Dry Start Method: Glosso & HC

[nuart]

HI all

planning for a 4 ft planted. Will do a dry start method for glosso and HC outside tank while waiting for my tank to be purchased. Good idea? Any words of advice? Dos? Donts?

Once done I and tank ready will transfer in. Thinking also to do the same with Japanese Hair grass

[equidorz]

IMO glosso dont have to go through DSM as it is not as difficult as hc. under the right condition glosso can spread really well. I have never tried hc before but if you do a search not many had succeeded even with DSM. I believe the key point to hc should be co2 n good lightings, low temperature will be good if budget allows you to get a chiller. Hope this helps.

[neverwalkalone]

Is there any reason why you are planting in another tank before your actual 4ft tank? The main reason (IMO) for DSM is for easier startup/carpeting. Unless you intend to grow enough/large patch to cover the area you need, you will still need time for it to settle in. So it may be better to grow (DSM) directly in your actual tank.

[nightscent]

This week will be the 4th week for my DSM using HC in my new 4 ft tank It's currently spreading but i think i planted a little too sparsely in the beginning, so...it might take a while more for a nice carpet to appear. So there's a tip right there! Buy enough for your 4 ft or else you'll have to wait a while for it to fill in.. I bought 8 pots and planted all in really small bunches because I lost patience trying to plant them stem by stem, plus i didn't take into account the fact that some would melt, leaving blank spaces.

Here's a small image at week 2~3 hope you can see it!

http://img16.imageshack.us/i/dsc05475n.jpg/

[jeffteo]

The idea of DSM is for the plant to root well and cycle the soil. No point growing it first and transfer it later. You will waste the full effect of the DSM.
My advice is wait for the tank then start the DSM and planting.

If you just want to grow more of the plants so that you can have more to plant later. Just leave it in the pot, bury it into the soil together with the pot till just nice covering the pot exposing only the plant. Fill the tank till soil level just like DSM and wait.

What I did last time is just dump the whole pot in my other tank and do EI dosing to feed it. And of course under good lighting.

Just my 2 cents...

[nuart]

Hi all really appreciate all the comments so far. Reason for planting it elsewhere was really to do with the fact I have some time this weekend and want to get the process going while the tank is being sorted out. But I hear all the recommendations coming through. Any tip is useful. I have just set up a tank with some plants, but never set up a true planted tank. So any DOs and Donts with reference to DSM is useful. Thinking of Glosso, HC and Riccia covered rocks for foreground, and slowly add in plants i like for mid and back