Help with trimming plants

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Hulka9

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Feb 5, 2014
Messages
298
Location
Charleston, SC
Every time I trim my stem plants back they turn to mush. Specifically ludwigia cuba. All I do is cut it a few inches below the water line. Any advice?
 
What's your lighting? And fertilizer regime? Every time I trim my ludwigia it seems to respond by growing twice as fast...
 
Which lighting fixture?
How many bulbs?
What kind of bulbs (watts, Kelvin such as 6500K)? WPG doesn't really say much.
By CO2, do you mean API CO2 Booster, Excel, or are you running gaseous CO2 into the tank?
What substrate are you using? Are you using root tabs?
 
30G Long

2x 18W CFL 6700K
2x 36W CFL 6700K
1 18W T5HO 6700K
1 18W T5HO 5000K

Eco complete substrat

Pressurized CO2

Flourish, iron, and trace 2x/week

Setup in last 2 months so no need for root tabs.


Im sure it has nothing to do with my tanks setup. My plants do fine, pearl all day and grow out of my tank. No algae problems either. its only after I trim them they struggle.
 
Lighting or nutrients may be the issue for you as Shoeplein is enquiring about.

Two other things may cause some melting of leaves.Assuming the ludwigia is newish to your tanks it may still be adjusting to your water conditions and you are seeing the leaves melt as they fail to adjust. Sometimes the stores sell aquatic plants that were grown emersed (out of water) and the old leaves will eventually melt. Try replanting some of the tips for a while. They have grown in your water conditions. I find that the tips grow better when they go into a new tank. Just cut them lower down. I always replant with trimmed tips after about 1-2 months anyway because the leaves lower down will melt eventually as they get less light than the leaves higher on the stems. Next time you trim try cutting below somewhere with roots growing if possible and replant into the substrate and it may help.
 
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