Hairgrass that goes up, not sideways. Eleocharis vivipara — Giant Hairgrass — grows long slender blades that sway in the current instead of carpeting the floor, and it propagates in an unusual way: baby plants form at the leaf tips rather than on runners. That's what vivipara means, and it's why this Eleocharis behaves nothing like the carpeting species.
What You’ll Receive
- Bare-root plants | loose, bare-root portion
- This type of Hairgrass will grow tall, perfect for background aquarium
Plant Profile
- Common name — Vivipara Hairgrass
- Scientific name — Eleocharis vivipara
- Also known as — Giant Hairgrass, Tall Hairgrass, Umbrella Hairgrass
- Origin — Southeastern United States
- Placement — Midground to background
- Shipped size — Loose bare-root portion, shorter than mature height
- Mature height — 6–12 in
- Suits — 10 gallons and up
- Growth rate — Medium
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Low to medium
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 68–82°F · pH 6.0–7.5
- Substrate — Required. Root feeder — nutrient substrate or root tabs
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Also grows emersed
- Propagation — Daughter plantlets at the leaf tips; also splits at the base
Grower’s Notes
- Don't buy this one for a carpet. Dwarf Hairgrass and Eleocharis mini spread by runners along the substrate. Vivipara grows upward and multiplies from its own leaf tips — you get a tall grassy stand, not a lawn.
- Harvest the tip plantlets. Cut them off once they have a few blades and roots, and plant them; that's how one portion becomes a stand.
- Feed at the roots. It draws most of its nutrition from the substrate, so root tabs matter more than liquid dosing.
- Trim the tops if it reaches too high — cut blades keep growing from the base.
- Separate the portion into small clumps before planting rather than sinking it as one mass; the clumps root faster.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis) Care Guide.
Notes
- Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, and pesticides, grow emerged or submerge.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised the giant hairgrass for arriving "healthy and abundant" with "excellent packaging." Many noted fast growth and spreading. One shopper mentioned leaves were "quite short," and another reported slight browning at roots from tight wrapping. Overall, customers loved the "beautiful healthy" portions at great prices.
- I received a really nice healthy portion at a great price.
- The giant hairgrass was beautiful healthy and abundant.
- It is filling in the back of my 37 gallon tall aquarium and I'm loving it so much.
P
Came in excellent condition! Great packaging and handling!
G
I’ve been ordering from these guys for so long. They offer affordable, healthy and beautiful plants 🌱 and they come very quickly in great condition and very well taken care of for transportation. I can’t say enough how amazing whoever runs and makes up this beautiful business but they have my complete loyalty if I ever need plants. All of my plants besides the amazon sword and Anubias nana petites, are all from this amazing business. My plants include Anacharis, Bacopa Caroliniana, Giant Hairgrass, Bucephalandra Sp. Wavy Green. 20/10 would recommended again
J
I've bought plants from a few places and this is the best place to get mature plants. The giant hairgrass was beautiful healthy and abundant. They still have a long journey to grow and fill out but look great already! The deal was great too! Thank you!!
E
I bought 5 bundles of this plant and they arrived promptly and in great condition. Very easy to unpackage to place in tank. They look great and I can’t wait to see how they grow.
n
Plants were healthy. Packaged well. Leaves were quite short almost like a tissue culture specimen.
s
The giant hairgrass was in my first order with APF and I absolutely love it! I received a really nice healthy portion at a great price.
C
I got my order today, Plants were amazingly packed for the long trip across the USA. I was concerned with the USPS being the carrier that I would get dead plants. The team at ADF made sure that did not happen! The plants where healthy and even showed new roots in transit. I am looking forward to my next order!
L
It wasn't as green as some of the other reviewers have said and was a little brown towards the roots, I'm suspecting from being tightly wrapped with lead anchors. BUT I have it planted now and it looks good so far, hopefully it bounces back!
H
Good portion, healthy plants.
S
It branches at the tips and spreads. Don't know if its my favorite plant because of that, but it's definitely healthy and strong growing!
B
I ordered these to replace the plants from a previous purchase from a competitor, who had incorrectly sold E. montevidensis as E. vivipara, and I wasn't familiar enough with the Eleocharis species to know that I had been scammed. After some research, I realized what I had didn't look like what I had expected to see in the aquascape, and so I yanked it out and replaced it with this. I'm thankful that there are places like Aquarium Plants Factory who know the importance of properly identifying correct species and selling them as such. As to the plants themselves, they were extremely healthy bunches, properly rolled up in a manner that makes for easy separating and planting. Highly recommended.
J
Everything I've bought from them exceeds expectations. The items were shipped the same day, well packed and arrived in perfect shape.
J
After trimming the giant hairgrass I got and getting it into my aquarium, I was thinking it would be a month or more before I noticed much growth. I was very wrong. It is filling in the back of my 37 gallon tall aquarium and I'm loving it so much. I've also been able to share some with 2 smaller tanks and I know it will fill out. Do beautiful!
A
Multiple plant types in order - everything arrived in excellent condition and doing well. highly recommend
T
Came healthy and well packed!!!!
M
I ordered a 5-pack and it was exactly what I had wanted. The order came much more quickly than I had imagined it would. The plants were in great condition, despite less-than-ideal shipping conditions where I live. Now I want more - will definitely order from APF again!
S
I received one bundle of plants wrapped in a lead strip. There were a lot of individuals plants and all looked healthy.
J
Looked very nice and packaged well. A good purchase experience.
L
Excellent condition.
J
It hasnt been planted in substrate yet, but growing well in the iso tank
B
This stuff lives!! Great grass. Just don't open the metal band. Just loosen it and let it be then pop it in the substrate. I opened mine and it went everywhere. Including the filter. But the stuff is still alive floating around everywhere!
v
how to plant hairgrass
Here’s a simplified guide to planting hairgrass in your aquarium:
Substrate: Use nutrient-rich aquarium soil or add root tabs to your gravel.
Planting: Gently push each hairgrass clump’s roots about 1–2 cm deep, without burying the top.
Light & Nutrients: Ensure good lighting. Adding CO₂ and liquid fertilizer can help it grow well.
Water Conditions: Keep the water between 68–82°F (20–28°C) with a neutral pH.
Maintenance: Trim it when needed to keep it neat and encourage spreading.
Enjoy your beautiful hairgrass carpet!
R
How tall does this plant grow? I have a pretty deep tank.
Eleocharis vivipara (Vietnam/umbrella hairgrass) is one of the taller hairgrass varieties - it typically grows anywhere from 8 to 20+ inches tall depending on lighting and CO2, and it's known for eventually reaching the surface and forming little plantlets at the tips of the blades when it does. That makes it a great choice for a deep tank, since it won't stay short like dwarf hairgrass varieties.
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