When the driftwood is arranged in the aquarium and the framework of the layout is made, it’s time to attach willow moss on driftwood. It would look more natural if you place willow moss on parts of driftwood and leave some area exposed. Willow moss should be placed on key points such a bend and a tip of driftwood. If used to cover unsightly places such as an artificially cut end, they can enhance the layout. I use Moss Cotton to attach willow moss to driftwood. Moss Cotton, which is a cotton thread, melts way in a few weeks under water. Since the color of the thread is the same as the color of healthy willow moss, it is not very visible and it disappears by the time willow moss has grown attached to the driftwood. Once you get used to the task, you can wrap Moss Cotton on driftwood that are arranged in the aquarium.
However, it is not easy to do so in the beginning, and I recommend that you do this by taking driftwood out of the aquarium one piece at a time. If you take a few pictures of the arranged driftwood with a digital camera, they will be very handy for putting the driftwood back the way they were. Be sure to spray some water on willow moss to keep them from drying out while you are attaching willow moss to driftwood and after you are done.
The next step in making a layout is planting aquatic plants. As a general rule in Nature Aquarium, aquatic plants are planted from the foreground first. In this layout Glossostigma is planted in the foreground. Before planting, water is added to the aquarium until the substrate is soaked. Take care not to put in too much water at this point. If you put in too much water, it is difficult to see the plants in the cloudy water and the buoyancy of the aquatic plants makes it difficult to plant them. The leaves of the Glossostigma are connected with a runner. The plant is cut into sections in an easy-to-plant length and these sections are planted using a tweezers. Since Glossostigma grows relatively fast and spreads by sending out runners, it is best to plant them with some space between each plant. Another important point is to plant them half an inch to an inch away from the glass surface of the aquarium since the runners reach the glass pretty quickly if they are planted right up to the glass. I planted Echinodorus tenellus around driftwood and among rocks to produce a natural look. Echinodorus tenellus also spreads by runners and they eventually grow in amongst Glossostigma, making the foreground appear more natural.

Substrate material is mounded around rocks after the rocks are arranged in the aquarium. The key point is to carefully pour the powder-type Aqua Soil placed in an adequate size plastic container over the gaps between the arranged rocks. Substrate is mounded considerably heavier in the rear side of the aquarium.
An Iwagumi layout before planting. This photo illustrates the two groups of Iwagumi placed apart in the left and the right sides of the aquarium and the mounding of substrate material around the Iwagumi. An impression of massive water current is expressed by the angles of the rocks.

The next step is planting the background. In this layout, I planted Vallisneria caulescens. This plant has wide leaves for a Vallisneria and possesses some unique features such as reddish leaf tips. In this layout Microsorium “Narrow Leaf” and Bolbitis are grown on driftwood. Attaching them is normally the last step in the production of a layout. That is because these aquatic plants have a strong presence and serve as the key elements in a layout. Their placement must be determined looking at the overall balance of a layout. There are three methods to attach these aquatic plants to driftwood depending on their locations. The 1st method is to attach them directly on driftwood using Wood Tight, a metal wire encased in a vinyl tape. Because Wood Tight comes in a similar color to driftwood, it is not very visible. It can be removed after the plants grow attached to the driftwood. The 2nd method is to secure them on small stones with Wood Tight and place them in appropriate areas.br /> This method is used in the area where driftwood pieces are packed tightly, and it is difficult to attach the plants directly to the driftwood with Wood Tight. Yet another method is to tuck plants such as Microsorium between driftwood branches. The only time that this method can be used is when driftwood branches happen to be touching each other where you want to attach a plant. However, this is the most simple and natural looking method. Having a good command of these methods to attach Microsorium and Bolbitis on driftwood along with the technique of wrapping willow moss to driftwood is the key to success in using driftwood naturally in Nature Aquarium.