About the species

Micranthemum tweediei 'Monte Carlo' comes from Argentina and has round, fresh light green leaves on creeping stalks. It stays only three to five centimetres tall and knits into a continuous carpet considerably faster than the smaller 'Cuba'. It also copes with light shade, which is unusual for a carpeting plant.

Facts

• Latin name: Micranthemum tweediei 'Monte Carlo'
• Plant type: Carpeting plant
• Origin: South America
• Height: 3–5 cm
• Growth rate: Medium
• Position: Foreground

Light requirement

Medium light requirement. Reckon on around 0.5 W per litre or a modern mid-range LED unit. Too little light gives sparse, stretched shoots and pale leaves, while the right amount keeps the plant compact and richly coloured.

CO₂ & nutrition

Added CO₂ is recommended — Tropica reckons 6–14 mg/l as a medium requirement. The plant can be grown without, but then grows more slowly and loses some of its colour. Supplement with liquid fertiliser weekly and keep iron and potassium levels up.

Planting

Divide the contents into many small tufts and place them two to three centimetres apart across the whole area. The more tufts you split it into, the faster the carpet knits together. Use tweezers and press the roots down without burying the leaves.

Carefully remove the pot and rinse the rock wool off the roots before planting — leftover rock wool can otherwise hinder rooting.

Care & propagation

Trim the carpet with curved scissors once it starts building upwards — that keeps it low and dense and stops the lowest shoots dying from lack of light. Siphon off the clippings right away, otherwise they root where you do not want them.

Position in the aquarium

Its low mature size makes it a foreground plant. Place it right at the front where nothing shades it, and let it form a continuous surface in front of the taller plants.

Difficulty level

🟡 Moderate — wants stable lighting and regular fertilisation to look its best.

Delivery format

Delivered as a pot grown submerged, with the roots in rock wool. The pot holds several plants or stems that can be divided and planted separately.

Recommendation

The carpeting plant we suggest first for a first attempt at a lawn — forgiving enough to manage even without optimal CO₂. Split the cup into as many small tufts as you can and the carpet closes quickly.