Fiber optic grass

[Brian B]

Hey all,

I am experimenting with another plant.

This one is fiber optic grass. I picked it because it was marked as "keep moist at all times". I found it by simply wandering through the nursery.

I planted it in my birdbath, I used small agate rocks as the substrate. The crown is above the water line, the roots are always wet. I have my timer set to shut off pump flow at night, it doesn't seem to affect it. I washed all soil from the roots before planting it in place. In the last month, it has grown about an inch and the roots seem to be gripping the substrate.

I am sure some others here have experimented with this stuff. Any insights?

It is supposed to be a shade loving plant, although it doesn't seem to be affected by a couple of hours of full sun. I have a patio umbrella providing shade over the pond. The temps are getting into the high 90s and into the 100s here the last week, and that will be the story until October, so I figured i'd better shade it during the hottest part of the day. It gets sun until about 10 in the morning.

I planted some Baby Tears around it, which seem to be doing well, but I will save those for another post.
Thanks for looking!

 

[Mmathis]

A lot of us have learned that sometimes you have to do trial and error when it comes to plants! We try things that end up working (or don’t), but it’s fun experimenting. Do you have any fish in there? With most “bog-type” plantings is recommend to leave a lot of the dirt on the roots because a newly started plant in gravel won’t have an initial nutrient source.

 

[Brian B]

A lot of us have learned that sometimes you have to do trial and error when it comes to plants! We try things that end up working (or don’t), but it’s fun experimenting. Do you have any fish in there? With most “bog-type” plantings is recommend to leave a lot of the dirt on the roots because a newly started plant in gravel won’t have an initial nutrient source.

Hi,

Yes, I have two decent-sized feeder goldfish in the barrel below. The water gets pumped into the birdbath and then cascades back down. All of my plants are growing like crazy, and nitrates are kept to a minimum. The grass is growing well, so it must be feeding on something

My feature is only about 35 gallons or so, so any more fish might upset the balance. I have had more than the two in there before, but some fish will die off (sucked into the filter, heck....one did a hari-kiri and jumped out), it seems like two is the magic number.

 

[Lisak1]

I found some fiber optic grass growing near a natural pond in my neighborhood and brought some home. It's done great in my pond - almost TOO great. Be aware that this is an aggressive self-seeder. I find it growing all over the yard. It also spreads from the inside of the pond to the outside, but in your set up you won't have that issue. It's easy to thin out, so I'm letting it stay. And it is a really lovely plant - the frogs love to use it as a hide out!

Also - your story proves the point that you don't have to find a place that specifically sells "pond plants". Many "normal" plants lend themselves well to growing in the margins of the pond. A little research on the growing preferences of various plants will reveal lots of choices in your standard nursery.