Nano stem plant
Compact growth
Bushy ground cover

Staurogyne repens or S. repens is a low growing, compact plant which is not difficult to care for if provided the right conditions. It is often used as a foreground plant in aquascaping or to fill in empty spaces in planted aquariums. S. repens has small, light green leaves and the plant itself grows rather bushy - sending leaves upwards but only to a couple inches high. It does quite well under high lighting, though it is not exceptionally fast growing.

Scientific Name: Staurogyne repens
Native To: South America
Skill Level: Medium
Placement: Foreground to midground
Recommended Light: Medium to High Light 20-50+ PAR (click to see our PAR chart)
CO₂ Requirement: Recommended
Preferred Fertilizer: Easy Green liquid fertilizer and Easy Root Tabs
Propagation: Trim stems and replant

***Being a natural product, sizes can vary from what is shown.***

How to Plant Staurogyne Repens 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 Care for Staurogyne Repens

— Staurogyne repens 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 Staurogyne repens plant melting? This stem plant is grown out of the water at the farm. Once the plants arrive to us, we begin the process of converting them to their underwater form. 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, CO₂, 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 Staurogyne repens 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 and add Easy Root Tabs as needed.
— How to trim Staurogyne repens: 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 Staurogyne Repens

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.