How do I plant my stem plants?

Stem plants are known for growing vertically from a single stem with leaves coming out directly from the stem. Think of bacopa, moneywort, and Pogostemon stellatus. To prepare the plant, remove the basket, ring, or rubber band wrapped around the base of the stems. Plant each stem deeply, at least 2 to 3 inches into the ground, which means the substrate may cover some of the bottom leaves. Don’t plant the stem plants all in a single bunch but rather individually with a little space between so that the roots have some room to grow. Use tweezers to easily plant them, and if needed, wrap plant weights at the bottom to prevent them from floating away. If the stems have no roots, some people will float them at the surface until they develop roots and then plant them into the substrate. Stem plants prefer to feed from the water column and therefore appreciate a diet of liquid fertilizers.

For more information, read our quick guide on how to plant live aquarium plants.