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Which "holder" would suit Java Fern the best? Right now, I have them tied to pebbles, but the roots do not seem to be attaching themselves to the pebbler. Would cutup driftwood pieces or porous rock work bettr?

[span class="edited"][Edited by sly 2004-08-24 18:54][/span]

Short answer yes. Driftwood of course would be easiest for the roots to attach too, maybe try a very very small piece if you don't want the driftwood look. You could also try a small piece of clay pot which should be easy for it to root too as well. Java fern IME does take a good long time to root itself, so keep it tied down for a number of months, it will root to rock, it just takes a bit longer.
HTH a bit .

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Either should work fine, so your choice can depend largely on your preference on one over the other, visually speaking.

I've attached java fern to rough rock with rubber bands and string in the past. Usually leaving them on for about a month was sufficient for the java fern roots to take hold.

Thanks for the responses! I thought the roots would cling to the rock more quickly but apparantely not. Its has only been tied to the pebbles for about 3 weeks. One of the Ferns has grown a new branch and leaf, so thats a indicator thats its doing well.

If it's been on for that long you might want to leave it be...it took months for mine to root onto the wood they were tied too. It kept puttion out plantlets rather than rooting itself ] .

^_^

My experiance is that javas grow best on driftwood. The best way to attach them to the wood is with fishing line. Other stuff will either rot or decay and if the plant is not attached enough, 1 simple water change will rip it from the base. you would want to have the root stock parellel to what you are planting it to, otherwise some or most of the roots will be searching for places to root. I wouldn't worry about that though, I've seen the roots to be more than 6" long without even rooting to anyting. Javas are very easy to take care of, most of the time they'll adapt to they're surroundings no matter the condition. Unless you have fish that use them as a salad bar. Even still, theres not many fish (even amphibs and reptiles) will eat a java more than once.

What dimension do you cut the driftwood up? I would imagine it would be a small piece but what would be a good size? Right now, my pebbles are rather small. Probably 1inch length and .5 inch width.

I'd say the main thing here is don't overthink this.

Java fern usually needs a rough or porous surface for it's roots to grab on to. Very smooth surfaces are difficult. The amount of time it will take will depend on the growth of your plant.

Larger areas are better, as it gives the plant more room to expand and grow.

Rubber bands, string, fishing line, etc - everyone has their secret sauce. Use whatever works best or is available to you. If you find one is coming apart too soon, switch to something else.

Experiment. Do what you think looks nice or best. There's hardly one way, or best way, to do this.

Well thats what I'm was thinking about. All my pebbles are small, round, and very smooth. I figured that it wouldn't allow the fern to attach itself very easily ]

Yeah, small smooth pebbles are going to be a difficult medium for java fern to attach itself to.

Your driftwood is probably a better alternative, given a choice between the two. I don't see a need to be cutting up driftwood into tiny pieces, unless it's a case of being able to fit inside the tank or not. Here's a nice example (7-9inch driftwood with java fern):
http://www.floridadriftwood.com/product.asp?0=200&1=275&3=565

But use what you think looks nice and gives a reasonable size surface for the plant to expand. That's the key.

I see. Considering I have 7 Java Ferns (my 8inch driftwood won't fit them all), I will probably go out and buy another kind of rocks. I saw some that had lots of holes in it. I think they're lava rocks. I wonder how those will do?

Lava rock will work. I attached my java fern in the past to a rough rock called travertine, and this worked out quite well.

Just make sure you keep it secured with your string/fishing line/rubber band for a couple months, so that you can create a nice strong grip.

[span class="edited"][Edited by EdgarFanCLS 2004-08-24 11:04][/span]

Cool thanks

What are pebblers?

Obviously I mispelled "pebbles".