Red Ludwigia

[IT-FishGuy]

I've some Red Ludwigia in a 30 long with about 1 or 1.2 watts per gallon maybe more (18 Watt Bulb) so it's low light. I just rearranged the plants today putting the swords in the middle, java ferns in the front and RL in the back. They've almost grown to the height of the tank (Go Figure) and I did notice that one of the plants is growing additional root about halfway up the height of the plant. I know you can divide and grow more, but the info I am finding out there doesn't specify what will happen to the clipped part that has no leaves, but has the root system. I am assuming that this part will grow back, I've tried it in the past without success and I am thinking that since it is a low light tank that the original I clipped the leafy part from doesn't have enough light to grow again.

In the future I do plan to get a dual light system, can't remember the name of the brand I was looking at because right now don't have the money to get it so why bother, unless of course I start the comparison shopping again.

Am I on the right track here?

 

[Crepe]

You can prune as much and wherever you want. When you clip off the main stem you remove the apical meristem, the growth region with stem cells devoted towards upwards growth for the main stem. No growth will come forth from that spot again. However, due to the absence of the auxin producing meristem, your plant will begin to branch and grow from side shoots out of the nodes on the plant (place where leaf meet stem). This technique gives you a bushier plant and can be repeated indefinately on the side shoots and on other stems. The cut portions, depending on how long, can be replanted.
I make mine about 6" if I plant on replanting.

 

[IT-FishGuy]

So

Thanks Crepe,

So I can snip off side shoots, 4 inch sections at the top and replant those then if I have understood correctly. My plants are a little goofy, I have about 6 inches of growth with no leaves at all on others I pruned them early on and got rid of that 6 inch section with no leaves. I could probably clip this one just below that second shoot of root growth and then wait a bit for good growth before dividing again.