Using Monte Carlo as an epiphyte

[Mr.Shenanagins]

I’m looking to change up my foreground in between my rock work. I originally had hydrocotyle tripartita and while it was beautiful, it became a large mass and did not handle pulling apart well. It’s now just surviving and has lost its luster. It doesn’t help that my SAE’s pick on it.

I was considering using Monte Carlo to stuff into the rocks and let it carpet along the cracks. I know I’ll need a lot of it to accomplish this, but my question really is how well does it do without being planted in substrate? I think it would look really nice growing between the rocks.

 

[Zeus.]

Have used it as epiphyte and it worked well, just make sure you have enough ferts, MC will tell you if it hasn't, even grew it in a plastic container with no ferts or flow it wasnt amazing but it survived.

I have in my 'Pot Scape' been growing HC in builders sand and its growing well also, had to trim it back quite hard yesterday, Trimming it in the sand filled pot was easier as the AS tended to lift when trimming but the sand being finer particles held better

 

[zozo]

The substrate is nothing more than a medium to root in... The plant doesn't care much about it when the nutrients it needs are in the water column. If the hardscape has sufficient texture for the hair roots to grow into it can grow and hold on to anything. Porous pumice for example... It the rocks you plan to push it into is to smooth for that you could squeeze pieces of Rockwool into it for the plants to grow into.

I've seen this done with HC on Rockwool from the nursery into the nooks and crannies from rocks. If I remember correctly James Findley I've seen doing this in one of his scapes and it worked pretty good, the making of this scape is somewhere on youtube. Unfortunately can't really remember which one... He has many.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Thanks all, I’ll give it a go then!