Micro Sword

• Carpeting plant
• Needle-like, grassy leaves
• Medium lighting

Micro sword is a grassy-looking plant which will eventually form a dense carpet if grown under medium to higher lighting. As it grows, it will send out runners along the substrate which will form new baby plants. Once it starts taking off, it can grow relatively quickly but usually does not get to be more than a few inches tall. Many aquarists keep this plant trimmed regularly to create a "lawn" effect.

• Scientific Name: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
• Native To: South America
• Skill Level: Medium
• Placement: Foreground
• Recommended Light: Medium Light 20-35 PAR (click to see our PAR chart)
  
• CO₂ Requirement: Recommended
• 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 Micro Sword in Aquarium

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 Micro Sword

— Micro sword care involves using medium lighting between 20-35 PAR with medium levels of CO₂ gas. 
— 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 micro 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 and dying after a couple of months, please add more root tabs.
— How to trim micro 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 micro 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 Micro Sword

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