TankBud

Dwarf hairgrass

Eleocharis parvula

Also known as Dwarf spikerush, Eleocharis pusilla

FreshwaterCarpetingRunners

Dwarf hairgrass (Eleocharis parvula)
Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
59–82°F
15–28°C
Max height
3.9 in
10 cm
Growth rate
Medium
Placement
Foreground
Type
Carpeting
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–12 dGH
Spread
2 in (5 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Cyperaceae
Origin
Cosmopolitan (temperate and tropical wetlands worldwide)

Overview

Dwarf hairgrass is an easy carpet plant that covers the foreground in a low lawn of thin green blades.

Did you know

Dwarf hairgrass blades are not leaves at all but leafless stems. A hairgrass carpet is really a lawn of green stalks doing all the photosynthesis.

Caring for dwarf hairgrass

Separate tissue-culture or potted stock into small tufts of a few blades. Push each tuft into the substrate a couple of centimeters from the next so the runners can knit them together. A nutrient-rich or capped substrate helps.

Dwarf hairgrass grows in medium light without CO2. Strong light and added CO2 keep it shorter and denser and make it carpet much faster. It feeds through its roots and leaves, so root tabs and a liquid fertilizer both help.

It copes with cool to warm water, from 59 to 82°F (15 to 28°C), and with soft to moderately hard conditions. The first spread is slow, and then the carpet suddenly fills in. Once it settles, trim the new carpet so it thickens instead of reaching for the surface.

Good to know

Dwarf hairgrass is a true sedge in the family Cyperaceae, not a grass despite its common name. It spreads aggressively by horizontal underground runners that push up new shoots all around the parent. It is the smallest of the commonly sold Eleocharis species, distinct from the taller E. acicularis and E. montevidensis.

In the wild

Dwarf hairgrass is a truly cosmopolitan spikerush of marshes, ditches and the muddy margins of fresh and brackish water. It occurs across temperate and tropical regions worldwide. It is a marginal wetland sedge that grows emersed in saturated mud and tolerates periodic submersion.

Common questions

Does dwarf hairgrass need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Split it into small clumps and push each one into the substrate with tweezers, leaving gaps for it to fill.

Does dwarf hairgrass need CO2?

No, but it helps. Dwarf hairgrass can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does dwarf hairgrass need?

Dwarf hairgrass wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

Does dwarf hairgrass need root tabs?

They help. Dwarf hairgrass takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.

How do you propagate dwarf hairgrass?

Dwarf hairgrass propagates by runners. New plants grow along its runners. Cut one free once it has roots and plant it.

How tall does dwarf hairgrass grow?

Dwarf hairgrass grows to about 3.9 in (10 cm) tall. It grows at a moderate pace.

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