# To bury or not to bury



## foster (Sep 2, 2012)

Can Anubias, and Java fern be buried in the gravel? Or will it do better banded to an object above the substrate. It has been so long since I kept live plants, that I have forgotten more than I knew*old dude


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I have some great anubias with long roots I have held down with rocks on those roots, but that's as close as I have come to burying them. My best java fern, at 22 inches high, is gently held between two rocks. It has shot up in the past few weeks. 
So no, don't bury them.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

You can bury them....however....Do not cover the rhizome more than 1/2 way. If the roots are long enough, bury just that part of it and leave the rhizome fully exposed. Will be perfectly fine.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Ive always tied mine to things. Never bury the rhizome or it will suffocate.


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## Knotyoureality (Sep 4, 2012)

They'll happily grow in gravel and even gradually attach themselves--but the start up period can be rough as they usually don't have enough root mass to actually bury to hold them down and end up getting moved around/knocked over. 

One solution, if you don't want to mount them on a larger rock or driftwood piece, is to superglue--yes superglue--a smaller rock to the center of the rhizome. The rock will hold the rhizome up off the gravel enough to keep it safe, but allow you to put the plant right at substrate level. Dry rock, pat dry the rhizome, add a drop or two of glue to the rock, press center of rhizome to the glued area and wait a few seconds, set it aside for a minute or two to make sure it's set--pop it right into tank. 

Same method works well on driftwood or rock--even when still slightly damp. Much easier than tying, especially when dealing with very small plants that may not yet have much rhizome to tie down.


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## foster (Sep 2, 2012)

Very good idea!! The plants I have are very small, and a corker to tie on to small rocks. This will work better on the next batch of plants.


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