Grass-like leaves
Carpeting plant
Tolerant of hard water

Sagittaria subulata or dwarf sag is a great plant for aquarists new to planted tanks. It is relatively undemanding and will spread easily to form an eye-catching, grass-like carpet. It tends to stay shorter in brighter lighting but can grow quite tall in lower lighting.

Scientific Name: Sagittaria subulata
Native To: North and South America
Skill Level: Easy
Placement: Midground
Recommended Light: Medium Light 20-35 PAR (click to see our PAR chart)
CO₂ Requirement:None
Preferred Fertilizer: Easy Root Tabs and Easy Green liquid fertilizer
Propagation: Spreads via runners across the ground

***Being a natural product, sizes can vary from what is shown.***

How to Plant Dwarf Sagittaria

1. Remove the potted plant from plastic basket, and split the rock wool in half.
2. Carefully remove the plant roots from the rock wool, and make sure to remove all the small, yellow fertilizer balls. Wash off any remaining debris, and gently separate the plant into multiple small clumps if possible.
3. Use planting tweezers or your fingers to push the roots of the plant deeply into the substrate until they are completely buried. Pull out the plant slightly so that the base of the leaves are not covered with substrate.
4. If the plant keeps popping out of the ground, try inserting the plant at an angle or wrap a plant weight at the bottom of the plant to keep it anchored.
5. Make sure to add lots of root tabs if you’re using inert substrate or if your nutrient-rich substrate is depleted.

How to Care for Dwarf Sagittaria

— Dwarf sagittaria care is very easy, so start by using medium lighting between 20-35 PAR.
— Why is my dwarf sagittaria melting? Plants are grown out of the water at the farm. Once the plants arrive to us, we begin the process of converting them to their underwater form. The plant you receive may be half-converted and still need time to adjust to life under water. To help the plant recover faster and grow new leaves that are accustomed to your water parameters, leave the roots planted in the ground and make sure to provide nutrient-rich planted tank substrate or Easy Root Tabs.
— Why is my dwarf sagittaria turning yellow? If your plant is getting enough light, it may be a nutrient deficiency. If the leaves are yellowing or turning pale after a couple of months, please add more root tabs.
— How to trim dwarf sagittaria: If the plant has dying or melting leaves, cut them off at the base of the leaf. If you wish to prune your dwarf sagittaria carpet to look like a field of grass, use curved scissors to cut all of the leaves to an even height, much like mowing a lawn.

How to Propagate Dwarf Sagittaria

Once it becomes well-established, dwarf sagittaria subulata self-propagates by sending out runners all across the substrate, which can eventually provide ground cover for an entire aquarium. The new baby plants can be trimmed off and replanted or left to grow out naturally.