How to Propagate Java Fern | Semi-Hydro VS Soil

[@noah295463]

Amazingly done video. Very nice. I like the way the java fern grew in the Miracle-Gro soil . I never knew that it can be done. Very clear step by step videos as well. I prefer that method. Merci beaucoup.

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Soil is by far the easiest! Thanks for watching!

[@ronlafond5288]

Re: the smaller growth - if you're using the Dyna-Gro with the Hydroton vs the MaxiGro, the MaxiGro has a higher nitrogen analysis. It's 10% vs the Dyna-Gro at 7%. It's nitrogen that promotes that more aggressive green, leafy growth. MTC

[@jackthechoice]

Awesome video loving this series. I’ve got a similar setup to the hydroton tubs but my growth is super slow. Hoping it will take off soon 👌🏻

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Fingers crossed for you! The hydroton tubs are growing but not as fast as I would like!

[@barefootaquatics]

I’m coming back and watching your earlier vids and comments. I’ve been attempting JF in hydroton with less than stellar results so I think it’s time I switched them over to miracle grow. I’m trying to focus on the various varieties other than standard JF such as windelov, ‘my nahn’, petite, needle leaf, narrow leaf, and trident. I just installed better lighting as well, so hopefully that will make a big difference also.

[@AquariumPlantLab]

One of the tricks ive noticed with Java Fern is that it absolutely loves a regular foliar feeding which I usually mix from a hydroponic Fert to about 1/8th to 1/4th concentration. Thinking back to the biggest Java Fern I have grown I was using miracle grow with foliar feedings twice per day, I believe. Have you been using foliar spray with them? PS, isn't it wild to watch those older videos? This channel and my methods have evolved so much since then 😂

[@barefootaquatics]

@@AquariumPlantLab They have indeed evolved and still hold tons of value!! I have been using foliar spray at the recommended dosage on the bottle. I’m also thinking my hydroton layer may have been too thin. I might thicken it up a bit and test some JF in it to see if there’s a difference. Last week I divided out about 90 anubias petite and attached them to some branches in a nano tank I’m working on. I still have enough plants to divide into probably 70-80 more. I’m just going to leave them be for a bit. I have them growing in miracle grow. I started with about 50 cuttings 6 months ago so have better than tripled my plants in 6 months.

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Sounds like you are very busy!!! I am still of the belief that soil is one of it not the best method for the biggest fastest growth for most species. Makes sense, plants have evolved to utilize soil. Good luck with the other Java varieties. I’ve noticed that the rare types are definitely more difficult as I believe we have discussed before. I hypothesize that they are the result of mutations and not nearly as resilient as the standard varieties. Which makes them much more difficult to propagate in mass quantity.

[@barefootaquatics]

@@AquariumPlantLab I agree on the challenge of propagating the various varieties. My windelov has done sooo much better submersed than emersed, so I know I’m needing to change things up. I moved a few months ago and kinda let everything just sit until I could get around to installing better racking and lighting. The cooler temps in the house are slowing things a bit also I think. I may move a lot of my setups onto the carport or into a greenhouse once the weather breaks here in Florida.

[@mohammadrezahajiabootalebi8834]

hello. thanks that was very helpful. but I have a problem with my hydroponic fertilizer. the fertilizer's color is black and when I spray that solution on my plants after 4 days leaves and roots turn into black and it will die. I'm dosing the fertilizer in water as much as which wrote on it's bottle. do i have to decrease dosing? what shall I do?🙂

[@FreeBijlee]

Brilliant work ! What is the temperature inside those boxes with so much humidity, have you measured it? Soil retains heat for a longer time...

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Temperatures are typically in the low 80's F during the day, mid 70's at night 👍

[@FreeBijlee]

@@AquariumPlantLab thanks for reverting. I am from India. Achieving this kind of temprature in summers is impossible here unless it is air-conditioned, which will make these plants a lot expensive. I am trying the same in an apparatus I have designed that emulates rainforest parameters. I will share my findings with you. Once again, great going!

[@brandymcclain1061]

Are the plastic tubs better or the same as using the bootstrap systems? The bootstraps seem more expensive....are they worth the upgrade?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

The price difference isn't actually all that much different per tray. For a tray and dome the bootstrap units may actually be slightly cheaper on average than a single tub. In my opinion neither is really better than the other at growing plants. They each have pros and cons. You can add vent holes to tubs if you want so thats a non-issue. Trays are more ergonomic. Easier to get into and take care of your plants. Deep tubs are cumbersome and forces your arms into odd positions when doing maintenance. Not a big deal if you only have a few but if you have lots and lots then that becomes more of an issue. Tubs can be deeper which for taller plants can be helpful to reduce maintenance time. Theres a few pros and cons :)

[@TheAquariumLibrary]

How well does the immersed Java fern do when placed underwater? Do the leaves die back?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

There is some melting, but nothing too crazy. Most Java Ferns are grown out of water actually.

[@roshansmith6560]

do you always put some fertilizer in your water while spray ?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Depends on the setup, but I do put ferts in the spray often in general 👍

[@chrisgan1797]

hello, i've watch your how to grow anubias playlist. do you recomend hydroton to grow anubias?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

To be entirely honest, I’ve had best results growing Anubias in moist soil. Hydroton works but not with as great of results. I am still tweaking my parameters to optimize hydroton with Anubias though and I’m getting better results every week. They are just more picky. Java Fern on the other hand loves growing in hydroton 🤣

[@haneefrose657]

Hi how much watts of light did you used at the setup?

[@carlosmartinez-cv7tb]

What do you spray on your Anubis’s

[@byz513]

We hereeee!!

[@AquariumPlantLab]

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

[@bezna1433]

How is possible to grow java fern in soil , all the internet says that u must glue them or tie them on the hardscape ( No hate , just wanna know if its possible cuz i want to plant them too )

[@HexYzeE]

In my opinion, this is because soil substrate is more aerated. When you look hydroponic systems they all have a water movement, which provide this lack of air, roots loves air... In your case if they stay in this container with no air flux, that's normal it grows smaller

[@m.sadegh372]

Hello. I brought up Java like you. But sometimes Java goes black. What do you think is the problem? What do you do to prevent fungus and mold?

[@pp4009]

What do you think, soil or hydroton for anubias?

[@tedmotley5940]

how often are you spraying the plants with the foilage spray? thanks :)

[@AquariumPlantLab]

I generally spray them approximately twice per day. Once in the morning and once at night after lights out. I usually go through a whole spray bottle of foliar solution then switch to plain water and alternate back and forth 👍

[@lb1839]

Have you tried rockwool (mineral wool) combined with fertilizer? cleaner than soil and could retain the fert a lot better 🤔

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Ive chosen to stay away from rockwool. I am using reusable pots and grow media to try to limit waste (with the exception of soil, but I reuse that in my garden). I know it works well though, most large scale growers use rock wool. 👍

[@lb1839]

@@AquariumPlantLab Great idea, make sure your customers know you focus on environmental impact, the "big" guys aren't doing that!.... Do you ship in the soil they are grown in, or you simply clean the media off and package it?

[@Z4U3398]

And my hypothesis as to why those JF grown in dirt attained larger overall sizes boils down to *enhanced* nutrient uptake via soil micorrhiza. It's been widely studied that certain saprotrophic microbes in the soil benefit plant roots in a mutually symbiotic fashion i.e. the root fungi feeds the plants directly with dissolved nutrients, as well as beneficial enzymes. Which is essentially the same concept behind Japan's ADA Bacter 100 substrate supplement (a little misleading considering that soil mycorrhizae aren't bacteria per se) for planted aquariums. I'm Asian. And to Asians, food is life. To Westerners, however food is fuel. That's the analogy I'd use to describe the concept of nutrition here. Whenever I look at Westerners discuss about plant nutrition the crux of the matter often boils down to NPK ratios but Asians generally focus on the question of how "liveable" is the substrate condition? Components. Versus processes. Both are equally important, IMO. And a fine balancing act to achieve.

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Absolutely could be! good I too believe that soil is the best option as it most closely replicates a natural environment :). I just like the hydroponic media because it is cleaner and helps speed up my harvesting and packaging process for shipping. Good comment, lots of great biological lessons in there :)

[@ArtyMars]

Yeah absolutely, the cultural relationship we have with food has such a big impact on how we grow and propagate all our produce. I only recently learned how significant Fungi is to like, the entire planet, and the history of how we even have plants. Watching those netflix doccos about it was mind blowing, plants literally communicate with one another indirectly through this giant semi-sentient organic version of the internet courtesy of Fungi haha! It's fascinating, I wonder how you could replicate that kind of environment in a hybrid hydroponic setup, or if there are any Fungi that thrive in really wet hydroponic / aeroponic plant propagating setups 👨‍🔬🍀🍄

[@BluhmGardens]

Mycorrhizal fungi are not saprobes. Two completely different classifications of fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi live in/on roots, break down minerals, and trade them to the plant for sugars. Saprobes are decomposers that decay dead plant material.

[@priyarnigita3321]

If it's closed, where do the plants get oxygen?

[@pritamat.1863]

those are air tight containers? how do supply air i mean co2 through air?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

I open the tubs several times a day as I am always in and out of them, spraying, harvesting, etc. So fresh air and CO2 gets cycled in. Organic decay of soil also likely replenishes CO2. 👍

[@explantculture]

Have you tried a foilage spray?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

I use a foliar spray in all of my emersed setups 😊. I’ve got a couple of playlists about emersed setups and mention this in there a few times. I am a firm believer in foliar fertilization 👍

[@kitd4386]

Have you tried using the dirt soil in the bottom and the hydro soil on the top? A friend of mine swears by doing it as benefits of soil come thru and leech up and the roots grow down to the soil but the plants are cleaner as only bottom roots that pushed down into the dirt are dirty and fairly easy to clean. You might give it a try if you have not tried it yet. Happy Growing ;)

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Ive seen a number of folks doing this! I think it would work very well for most people growing on a small scale, but as often I am in my tubs I would imagine the substrates would get mixed up pretty quickly. Just because I am growing on a large scale now. Likely a good strategy for small scale grows though :)

[@ArtyMars]

That's what i'm gonna try for my first setup with java fern! I only have enough soil for half and half anyway haha, once I scale up I might ditch the soil all together, but it's disappointing to see how much smaller they are in the clay pebbles :[ I thought they'd do better in the Hydroten but perhaps not. I wonder if a hybrid aeroponic hydroten setup is possible, a lay of clay pebbles in a tray raised above water misters might help aerate the roots even more / help deliver more nutrients, but i'm not sure if java fern would benefit from aeroponics very much as they get a lot of energy from their leaves as well compared to other aeroponic plants 🤔

[@leopardgecko1999]

You should try using Dyna Gro Foliage Pro

[@AquariumPlantLab]

There have been a lot of changes since this video. I used foliage pro for awhile actually 👍

[@benmcmahon3239]

Noob question, How do these plants cope with being submerged in an aquarium? any melting?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

In my experience Java Fern does not melt very much and the melting that does happen takes months so its hard to even notice. As long as there is light and nutrients then Java Fern should transition very well 👍

[@ArtyMars]

@@AquariumPlantLab Yep the Java Fern i've move back into my fish tanks do slowly melt but they grow so many baby plants at the same time that it's essentially fully grown another plant again by the time the old emmersed growth even gets a chance to transition back to a water plant haha ❤️🌱

[@ferko6]

The difference in growth is likely due to the lack of co2 in the hydro media. The decaying organics in the dirt is adding more co2. All of the mass in a plant comes from the carbon in the co2.

[@JyajAquaticPlants]

Maybe put 1inch of soil bottom and cap with 1inch hydroton this might work better

[@laserdiy5026]

How about light? How many lumens?

[@AquariumPlantLab]

With plants the main form of light measurement to be interested in is actually Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). These lights at approximately 20 inches produce a PAR value of about 80 according to the manufacturer anyway. The tub lids likely reduce this value a bit though 👍

[@tic857]

I had to restart my grow boxes. My java fern was overtaken by mold.

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Uh oh!!! Hmmm, maybe too much water? Make sure you don't have any standing water at the bottom of the tub. Also, starting with a smaller tub and expanding is better if you only have a few plants. Good luck!!

[@casperamandusjohansen]

Is there actually any money to be made with this?

[@aingzuu2110]

Does it grow in Normal soil

[@AquariumPlantLab]

General rule of thumb, as long as other plants grow in the soil you are speaking of then aquatic plants will likely grow in it as well 👍

[@hampton1315]

I really want to do this with my Java fern.

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Try it out! The soil based method is very easy 👍

[@isamara35able]

❤️

[@AquariumPlantLab]

🙃

[@NameName-do9hj]

Mate I know this is late So use a air stone in every box give more oxygen to the roots

[@wantsome-zs5sq]

I think you might be burying your Java too far into the substrate. When I grew It I just put the roots on the surface of the dirt. I had a heater and pump in my set up and the stuff was growing up on the wires.

[@AquariumPlantLab]

Could be with the hydroton although after the initial planting the rhizome grows to where it wants to so likely something else is going on. Pretty sure it’s a nutrient issue. Soil on the other hand has been working great! Plants double in size every month or so 🌱

[@66bigbuds]

Master grow is way better hydroponic fertilizer. And the hydroponic ones need more water in them. Need standing water they look pretty dry.

[@giorgiolucio8968]

Boaa!1!

[@AquariumPlantLab]

😁