Trimming Hairgrass

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Hi guys,

It's been bugging me for a while even though I've been keeping planted tanks for years.

I'm just interested to know the techniques you guys use for trimming hairgrass. Currently what I do is to just cut them short, like hair. This works fine but as the new leaves grow, the old ones rot at the bottom layer and then I get algae. Is there anyway around this problem?

I realise that as growth continues, I gotta uproot some clumps of hairgrass to prevent it from getting too thick at the bottom. How do I do that efficiently, because when we pull hairgrass, the whole damn runner chain comes up along with it

[eviltrain]

i have never try this method before but just my 1/2 cent.

before you wants to root up the hairgrass, try to push the scissors into the soil and cut the roots first. Then slowly cut around the area ( square or circle ) the same way as above. Slowly pull up the hairgass in the perimeter of where you have cut.

this way you shouldn't be disturb the other hairgrass by up rooting them as well.

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Had that idea as well, but I was wondering if I would mash up the Aquasoil I use over time.

[marcusth]

i would be very interested to know too

[blue33]

that is because after sometime the dirts get stuck there for sometime causing the hairgrass to rot from bottom, you need to suck out those dirts after each trimming using small hose. most carpet plant having similiar issue also but hairgrass tend to be more messy than others.

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So how do you maintain yours Adrian? Trim weekly along with removal of the runners?

[blue33]

It depends on the growth of the hairgrass, in early stage i would trim them more often to get the compactness growth as possible. Especially the old hairgrass must trim off to stimulate new growth, that apply to all plant also. Old plant would slow down new growth. You can try on cutting old plant to experiment this. After trimming i will cut down others ferts but i will not reduce potassium adding, potassium is an important ferts among the rest of the ferts, others ferts the plant can get from fish food/poo etc but not potassium alone. As plant grow more and compact, you need to increase potassium dosage also. Alot of people make mistake in following the standard dosage of ferts, when plant grow more they need more ferts intake than the recommend one and when you trim your plant you reduce the dosage except potassium.