Dwarf Chain Sword

• Grass-like carpeting plant
• Easy to grow
• Spreads quickly

Dwarf chain sword or pygmy chain sword is one of the easiest carpeting plants. It grows to about 4 inches tall and has a grassy appearance. It thrives in medium lighting with lots of nutrients in the substrate and will fill in pretty quickly once it gets established. 

• Scientific Name: Helanthium tenellum (previously Echinodorus tenellus)
• Native To: North, Central, and South America
• Skill Level: Easy
• Placement: Foreground to 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 Pygmy Chain Sword in Gravel

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 sword deeply into the substrate until they are completely buried. Pull out the plant slightly so that the crown (i.e., the base of the plant where all the leaves come out) is 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 Chain Sword

— Pygmy chain sword care is very easy, so start by using medium lighting between 20-35 PAR. 
— Why is my new sword plant melting? Sword plants are sometimes known to experience melting when they suddenly move to a new environment. 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 chain sword turning brown after it was growing so well? Sword plants absorb lots of nutrients from the ground, so 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 pygmy chain sword: If the sword plant has dying or melting leaves, cut them off at the base of the leaf. If you wish to prune your dwarf chain sword 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 Chain Sword

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