Sunset hygro advice

[fishfry]

Greetings
I have a planted 15 gallon tank, 3 weeks old, with sunset hygro in it. I have been fertilizing it as per 'liquid fertilizer instructions' with every water change. I also have DIY CO2. All plants are doing well except the sunset which is very leggy.

It grew very fast and I was amazed at the mass of roots that it would send down from approximately 6" on downward. The upper portion of the stem has beautiful leaves but they are at times 3" apart on the stem.

I would like to trim the plant and replant/encourage growth on the bottom portion of the plant. If I were to remove the plant, cut the bottom 6" and plant this, would leaves grow? What about the upper portion of the plant? It has leaves but few roots. If I were to replant the upper portion would it take?

Thank you in advice.

 

[rich311k]

Yes if you cut them and replant the tops both peices of the plant will continue to grow. Wide leaf seperation usually occurs in lower light situations. When you plant them make sure to keep the spread out a bit so the whole plant gets light.

 

[JRagg]

I know of the “legginess” you’re talking about. Lots of roots, everywhere. I bought a book on keeping plants last week and they actually had directions for how to prune and replant hygro, which is great because that’s a plant that I was having issues with.

Trimmings should be made just above a node (or just to the side of one).

For the piece that you want to replant, cut it about 1” below the lowest node, and cut all of the leaves off of the lowest node. Then plant the stem to where the lowest node is right at, or under the substrate. It will produce roots at the node.

 

[fish_4_all]

If the tank is that new, give it time to really get a foot hold. I let mine do so after it lost all the lower leaves and it has sprouted new shoots from every place there was a leaf. Have patience with it and it shouldn't dissapoint.

 

[Jchillin]

For the piece that you want to replant, cut it about 1” below the lowest node, and cut all of the leaves off of the lowest node. Then plant the stem to where the lowest node is right at, or under the substrate. It will produce roots at the node.

That is exactly the method I use and man does this plant take off as soon as it hits the substrate.

 

[JRagg]

That is exactly the method I use and man does this plant take off as soon as it hits the substrate.

Yeah, I wish I had gotten this book earlier. It has some really good insight on plant care that someone with a a brown thumb (such as myself) could really use. It has advice on splitting crypts, java fern, and how to split plants with runners as well.

I'm going to replant all of my sunset hygro this weekend with this method. I'm hoping it helps to minimize the number of node roots I have halfway up the plant.

Oh, and I forgot to say. Welcome to AA!

 

[Jchillin]

Oh, and I forgot to say. Welcome to AA!

Thanks, it's good to be here. LOL!

Seriously, Welcome to AA fishfry.

 

[fish_4_all]

Ok, this information needs to be in the profile! Fishfry, check the plant profiles for more information. There could be a lot than can help you grow this ever diverse and sometimes controversial plant.

Here is the link

Something else I have noticed about mine. The parts I cut and replant grow straight up. The parts I leave that get new shoots grow sideways and I mean sideways. Never higher than half way up the tank. They don't even seem like they want to turn up toward the light.

 

[Purrbox]

JRagg - No fair praising a book so highly and then not giving the title and author. Time to share with the class!

 

[JustOneMore20]

Thats what I was thinking Purrbox....give us the name JRagg! (please )

 

[JRagg]

Well let me finish it before I give it full praise. Some issues I see with it so far is that it isn't real specific on HOW to accomplish some stuff it suggests. The best part for me though, was the pruning since I have no clue how to prune anything.

The book is:
Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants by Peter Hiscock

I'd say it's not so much an encyclopedia (listing of plants) as it is a good starter guide for planted tanks.

Amazon Link

 

[Purrbox]

Ah yes. I've got that book. Pretty good, although there is some outdated info in the book (common enough with most aquarium books). It does have a very nice listing of plants, although not enough that I would have put Encyclopedia in the title.

 

[Jchillin]

"This heavily illustrated volume will prove a blessing to every aquarium hobbyist who has had to settle for superficial plant descriptions in general fish-keeping books. It presents a detailed A-to-Z directory covering hundreds of aquarium plants with high quality color photos and succinct profiles of each plant. Information includes the plant’s common name, botanical designation, growth cycle, and general description. The book’s additional sections offer details on how to grow and propagate aquatic plants, and how to protect them from parasites and other problems. This handsome volume features approximately 450 color photos and illustrations".

I've heard of the book in the past...the above convinces me that I should take a look.

 

[fishfry]

To all who have replied.... Thank you. I look forward to AA.
Cheers

 

[JRagg]

You're welcome fishfry.

As Purrbox said, there is some outdated info in the book. It combined with info on this forum is a great starter guide though. It's not really advanced reading though. I honestly don't like any of the "aquascapes" they have in there. They do have examples of different types of aquascapes (hardwater, coldwater, biotopes, etc.)

The encyclopedia is pretty mediocre. It has more info than plantgeek, but fewer plants listed.

I bought 4 books from Amazon though.

The book listed above,
Ecology of the Planted Aquarium
and Nature Aquarium World (vols I and II).

Ecology is the next one on my list of books to read.