# Substrate for anubias



## dean (23 Jan 2013)

This may be a stupid question but I want to grow some anubias emmersed so normally you would attach it to something and drop it in the water, so now do I use soil? Or just gravel or still attach it to something and does it need to be kept covered of can I leave a lid off completely ??


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## LondonDragon (23 Jan 2013)

as long you don't bury the rihzone you will be fine, you can always use some small rocks!


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## dw1305 (23 Jan 2013)

Hi all,
They are Aroids that are are epiphytes or epilithic on wet surfaces, a bit like Orchids or Bromeliads, so you just need a damp substrate, it doesn't have to supply any nutrients. You could use moss, orchid bark, hydroleca etc.

Hydrophyte has grown a lot of Aroids in his riparium planters so it might be worth looking through his threads. <208L High Humidity Riparium | UK Aquatic Plant Society> looks like a calcined clay Akadama/Cat litter/Fluorite like substrate in this thread.

cheers Darrel


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## dean (24 Jan 2013)

Darrel I was thinking cat litter as I have some
Will it need a lid or do you think open top would work
What about ferts?


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## jack-rythm (24 Jan 2013)

Hi dean Mate,

Darrel and hydrophyte are your guys but I thought I would chip in and share, I use Ada Amazonia for it's high rich nutrient count so I'm assuming anything with those elements will work. You don't specifically need Ada, I just had some laying around. I have read u could just use akadama or John innes no.3 on it's own if u really wanted, or cat littler as you suggest. To me there is no real difference when doing what were doing. Not really. As for Fertz, if your substrate is rich then there is ultimately no need when growing immersed. People have mentioned adding slight amounts into spray bottles but I tend to think this 'burns' the leaves, if u were going to do this I really would advise using a very small amount. Which then brings the question is it truly needed. The most important thing is obviously co2 which in this case u will have an unlimited supply to. You may see leaves droop and fall but this is merely the plant going through the adaptation process. Bare with it dean and it will regrow. I know Ian had a wabi bowl on his window sill and his repens basically died, he left it and it adapted and transformed into it's immersed state. I don't know as much as these boys but thought I would share what I do. Good luck. I'm watching your thread so hope it progresses. Nice one.

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## dw1305 (24 Jan 2013)

Hi all,


jack-rythm said:


> I have read u could just use akadama or John innes no.3 on it's own if u really wanted, or cat littler as you suggest. To me there is no real difference when doing what were doing. Not really. As for Fertz, if your substrate is rich then there is ultimately no need when growing immersed. People have mentioned adding slight amounts into spray bottles but I tend to think this 'burns' the leaves


I don't think they probably pick up much in the way of nutrients through the roots, so I'd probably steer clear of JINo3. and they have pretty slow maximum growth rates. I'd foliar feed (as Jack mentions), but I would use a very weak foliar feed, something like an Orchid feed or a Citrus feed 1/2 strength (or a tomato feed at 1/4 strength or even just tank water) 





dean said:


> Darrel I was thinking cat litter as I have some Will it need a lid or do you think open top would work What about ferts?


You'll need a lid. Have a look at these threads < My Ebb and Flow Emersed Setup> & < Growing anubias emersed?> & <My collection of Anubias. - Photography - Aquatic Plant Central> & this one that uses _Cryptocoryne_, but looks at substrate  effect<Substrate Experiment - Commercial - Cryptocorynes - Aquatic Plant Central>.

cheers Darrel


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## jack-rythm (24 Jan 2013)

Thanks for the correction Darrel  

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## dean (27 Jan 2013)

I used cat litter as it is light, I planted some anubias bonsai in a soap dish in my 20l


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## jack-rythm (27 Jan 2013)

dean said:


> I used cat litter as it is light, I planted some anubias bonsai in a soap dish in my 20l


You got a photo of what you mean? I'm getting some immersed anubias nana petite through the post tomo and not entirely sure how I will plant it!

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## foxfish (27 Jan 2013)

Jack, as far as I know with anubias you need to attach the plant to something like a stone or wood, their roots are better in the air not in soil.
They get nutrients from the foliage & besides their roots are half of the attraction of the plant, surly you want to see them?
You could try just sitting the plant on some soil if you really want too....


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## jack-rythm (27 Jan 2013)

foxfish said:


> Jack, as far as I know with anubias you need to attach the plant to something like a stone or wood, their roots are better in the air not in soil.
> They get nutrients from the foliage & besides their roots are half of the attraction of the plant, surly you want to see them?
> You could try just sitting the plant on some soil if you really want too....


Yeah I couldn't agree more Mate, this is why I'm questioning methods really.. I was thinking about tying it to a pebble or something so the whole plant including the rhizome would be still visible. Cheers fox

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## Iain Sutherland (27 Jan 2013)

No need to think about changing from imersed to emersed with anubias either as they are such slow growers they dont seem to notice if they are in water or not.


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## dean (27 Jan 2013)

ive seen it grow in two dutch plant companies, they sort of grow them all emersed thats why theres no algae on them, one company floods them over at night the other mists them, im experimenting with mine in my 20l


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## foxfish (28 Jan 2013)

That is interesting Dean, I have never heard about commercial growers flooding the plants every night!


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## jack-rythm (28 Jan 2013)

dean said:


> ive seen it grow in two dutch plant companies, they sort of grow them all emersed thats why theres no algae on them, one company floods them over at night the other mists them, im experimenting with mine in my 20l


You got any information on this Mate? Got any links too? Seems interesting for sure. What two companies are these?

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## dean (29 Jan 2013)

They do it with pond plants including Lilly's  too
It's so that during the day workers can access the plants easy for packaging etc


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## foxfish (29 Jan 2013)

As far as I know Tropica are the biggest aquarium plant growing company & they grow 95% with the foliage out of water, I am interested in the guys who flood the plants every day?


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## jack-rythm (29 Jan 2013)

dean said:


> They do it with pond plants including Lilly's  too
> It's so that during the day workers can access the plants easy for packaging etc


As before, what two companies are these? I would love to look into this dean. 

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## dean (29 Jan 2013)

they are wholesale only no named websites, they don't want to give away their growing secrets, but I visited some in holland on a business trip, if you ever go to buy a Lilly for your pond you will notice that the leaf stems are very short this is because they are grown emersed, the plant doesn't need long stems to reach the surface as its already there  and if you ever buy a large mother plant for your aquarium look closely at the top of the substrate/wool there will probably be algae or moss on it but not on the plant.
They only flood them overnight to the top of the pot with enriched water so they get 10 hours with roots in water, usual drain them at 6am so that everything is empty of water for when work starts at 8. You can walk amongst the plants without the need for wellies


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