trimming stemmed plants... discuss

[ryan]

hey pple... don't u all just hate trimming? trim then so ugly then take so long to grow? anyone have better ideas or ways to trim stemmed plants? normally we just snip snip abt halfway between the leaves... then replant the top part right? come on... any other suggestions? []

[tawauboy]

yah! trimming is a hassle.
some just grow too fast.
i am now trimming them to a reasonable height.
maybe will cause the stems to produce an off shoot further down.
after sometime, maybe i can get a more bushy stem.
hope this helps/works.

[LeAnne]

i just trim my plants this morning...

i saw some new shoots coming out.. []

i hate to trim plans but an overgrow of it is very messy don't u think?

[ryan]

sounds interesting... but then if u do that, new shoots also appear at the top if the stem... right where u cut... so they will grow from there and it would end up higher than reasonable height already...

[ryan]

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On 2/8/2002 10:41:13 AM

i just trim my plants this morning...

i saw some new shoots coming out.. []

i hate to trim plans but an overgrow of it is very messy don't u think?
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wow! i admire ur patience... what are u doing now? so much time! no need to work or study huh?

[tawauboy]

at least you don't have to replant.
i think no matter what, trimming is part of planted tanks regime.
just hope that no need to take leave to maintain tank ........can't resist it ...... David [] []

[ryan]

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On 2/8/2002 10:49:21 AM

at least you don't have to replant.
i think no matter what, trimming is part of planted tanks regime.
just hope that no need to take leave to maintain tank ........can't resist it ...... David [] []
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replant why?
yeah man... 100% echinodorus summore!!! hahaha...

[tawauboy]

i used to trim and replant the top.
i remove the bottom part as i don't like the looks of a plant with the top cut off.
looks like beheaded.

[ryan]

yah lah... thats what i mean when i say it looks so ugly after u trim then takes so long to grow back...

[LeAnne]

where got patience.. just cut cut cut cut
no lah.. jobless now.. so very free..

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On 2/8/2002 10:46:28 AM

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On 2/8/2002 10:41:13 AM

i just trim my plants this morning...

i saw some new shoots coming out.. []

i hate to trim plans but an overgrow of it is very messy don't u think?
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wow! i admire ur patience... what are u doing now? so much time! no need to work or study huh?

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[LeAnne]

haha it becomes so beautiful after that

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On 2/8/2002 11:10:40 AM

yah lah... thats what i mean when i say it looks so ugly after u trim then takes so long to grow back...
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[LeAnne]

hahaha..
is it that bad

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On 2/8/2002 10:49:21 AM

at least you don't have to replant.
i think no matter what, trimming is part of planted tanks regime.
just hope that no need to take leave to maintain tank ........can't resist it ...... David [] []
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[vinz]

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On 2/8/2002 10:22:33 AM

hey pple... don't u all just hate trimming? trim then so ugly then take so long to grow? anyone have better ideas or ways to trim stemmed plants? normally we just snip snip abt halfway between the leaves... then replant the top part right? come on... any other suggestions? []
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You do not have to replant all stem plants all the time. For some like Rotala, MM and MU, trim off the whole top of the bunch and leave them in place. New shoots will grow out and make the plant bushier. Depending on the height you want and the species, you can probably do this about 2 or 3 times before having to replant the tops. It'll take between 1.5 to 3 weeks for the shoots to grow to trimming height again. For aesthetic reasons, you trim the plants below view. E.g. if you have drift wood in front of the plant, trim it just below the top of the wood. This when the shoots grow out, you can't see the ugly branching and blackened cut ends.

You can also time the trimming of each plant so that they all grow out to the 'nice' height around the same time, as different plants grow at different rates. [] Takes trial and error to figure out this timing though.

Problem with stem plants, like ryan said, is there is always an UGLY period. And the beautiful period is very short...

For more info, check this out.

[Simon]

something to add, trial and error.. good aquascaping need practise

[ryan]

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On 2/8/2002 1:17:37 PM

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On 2/8/2002 10:22:33 AM

hey pple... don't u all just hate trimming? trim then so ugly then take so long to grow? anyone have better ideas or ways to trim stemmed plants? normally we just snip snip abt halfway between the leaves... then replant the top part right? come on... any other suggestions? []
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You do not have to replant all stem plants all the time. For some like Rotala, MM and MU, trim off the whole top of the bunch and leave them in place. New shoots will grow out and make the plant bushier. Depending on the height you want and the species, you can probably do this about 2 or 3 times before having to replant the tops. It'll take between 1.5 to 3 weeks for the shoots to grow to trimming height again. For aesthetic reasons, you trim the plants below view. E.g. if you have drift wood in front of the plant, trim it just below the top of the wood. This when the shoots grow out, you can't see the ugly branching and blackened cut ends.

You can also time the trimming of each plant so that they all grow out to the 'nice' height around the same time, as different plants grow at different rates. [] Takes trial and error to figure out this timing though.

Problem with stem plants, like ryan said, is there is always an UGLY period. And the beautiful period is very short...

For more info, http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1998/june/aquatic/default.asp"]check this out[/url].
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1.5 to 3 weeks to grow back to trimming height?!!! your tank super huh? my stupid plants take like 2 weeks before the damn shoots come out then another 2 weeks before overgrown... sigh...