attaching java ferns

[pure-havoc]

so ive got a couple of lava rocks and was curious as to what you would concider the best way to attach the ferns to the rock until they can latch on ? ive heard of a whole heap, elastic band, cotton, super glue fishing wire ? has anyone had sucess with any of these ?

[wombat1100]

I'm glad you posted this question, I have tried both the elastic band and the fishing line , both of which held on the ferns, but they didn't attach themselves to the driftwood they were tied to, the roots grew fantastically and were huge but none gripped on.I also tried this with Anubis , with the same results.!!

[joz]

I had good luck with anubias and elastic bands but was not so lucky with the ferns.

[tetratim]

Runner bands are good especially if its not a smooth surface.

[Edu]

Late post but worth putting in here for future reference. I have large rocks that are odd shapes / buried in gravel. Traditional methods of cotton, fishing line or rubber bands were not really an option. Though good to note that black cotton eventually rots away so it’s useful in this respect but can be hard to get into place once in water, good trick is to thread it through a large needle.
Anyway I used super glue and this worked a treat, couple of tips though. 1) Use the Gel-based variety. 2) Put a good blob of it on the surface and then press the plant into it and hold down for 20-30 seconds. I used this method with Anubis on rocks and also Java Fern on a vertical rock-face. Over time the glue will dissolve but by then the plants are well rooted. I used UHU Super Glue Gel, but really any Gel type Super Glue should do the trick.