From the right amount of light and temperature to the fixed range of water alkalinity and fertilizers, everything needs to be provided to get the best result. Often beginners wonder when their aquarium plants will establish in the tank, and are there any way to speedup their rooting and establishing process?
This article will provide you with the information that will help you understand the biology of the rooting of aquarium plants and how adding a few things and adjusting a few parameters can hasten the process.
When does a plant root in an aquarium?
There is no exact answer to this because every plant grows at a different rate. However, usually aquatic plants should root within 2 weeks of sowing the seed. This happens only when all the conditions and water parameters, such as temperature, lighting, nutrients, and carbon dioxide, etc. are aligned with the plant’s growth and requirement. On average, it takes 2 months for aquatic plants to grow and flourish.
Once the roots have emerged, the plant start to develop leaves and gradually turn your tank to a lush green aquascape. Here, it is important to mention that these milestones are achieved only when the water parameters are within the range of the plant’s requirements.
Major types of aquarium plants
There are different types of aquarium plants with different needs and requirements for growth and development. When the aquarists are accustomed to the plant’s prerequisites for growth, it becomes easy for them to speed up their growth, right from rooting to flowering.
Below are the types of aquarium plants-
- Floating plants– As the name indicates, floating plants grow on the surface of water. They do not require substrate to grow and have small roots that hang below the water surface. Usually, they need full to partial sunlight. Some common floating aquarium plants are water lettuce and duckweed.
- Rooted floating plants– Like floating plants, they also prefer to grow floating on the water surface; however, their roots are big and grow in substrate. Growing in shallow water, their leaves protrude above of water surface and float. For example, water lilies, hornwort, and American pondweed.
- Submerged plants– Every plant that can grow inside water is called a submerged plant. However, it is not necessary that they need a substrate to grow. While some plants may require, others can grow attaching to driftwood, aquarium décor items, etc. Some popular submerged aquarium plants are Brazilian waterweed, Anubias, Java Fern, and many types of mosses like Christmas Moss, Java Moss, etc.
- Emergent Plants– Plants that are grown on substrate, but they outgrow the tank. The stem and leaves grow outside the tank, becoming the focal point of the open-top tanks. Such plants always need substrate as well as sunlight to show the best results. Sagittaria sagittifolia ‘Flore Pleno’ is an example of such an emergent plant.
The requirements of each group of plants are different, and when they are provided, they grow healthily and quickly. So, when you understand what type of aquarium plants you have in your tank, speeding their rooting and sprouting becomes easy.
Tips to hasten the growth of aquarium plants
Right from adjusting the alkalinity and temperature of aquarium plants to providing important nutrients– everything counts when you want healthy growth. Besides, adding carbon dioxide, root tabs, and liquid fertilizers also prove to be highly beneficial when it comes to hastening the rooting process.
Additional Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide improves aquatic vegetation to a great extent. While it is not necessary for normal growth, supplementing will only do good for the plants in the tank. Starting using it right from the day you put the plants in water will give astounding results.
According to aquarists, giving carbon dioxide to plants helps them grow 5 to 10 times faster. Thus, it can make a huge difference when you are setting up the aquascape. You can add CO2 in different ways like using pressurized bottles that create CO2 bubbles in the tank or a CO2 pump.
You also need to keep an eye on the level of CO2 in the water. It is essential to maintain a constant amount, as too many fluctuations can kill the plants.
Nutrient-rich substrate
Giving nutrient-rich substrate to the aquarium plants with a rooting system takes you one step closer to speeding up their growth and development. Firstly, planting them in substrate like fine gravel or coarse sand will weigh them down. Secondly, adding root tabs to the substrate will help the plant get all the essential nutrients that it requires for growth.
Using aquarium soil as substrate provides enough nutrients to the growing plants. In such cases, there is no need to add root tabs. However, the only downside of using aquarium soil is, it makes water muddy and murky.
Adding fertilizers
In tank setups, fish excreta, leftover food particles, dead and decaying plant materials, etc., fulfil the need for minerals to the plants. However, this alone is not sufficient for their growth. If you want your aquatic plant to keep growing and spreading, adding liquid fertilizers is the best choice.
Usually, store bought aquarium plants are dosed with enough fertilizers that for at least 2-3 weeks, you don’t need any more supplementation. However, as they grow, adding liquid fertilizers as per the requirements of every plant becomes essential.
If you are growing the plants directly from seed, you can add aquatic plant food, which is readily available in plant stores and online. These plants come equipped with all the magnesium, potassium, sulfur, iron, calcium, zinc, and other minerals that your plants need to grow strong roots and photosynthesize healthily.
Adjusting Light
Light is one of the necessities of plants to grow, and aquarium plants are no exception. If the natural habitat of aquatic plants is on the river and creek banks, they would require a good amount of sunlight in an aquarium setup. Likewise, aquatic plants with lush green or colorful leaves also need a good amount of sunlight to bring vibrant colors to their leaves.
So, whether you are growing floating plants, rooted floating plants, or emergent plants, giving them enough sunlight is essential to help them grow and proliferate. Most of the aquarium plants want 8 to 12 hours of light every day.
If you want to encourage strong roots, give at least 6 hours of sunlight for the first two weeks. It will also help the plant develop more and stronger leaves.
Conclusion
Maintaining a healthy planted aquarium is a task. It is mainly because each plant has its own set of requirements, and meeting them becomes essential for the plants’ health. So, right from adding nutrients to the tank to providing sufficient light is necessary. These are some of the ways through which your plants will root faster and develop a healthy root system.
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