hydrophyte

This post describes a method that I have use with success when planting peace lilies (Spathiphyllum sp.) into ripariums. Peace lilies apparently require a good deal of oxygen around their roots, so it is important that water be able to diffuse with ease through the planter media.



To plant this one I began by trimming the roots back to about 1 1/2" in length. Then I positioned the plant in the planter with the top of the crown about even with the top of the planter cup. I filled around the roots with round clay pellets of the kind commonly used in hydroponics culture, tapping the planter as I poured so that the pellets would settle in around the roots and fill voids.

I only filled to about 3/8" from the top rim of the planter cup so that I could top the pellets with a layer of a finer-grained clay gravel. This step is important. The gravel weighs down the pellets, which would otherwise tend to float away whenever the water level rises over the top of the planter cup. I think that they look better as a cap than the round pellets and they should also retain some nutrients for the plant roots, while still allowing good water diffusion through the clay pellets beneath.

Spathiphyllum seem to have modest nutrient demands and can grow well with the fertilizers dissolved in the aquarium water, in contrast to many other plants, which require richer rooting media. I have also planted a few Anubias, including A. congensis, in this manner, as they also require a more open rooting environment.

I started a thread in the Aquascaping forum (Available from: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...-riparium.html) that describes the new 56-gallon riparium setup that I am putting together using Spathiphyllum peace lilies as the main background elements.