Best way to trim

[kspenz926]

How do you guys recommend trimming these stemmed plants?

Sorry their name escapes me at the moment




55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted

 

[aqua_chem]

They're hygrophila corymbosa most likely.

This is how I personally would approach it:

Those long stems are ugly, and might not root well. They've also got good growth at the base, so they should grow together fairly well.

That being said, you need to address why your plants are shedding leaves (which you may have already).

 

[kspenz926]

Are you saying cut the top parts and plant them separately, then cutting off the long stems? They actually did not drop leaves. They were really curled over and dying so i cut them off...

This will be my first time actually cutting these since i bought them as a tiny little spud


55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted

 

[aqua_chem]

Yes, keep the bottoms, keep the top, chuck the bare stem in the middle.

Are you dosing ferts? Hygrophila species are nutrient hogs. That term, 'nutrient hog', is thrown around inappropriately quite frequently on this board to describe lots of plants, but hygrophila species are probably capable of consuming more nutrients in the same amount of light than basically any other genus of rooted stem.

 

[kspenz926]

Awesome idea! Thanks so much. And yes i am doing bi-weekly doses of flourish.


55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted

 

[kspenz926]

Finished product. Now to figure out what to do with my dying hornwort up front and bba growing like crazy in the back right




55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted