Prunning Rooted Plants

[caribou]

I have several bunch plants that I put into my tank about three weeks ago that are sprouting a lot of roots higher up on the stems. They have also sprouted roots into the substrate but the upper roots are larger and look more healthy. Would it benefit these plants to cut off the bottom sections (which have shed a lot of leaves) and replant the upper rooted sections? Species involved are red ludwigia and hygrohpilia. These plants are also showing a lot of new leaf growth on top and look pretty healthy.

 

[An t-iasg]

Yes - that's exactly what I do with my hygro - every three weeks!

I pull the whole stem out of the tank and look along the stem for a long, healthy root to put into the substrate. I use plant scissors to cut the stem right below that new root that I've chosen. Usually, like you've noticed, the bottom part of the stem is not very nice anymore, and I throw it away. If there are any small "hair" roots on the part of the stem that I'm keeping, I pluck them off with my fingernails. I then plant the stem back in the substrate. I only do this with very long, very rooty stems (well, which is most of them!) The smaller ones I just leave alone until they too are tall, bending over and rooting themselves!

 

[travis simonson]

You should find that, as soon as the plants can establish a good root bunch at the base of their stems, that they will slow down or cease putting out "air roots" - those ugly trailing roots that you see coming out of the upper stems. The plants are simply seeking nourishment from the substrate and, once they have good low roots, they usually, IME, quit putting out the straggly looking air roots. But like An t-iasg says, you can easily top and replant them until they give up this habit