Echinodorus radicans

[dmaccy]

18 month old Echinodorus radicans. I have been trimming off leaves that are dead and trimming to control the plant

I've now been left with all these stems at the bottom and it looks a but scruffy. Is thrre anything I can do to reencourage growth or is there another way to trim?

 

[Byron]

Plants in this genus (Echinodorus, common name swords) grow new leaves from the centre of the crown. Depending upon conditions, the outer leaves which are older may or may not slowly yellow and die. When you remove them, you should be able to carefully pull the leaf stem down toward the substrate, and the entire leaf including these bits of stem will break off.

I would wait until the old leaves have brown soft stems right at the base (they come off much easier too). This is because there are mobile nutrients that the plant will transfer from the older (dying) leaves into the new growth, and you don't want to waste these nutrients.

Do you use substrate tabs? These greatly benefit all sword plants which are heavy root feeders.

 

[dmaccy]

Thanks. Yes I use easy life root sticks.