Rotala H’ra

Orange-pink coloration in high light Feathery, pine-needle-like texture Great stem plant for high tech planted tanks  Rotala h'ra is a popular stem plant because of its gorgeous, sunset hues of orange, pink, and red under high lighting. Plus, its feathery, thin leaves provide an interesting texture to the midground or background of the tank. Give it plenty of light, nutrients, and CO2, and it will reward you with vibrant coloration and creeping growth via side shoots. Scientific Name: Rotala 'H'ra' or Rotala rotundifolia 'H'ra' Native to: Vietnam Skill Level: Easy Placement: Midground to background Recommended Light: Medium to High Light 20-50+ PAR (click to see our PAR chart) CO2 Requirement: Medium Preferred Fertilizer: Easy Green liquid fertilizer and Easy Root Tabs Propagation: Trim stems or side shoots and replant ***Being a natural product, sizes can vary from what is shown.*** Note: when you first receive the plant, the leaves were grown out of water and may have round, coin-like leaves (seen in the first and second photo). These leaves will melt back so the plant can produce new leaves that are grown underwater, which looks like short pine needles (seen in the third photo). How to Plant Rotala H’ra Aquarium Plant 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. 3. Use planting tweezers or your fingers to plant each stem deeply, at least 2 to 3 inches into the ground, which means the substrate may cover some of the bottom leaves. 4. 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. 5. If the plant keeps popping out of the ground, try inserting the stem at an angle or wrap a plant weight at the bottom of the stem to keep them anchored. 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. How to Grow Rotala H’ra — Rotala h’ra care requires medium skill level, so start by using medium to high lighting between 20-50+ PAR to prevent "leggy" stems (where the bottom portion of the plant starts dropping leaves). Also, add medium amounts of CO2 gas. — Why is my rotala h’ra melting? This stem plant is grown out of the water at the farm and may have round, coin-like leaves. Once the plants arrive to us, we begin the process of converting them to their underwater form, which have leaves that look like short pine needles. The plant you receive may be half-converted and still need time to adjust to life under water. To help speed up the transition, provide plenty of light and nutrients to encourage new leaves to sprout as the old leaves melt away. Consider floating the stems at the surface until it grows more roots and can be easily planted into the substrate. — Why is my rotala h’ra turning yellow or brown? If your stem plant is getting enough light, it may be a nutrient deficiency, so measure the nitrate level using a multi-test strip. Dose with Easy Green all-in-one fertilizer until the water has 20-50 ppm nitrate.  — How to trim rotala h’ra: If the plant is too tall or the bottom half of the stem has lost its leaves, prune off the top portion and replant it. How to Propagate Rotala H’ra Stem plants can be easily propagated by trimming off the top half of the plant and replanting it in another location. The original plant will continue growing upwards from where it was cut and may even create multiple branches.