PlantedPro

Staurogyne Repens

Name: Staurogyne Repens
Brand: PlantedPro
Price: 11.88 USD
Availability: InStock

Regular price ~~$13.28~~ Sale price $11.88 Save 10%

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Staurogyne repens

The easiest carpeting plant in the hobby — spreads wide, stays low, and forgives beginners

Staurogyne repens occupies a rare position in aquascaping: it is a genuine carpeting plant that does not require CO2 injection. Most foreground carpet plants — HC Cuba, glossostigma, marsilea — collapse without pressurized CO2. S. repens does not. Given decent light and periodic trimming, it spreads laterally across the substrate through horizontal shoots, gradually building the kind of dense, low green carpet that defines a well-composed aquascape.

It stays compact — typically 2–4 inches tall — and its small, rounded leaves create a clean, fine-textured foreground that contrasts naturally with mid and background plants. For aquarists who want a carpet look without the full high-tech setup, this is the most accessible option available.

How carpeting actually works with this plant

S. repens does not self-carpet on its own. The spreading behavior is triggered by trimming: when you cut the top of a stem, the plant redirects energy into horizontal side shoots that crawl across the substrate. Without regular trimming, stems grow upward instead. Think of the first trim as the signal that tells the plant to spread rather than climb.

Growth behavior by setup

Setup	Light	CO2	What to expect
Basic	Medium	None	Slower — grows upright, carpets eventually with consistent trimming
Recommended	Medium–high	Optional / liquid	Good — steady lateral spread, compact leaves, visible carpet in 4–6 weeks
High-tech	High	Pressurized	Best — fastest spread, densest carpet, deepest green coloration

Carpeting tip: For the fastest carpet, separate the bundle into individual stems and plant them 1–1.5 inches apart across the foreground. More planting points means more simultaneous horizontal spread. Trim the tops by about a third after two weeks — this single step unlocks the lateral growth that builds the carpet.

How S. repens compares to other carpet plants

S. repens: Works without CO2. Medium light is enough. Beginner-forgiving. Slower carpet but sustainable in low-tech tanks.

HC Cuba / Glossostigma: Requires CO2 and high light. Faster carpet but melts quickly without both. Not beginner-friendly.

At a glance

Light	Medium to high
Height	2–4 inches
Placement	Foreground carpet
CO2	Optional
Growth rate	Medium
Color	Bright green

Care guide

Difficulty	Easy — best beginner carpeting plant available
Fertilizer	Weekly liquid fert. — accelerates lateral spread
Substrate	Nutrient-rich preferred; fine gravel with root tabs works
Propagation	Cut horizontal shoots and replant in substrate
Trimming	Essential — top trims trigger lateral carpeting spread
Safe for	Fish, shrimp, snails, and invertebrates
Ships as	1 bundle, stems 3+ inches

Customer questions answered

(Q) Will it actually carpet, or does it just grow upward like a regular stem plant?

= It will carpet — but the spreading is not automatic, it is triggered by how you manage the plant. Left untrimmed, S. repens grows upright like any stem plant. The lateral shoots that build a carpet emerge after you trim the tops, which signals the plant to branch outward instead of climbing. Trim the top third of each stem about two weeks after planting and repeat every few weeks thereafter. Each trim produces more horizontal runners, and those runners colonize the surrounding substrate over time. A full carpet typically takes four to eight weeks depending on light and nutrients, but the process is reliable and visible from week to week.

(Q) Do I need CO2 for this plant to work?

= No — and that is the main reason S. repens is so popular. Unlike HC Cuba or glossostigma, which collapse without pressurized CO2, Staurogyne repens will carpet in a non-CO2 tank given adequate light and regular fertilization. Without CO2, growth will be slower and the carpet will take longer to fill in, but the plant remains healthy and continues spreading. If you do run CO2, even low-pressure DIY systems make a noticeable difference in speed and compactness. Liquid carbon supplements can also help bridge the gap in non-CO2 setups.

(Q) My plant arrived looking wilted and pale — is it going to recover?

= Almost certainly yes. S. repens is compact and densely leaved, which means it arrives looking worse than it actually is after a few days in a dark, humid bag. Wilted, slightly yellowed, or limp stems are normal on arrival and do not indicate a dead or failing plant. Rinse the bundle, trim away any fully blackened material, and plant the stems promptly in your substrate. Within five to seven days in stable water with light, you should see the stems firming up and resuming an upright posture. New leaf growth at the nodes is your confirmation that recovery is underway.

What's included

1 bundle of Staurogyne repens stems, 3 or more inches each, ready to plant. For fastest carpet coverage, separate into individual stems before planting across the foreground.

Ships within 10–15 business days.