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Nutrient uptake through leaves?
Above: when do we start adding fertiliser to a newly planted tank?
Foliar Feeding
Spraying nutrients directly onto leaves is often used to rescue terrestrial plants that have damaged root systems. It is also used in agriculture because it takes less time for nutrients to reach the top of the plant compared to root feeding, where nutrients have to be transported from the root zone to the top of the plant.
While land plants need moisture to absorb nutrients through their leaves, aquatic plants, which are submerged, can do this at any time. In scientific terms, aquatic plants have adapted to have reduced cuticle formation and often adopt more finely pinnate leaves. These underwater growth forms allow better gas exchange and also more efficient uptake of nutrients from the water column.
Can you summarise?
The simple concept is that all plants absorb nutrients through their leaves, and aquatic plants especially so.
Above: In a newly planted tank, the plants would not have fully developed roots. Having food in the water that they can take up through their leaves will help them to adapt more quickly to the new tank.
So, contrary to popular belief, it is best to start fertilising a newly set up aquarium immediately after planting.
But wouldn't this cause algae?
It remains important to properly cycle a tank at least 2 to 3 weeks before planting. Adding fertiliser to a new tank without proper cycling will actually invite algae to bloom.
In properly cycled new tanks with Aquasoil, such as those shown above, the safest way to avoid algae problems is to start with a fertiliser that contains much less or no nitrates and phosphates, such as APT Zero. This provides a more moderate level of nutrition in the water, enough to help the plants adapt, but below the threshold that tends to trigger algae.
We then move to more comprehensive water dosing after about a month with APT Complete. By then the total plant mass would have increased and the nutrients available in fresh aquasoil would have been depleted.
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