How to Plant Aquarium Plants in Pots
While some aquarium plants can be planted in the gravel at the bottom of your aquarium, placing your plants in pots instead has several advantages. You can move potted plants around, making it easy to redecorate or to clean. If your fish decide to eat a plant or it dies for some other reason, it's a simple matter to replace a plant in a pot without disturbing its neighbors.
Soak potting soil in water. The soil should be the consistency of mud pies.
Fill your pot with the soil. Tamp down to remove any air bubbles.
- While some aquarium plants can be planted in the gravel at the bottom of your aquarium, placing your plants in pots instead has several advantages.
- If your fish decide to eat a plant or it dies for some other reason, it's a simple matter to replace a plant in a pot without disturbing its neighbors.
Make a well in the center of the pot with your fingers. The well should extend almost to the bottom of the pot.
Set the plant in the pot, being careful to let the roots hang down straight beneath the plant. Hold the plant with the crown of the plant above the level of the soil and carefully fill in around the roots with wet potting soil.
Cover the top of the soil with gravel. Press down lightly on the gravel to afix it to the wet soil.
Lower the plant slowly in a sink full of water until it's submerged. This will evacuate any air bubbles that might have worked their way into the pot while you were adding soil.
- Make a well in the center of the pot with your fingers.
- Set the plant in the pot, being careful to let the roots hang down straight beneath the plant.
Remove the plant from the sink and place in the desired location in your aquarium.
Tip
Choose plastic or clay pots. You can even use recycled yogurt containers or plastic caps off aerosol cans, as long as the pot is large enough to contain the plant's roots.
Related Articles
References
Tips
- Choose plastic or clay pots. You can even use recycled yogurt containers or plastic caps off aerosol cans, as long as the pot is large enough to contain the plant's roots.
Writer Bio
Cynthia Myers is the author of numerous novels and her nonfiction work has appeared in publications ranging from "Historic Traveler" to "Texas Highways" to "Medical Practice Management." She has a degree in economics from Sam Houston State University.
