# Fertilizing emersed plants, how?



## Arturosito (16 Oct 2020)

Hello, I want to grow many of my plants emersed. I was thinking about spraying the ferts on them. What should be the dosing? How should I mix it in the sprayer? How often should I spray them.


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## zozo (16 Oct 2020)

Arturosito said:


> What should be the dosing?



This is a difficult question to answer if you like to mix your own concentration. It's also depending on the plant species. And it depends on how fast do the plants grow under the light cycle provided. Obviously fast-growing plant could use a tad more than slow-growing plants.

Example: You can buy a ready-mixed spray fertilizer solution in the garden centre, NKP 6-3-4, then you could suffice with 3 to 8ml p/L water... Spraying fertilizer can cause a burn, especially for plants with flowers it better to use a lower concentration, then for plants that do not (yet) flower.

Not getting into difficult math formulas with converting  % to ppm or mg/l etc. etc.  I always did use 25% of the recommended dosage for watering the soil with regular fertilizer solutions and see how the plants take it. Then it's always better to spray a low concentration twice a day then a too-high concentration once causing a burn.

What you could do for convenience is to use aquarium water that is fertilized. These dosages are already at a relatively lean concentration compared to fertilizer concentration recommended for potted plants and it should contain all it needs.

The other thing you need to be cautious about is Salt build up on the leaves after the water is evaporated and the fertilizer and calcium etc. salts are left. It can stain the leafs top side and block light ore it can clog the stomata at the leafs underside. Severe salt buildup can also cause a burn. To prevent this you should spray at a later time with clean demineralized water to wash all old stuff off before you spray fertilizer again.

Then one more thing, depending on provided circumstances. Start with one time a day in the morning, depending on the light intensity before lights come on. Or outdoors in the summer before the sun is highest in the sky. In high light intensity, spraying only water can also cause damage. The droplet could create a rather hot focal point, causing a burned spot. If the light is a low intensity you could spray several times a day.  Or every day with a good wash upfront.  Then again spraying too much can cause long term humidity and can cause mould. 

Keeping all points of caution in mind and find a proper fitting scheme then the plants will definitively benefit. 💪


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## PARAGUAY (16 Oct 2020)

That's a little lockdown bowl l did in March it's in a couple of inches of soil lightly misted twice a day with aquarium water. Easy plants only mistake putting hairgrass in tangles up making hard to clean glass ,agree hard to formulate safely fertiliser spray


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## Tim Harrison (16 Oct 2020)

This is how I grew the dry start below...light on 100% intensity for 12 hours a day, suspended about 20cm from the top of the tank. the plants got sprayed once a day with a weak solution of TNC Complete about 3ml per litre. The plants are also rooted in fresh ADA AS.

I think I got the concentration about right, any more and I was afraid it might burn the leaves, and growth really took off when I started to folia feed.


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## Wookii (16 Oct 2020)

Presumably a plant grown emersed, but with its roots and other parts of the plant in water (e.g. emersed growth coming out of the top of a aquarium) doesn't need spraying with ferts? Or would you still spray it occasionally with tank water?


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## Tim Harrison (16 Oct 2020)

Wookii said:


> Presumably a plant grown emersed, but with its roots and other parts of the plant in water (e.g. emersed growth coming out of the top of a aquarium) doesn't need spraying with ferts? Or would you still spray it occasionally with tank water?


I've spayed with water but never folia fed emergent growth. As you intimated, there is no need since the roots and submerged leaves will uptake nutrients from the tank.


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## Wookii (16 Oct 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> I've spayed with water but never folia fed emergent growth. As you intimated, there is no need since the roots and submerged leaves will uptake nutrients from the tank.



Thanks Tim - that emersed growth looks beautiful. I'm just hoping for a bit of Pinnatifida to push through the surface at some point.


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## Arturosito (18 Oct 2020)

zozo said:


> What you could do for convenience is to use aquarium water that is fertilized. These dosages are already at a relatively lean concentration compared to fertilizer concentration recommended for potted plants and it should contain all it needs.



This is what I was thinking, and only 1 litre would probably be enough to use as foliar spray-fertilizer right?


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## Arturosito (18 Oct 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> This is how I grew the dry start below...light on 100% intensity for 12 hours a day, suspended about 20cm from the top of the tank. the plants got sprayed once a day with a weak solution of TNC Complete about 3ml per litre. The plants are also rooted in fresh ADA AS.
> 
> I think I got the concentration about right, any more and I was afraid it might burn the leaves, and growth really took off when I started to folia feed.
> 
> View attachment 155315


Looks amazing, makes me want to reset my tank that was completely infected with thread algae with the dry start. Did you use something on top to keep the humidity and only removed it to take the picture? I have baby tears in several emersed decorations and it grows like weed. I wonder if utricularia would too. I have the impression it grows better submersed.


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## Tim Harrison (18 Oct 2020)

Arturosito said:


> Looks amazing, makes me want to reset my tank that was completely infected with thread algae with the dry start. Did you use something on top to keep the humidity and only removed it to take the picture? I have baby tears in several emersed decorations and it grows like weed. I wonder if utricularia would too. I have the impression it grows better submersed.


Yes clingfilm removed for 5-10 mins a day, plants sprayed and recovered. UG grows much better out of water.


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## Radiant (20 Oct 2020)

I have UG growing happily in a kilner jar on my window sill. Air it once a day for a minute or two and all seems good. I was going to use it a nano, but went a different direction, so left it growing there. Might see if i can get it to flower.


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