When to start adding ferts to in vitro setup?

[Brian Murphy]

I appear to be having a little melt in some plants which are in vitro but as it is a new set up I was holding back on adding ferts but should I be adding ferts considering they are in vitro?

 

[Tim Harrison]

Hi Brian
In vitro have certain advantages...unfortunately making the transition from emergent to immersed growth isn't necessarily one of them. I always add fertz straight away regardless, but the key maybe maxing your CO2 flow and distribution to increase the chances of success.

 

[Julian]

I add ferts straight away, it can't hurt.

I haven't had much luck with any invitro stem plant. They just seem to rot away after a week or so. I gave up on Glosso and Rotala Rotundifolia after many attempts. Hairgrass seems to be the only thing I can grow so far.

 

[Brian Murphy]

I would be afraid of a major algae outbreak by adding ferts ..... might start off with a small amount

 

[Mick.Dk]

The invitro-plants have allmost no stored energy, since they are very young plants. They depend on the nutritious gel, in which they are grown.
As you wash off this gel (which you must do), you also remove their source of food - leaving these young plants with no stored energy and no gel to get nutrients from.
From this, it should be obvious, that you need to secure available nutrients from the very start. In an established tank this is not a problem - but in a new, purely invitro, set-up plants will easily be starved.
Plants from medium and advanced category ofcourse still need added CO2 as invitro-plants, just like they do as potted plants. It's the same plant !!
- be aware, that in a pure invitro set-up, you have extremely low plantmass ftom start......this gives very little space for error ( many prefere dry-srart ).
- hope this explanation help.......

 

[Julian]

Can you tell me how I can avoid my plants from melting when I'm dosing EI + CO2? Or is it just luck?

I honestly feel like invitro plants are just a 'fad'. It's extremely cheap to grow them emersed in gel, but for the hobbyist they are nearly impossible to grow submersed in a tank.

 

[Mick.Dk]

Lots of hobbyists are growing invitro-plants successfully.......but potted plants are defenitely more "fool-proof" (no offence - just a fact).
- for the reasons I explained earlier, it takes more "green fingers", to successfully grow invitro-plants; they have no built-in energy-reserves, they can draw from, if not treated correct from beginning.
This means they react emmidiately - dying off or growing on happily.

 

[oviparous]

The invitro-plants have allmost no stored energy, since they are very young plants. They depend on the nutritious gel, in which they are grown.
As you wash off this gel (which you must do), you also remove their source of food - leaving these young plants with no stored energy and no gel to get nutrients from.
From this, it should be obvious, that you need to secure available nutrients from the very start. In an established tank this is not a problem - but in a new, purely invitro, set-up plants will easily be starved.
Plants from medium and advanced category ofcourse still need added CO2 as invitro-plants, just like they do as potted plants. It's the same plant !!
- be aware, that in a pure invitro set-up, you have extremely low plantmass ftom start......this gives very little space for error ( many prefere dry-srart ).
- hope this explanation help.......

I always have the opposite effect, better luck and faster growth with invitro. Once i put dwarf hairgrass and A. reineckii mini both from potted and invitro next to each other, and in both cases the invitro grew much faster.
The only disadvantage i experience is that because they are smaller, some species that require higher light don't show their full potential untill they are taller.

 

[Julian]

I think invitro stem plants are the hardest. Grass seems to do quite well in my tank also.

 

[Andy Thurston]

I've got a 100% kill ratio when growing these straight in the tank, but grown on in a propagator i have a 100% live ratio. I guess i need to improve my skills somewhat

 

[Andy D]

I recently started a new tank using all in-vitro plants ('easy' ones to be fair). They are all doing fine at the moment.

 

[parotet]

I recently started a new tank using all in-vitro plants ('easy' ones to be fair). They are all doing fine at the moment.

Me too, a whole tank only with in vitro ones. I'm getting used to them and I like them. Quick adaptation, no hurry for planting, good amount of plants, good price...

Jordi

 

[Tim Harrison]

I've had very mixed results...I suppose it depends on a multitude of factors...species for one, for instance. HC Cuba and mini hair grass do very well for me.

 

[Mick.Dk]

I recently started a new tank using all in-vitro plants ('easy' ones to be fair). They are all doing fine at the moment.

It's a very good idea, to use some fast-growing specie - like Zosterifolia - when doing a pure invitro set-up. This gives you plant mass faster......

 

[Brian Murphy]

Thanks for your helpful reply Mick. I have started adding both Tropica ferts on alternate days on around 5/6 pumps each day (300l tank) and the monte carlo is already showing signs of improvement and I was ready to order more as I thought they had melted too much. It explains alot from earlier attempts at growing in vitro .... silly me ... Doh!

 

[Mick.Dk]

Never "silly me" ......... any product basically has to be "self explaining", be it by obvious use, or added info.
- since most users come from potted plants or bunches, it needs to be clear that In-Vitro plants are a little different to use.
Glad to hear you see improvement.....as long as there's life, there's still hope ( provided correct conditions !!)

 

[zozo]

It also depends on what type and shape de invitro plants are when you get theme and for how long they were in that litlle pot.. I also just started a new tank and got me a Rotala Indica, Eleocharis acicularis 'Mini', Hemianthus callitrichoides Cuba, Rotala Marcandra mini type 2 and Utricularia graminifolia all invitro. I did use an inch very light fertilised top soil to help them a bit. (Colombo pro scape, powder type underneath i have Akadama)

The last 2 are more dead then alive after less then a week, the Marcandra mini type i bought at a German webshop. It arived already melting in the pot, sticks better to the tweezers than the soil. And i'm still hoping the 5% which is still a bit green at the time will shoot some roots and safe some for later. The Utricularia graminifolia since it is so young as invitro, is my own stupid mistake i guess. Because it is already a difficult plant to start up like that and i didn't wash it well enough. It still 25 % there but obviously having a hard time. The rest is rocketing, even the Cuba was bubling so hard the first day it lifted itself up and came loose so i had do drain the tank again and dry start them. The Eleocharis is the slowest af all, the Rotala Indica realy feels at home and almost hear them grow..

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I did use an inch very light fertilised top soil to help them a bit..........The Utricularia graminifolia since it is so young as invitro, is my own stupid mistake i guess

Possibly the fertilizer, and/or hard water.
Have a look at <"Green Pekoe Pond">.

cheers Darrel

 

[karla]

I have had much better success with in vitro plants than potted ones, differences, I have always started with moderate light for the first 3 weeks and never introduced livestock until everything is running smoothly. Maximum EI from day one lots of water changes and as much co2 as I can get into the water. In these conditions in vitro have been better for me than potted varieties. Even under these conditions some potted varieties have still failed. In older existing setups potted plants have had a higher success rate. I have hard to very hard water, regardless the ferts should be available to the plant I think.

 

[zozo]

Hi all,Possibly the fertilizer, and/or hard water.
Have a look at <"Green Pekoe Pond">.

cheers Darrel

Thanks for sharing.. Wonderfull topic. Got soft water.. Could be the fert.. But i think the bad washing a lot of the gely was still in there and is slimey and falling apart now. I get me a new one in a pot without gel..