Sand And Plants

[jeff_hopkinson]

Hi, just read topic on sand very good reading i was just about to ask the question how do you clean sand, now another question how do you put plants into sand without leaving them in the pots i was told by my LFS to just leave them in the pots all mine are in pots but does not look very good.

 

[kris-b-]

You are best asking this in the plant section as you will get a few answers.

I have just put my plants in as deep as I can into the sand and they have stayed, the only problem is that there are absolutely no nutrients in sand for plants so you will need to think about some sort of nutrient tablets to put into the sand if you are not using a laterite or anything else underneath the sand.

But your best bet is the planting section as you will get a better response there

 

[ncjharris]

To clean sand.

Put it in a bucket or big bowl, take it outside and run the hose over it, stirring it up. Watch the water that comes out of the bucket when it over flows. When it is clear, stir up the sand and do it again. Keep doing this until you have clear water coming out and all the fine bits are gone.

Plants - you can leave them in their pots, but yes they can look silly. Carefully remove them from the pots and the mineral wool thats wrapped around the bottom. If you have a rooting plant, push it into the sand, and if you have a floating plant - well, let it float.

While there are no nutrients in the sand as Kris said, you will get some from your fish/plant waste. You may need to look into fertilizer or suplements if you want them to exceed.

GL.

 

[Kopix Nation]

I would fertalize the plants and take them out of the pots. Mine are all in normal black sand substrate and growing very fast. Just add nutrients to the water. Also check your water quality that might also be why your plants are not doing well.

claire