So I started my first emersed set up today. Not many plants in there for now as I ran out of pots, for some dub reason I thought 8 would fill up my tank I was using, I then decided I liked the tank and used the smaller yellow tub which is still not full :facepalm:

Anywhom, I have a few more crypts to go in and some Echinadorus. I also want to grow Anubias, Java fern species and moss species in a separate set up fairly soon. I may also try other things I have extras of.

Expect plenty of WTB posts as I try to increase my collection of these plants (If anyone wants to do a plant swap please let me know)

Day one:

Have you been buying them emersed or just using submerged growth?

Keen to hear how it goes :thup:

These are all "extras" that I have had pop up submerged

nice project mate cant wait for more pics and setup info

So currently this is just a yellow plastic tub with an air stone inside it.Lighting is an Aquaone twin four foot light unit, which is wasting light as I do not have a 2 foot unit.After playing around for a few hours and realising I am out of space in here I am considering doing a rack with a few of these tubs/tanks.

Pots have Daltons potting mix then Daltons Aquatic Soil and then topped off with potting mix again.

Anubias and javas are growing on rock wool.

I need to work out a way of increasing the humidity in the tub. Currently I am spraying some water in the tub in the morning.

OK, you asked for more pics so here you go...

I appear to have either a white mold developing. How do I avoid this?

More air flow?

Less humidity.

I used to grow them in a glasshouse with virtually no humidity. The need for it is a fallacy and only makes for more problems. The roots do need to be wet.

OK, so if I remove the air line and stop squirting water on them twice a week that should do the trick?

Also should I be putting some flourish or something similar into the water for ferts or should the daltons o that job for me?

I worked on the theory that they were aquatic plants that were going to become glasshouse pot plants so I grew them in black magic potting mix and kept the roots wet. I grew just about every type of Echinodorus available and a lot of the "more aquatic" stem plants such as Rotala and Heteranthera. I stayed away from most of the very large Echinodorus sp.and the stem plants that were not easy to convert to submersed growth. Just grow them like pot plants and the hassle goes away. There are a few that need high humidity such as Java ferns and Anubius, also the true aquatics such as twisted val, ambulia and cabomba. The only plant I am growing at the moment is Cardamine lyrata which I have in a terrarium with newts and growing very well with light from a cool white energy saver bulb.

Pot plants, never grown them. The only gardening I do is fruit trees and water based plants.

Ok, I will set up another tub for my anubias and javas so the humidity can be higher.

Just remember if you suddenly change any conditions that the crypts are kept in you are likely to have a case of melt and this will slow your progress. When I did mine I had them in a large tank with the pots in water but never sprayed them or wet the leaves. In fact any leave that got wet tended to melt. You have prob already seen my historic thread on here I assume

Treat them like you would plants in the garden, except the roots need to be well watered. I used to water them and let the excess run to waste but if you are watering them in a tray of water you would be best to aerate the water and just have water in the base of the pot so the roots get aerated.

Thanks guys!

Yes Supasi, I have looked over that thread many a time as well as looking at the video on you tube and your blog ( I hope I got the right person) it was kinda the bench mark or reason behind this.

I will stop watering them now. And leave as is.

Thanks all

If it's possible give them some breeze to let the leaves dry out. Auckland's climate at this time of year is similar to what you have been giving your plants. If I use the sprinkler on my strawberries etc I am careful to let the leaves dry out before covering them otherwise they become covered in the white mildew.

Like a mini fan?

The leaf structure of a leaf grown in high humidity is very similar to submersed growth so if you change to a dry environment you will have to do it gradually because the leaves are then different. I used to convert them to emersed by allowing submersed growth to become emersed in shallow water. Many plants like Echinodorus sp. or crypts have a well developed root system where you can cut off the submersed leaves and allow new growth to be emersed. There is the risk that you may lose some but you will find that they will propagate quicker and you can make hybrids by cross pollinating the flowers. You can also grow plants from seeds or identify crypts by the flowers

you can make hybrids by cross pollinating the flowers. You can also grow plants from seeds or identify crypts by the flowers

Both of these are the long term plan

If you grow echinodorus sp. from cross pollinated seeds they will not all be the same so you will have to decide the best ones to continue with.

White mold has seemed to have disappeared in the hole. Most of the original leaves have melted off and most plants have begun to regrown new ones.

I have taken all of the stems out and added them to another, and have a few more crypts, anubias and swords to add over the week when I get a few more containers.

Woops forgot to send those swords... Looking good though! :cophot:

I used to grow them in a glasshouse with virtually no humidity. The need for it is a fallacy and only makes for more problems. The roots do need to be wet.

Do you have any photos of said set up??

I think i have found a greenhouse that should do the job Did you have your in full sun or part sun? Did it stay warm enough through the winter?

Did you have plants in individual pots or in in large mixed containers?

Anything else I should know or you would like to share?

Just built a small glasshouse and grew them in individual pots for Echinodorus sp. and larger ones for stem plants. brought them all inside during winter under artificial light as not worth heating the glasshouse.

So I am taking from that a glasshouse would not stay warm enough over winter? I have never had a greenhouse so I am unsure of how warm they stay.

Also, you say humidity is not such a big deal, do you think that my tub of stems would grow fine inside the fish room (around 30 degrees) without a glass lid on it then?