Here we are, with the second article dedicated to this wonderful type of tub..
As I mentioned in the first article which was dedicated to Hardscape, today we continue with the most important and delicate part: Planting.
We will carry out a particular planting… the art of Wabiscaping is precisely that which allows us to range with colours, types of plants and not have absolute constraints… because we can exploit both the submerged and emerged parts.
For this tank, a strong and luxuriant planting was decided in the emerged part, because it must give value and make this technique stand out… and a more essential and minimal planting in the submerged part… all to accompany the existing Hardscape with elegance and design structured.
A small but essential, very important premise concerns the planting technique of the emerged part, in fact it requires some knowledge that will help you prevent errors and/or problems linked to the onset of mold and/or fungi which inevitably lead to failures.
Here are some fundamental rules to respect:
o Use species already in the emerged form, make an agreement with your shopkeeper not to put the plants you order in water, and therefore to keep them aside, (most of the greenhouses from which the plants come, use hydroculture as a method basis.. therefore the plants arrive safely with the emerged leaf type).
o Plant the plants by placing them on the hardscape structure (previously prepared in order to have a good surface for supporting the plants that remains a few cm below the water level).
o Pay particular attention to NEVER wet the leaves.. but only the root system!.. only the roots must be in direct contact with the water.
o Activate the aquarium biosystem on a biological level.. insert into the water Bacterya, and Bio-alganex to provide excellent bacterial colonies which will colonize any contact surface available to them… but above all they will enter into symbiosis with the root system of the plants, thus preventing any problems linked to root rot and/or pathogen attacks.
The plants that were used are the following:
o Ophiopogon Kyoto
o Bucephalandra mini catherina
o Anubias Petit
o Christmass moss
o Cryptocoryne parva
o Elocharis acicularis
o Elocharis sp minima
o Ludwigia glandulosa red
o Hygrophila polysperma roseanerving
o Rotala colorata
o hydrocotyle sp. japan
o juncus repens
Planting the part that emerges on wood is a little more delicate… in fact, particular attention must be paid to blocking the plants with the root system in contact with the porous tube and the wood… in such a way that they can be constantly sprinkled with water.
To be able to secure the plants to the pipe, I helped myself with simple black electrician’s cable ties.
To then hide the technical part dedicated to the irrigation system, and the fixing ties, I covered everything with a little moss… and some Elocharis Sp. Minima spots… to give a touch of naturalness… the Over time, the moss will stick to the wood and spread, creating very natural looking surfaces.
As you can see from the photographs, setting up a tank with these planting techniques becomes really easy and sustainable for anyone… but above all, playing with the colors of the plants is wonderful… creating contrasts… going from dark green to light green red.. and mix the various shapes and types of leaves.
The installation becomes a work of art in all respects… a living work of art… to be cared for and grown…
There is no restriction… other than that of one’s own imagination and aesthetic taste.
The management of the tank in the first weeks of life must be very cautious and light.. the photo period will be reduced for at least the first two weeks to 5 hours of light, considering that I use a T5 4x39W ceiling light with a distance from the plants of approximately 15/ 20cm.. the heat conduction sprayed onto the leaf should therefore not be underestimated.. which until now was used to a controlled climate in a greenhouse. The risk of dehydrating the plant in an unrecoverable way is very high!
Fertilization will be entrusted to the super expert line, in particular in the first two weeks I will dedicate myself to the administration of Florido K7 potassium, Florido C7 organic carbon and Sulfur at a regime level… while as regards the administration of Florido Fe & Mg and microelements Florido Tracce will be halved.
Until I notice a vegetative recovery and a reinvigoration of the emerged part, I will not administer either Florido N7 nitrogen or Florido P7 phosphorus.
For this particular reason and also for the species of plants used, I relied on the Super Expert Line… because it allows me to precisely and above all completely independently adjust one element with respect to another… and therefore allows me to this particular management methodology to have a stable balance in the tank.
The administration of carbon dioxide will be at constant capacity… at a more or less indicative rate of one bubble every two seconds.
By Roberto Bielli
