'Hygropoly Sperma'

[Jen]

I bought a plant from my LFS that they called 'Hygropoly Sperma'. It looks like:

I have had it for two weeks now, and they have really grown. It has almost doubled in size, and some of it is as tall as the tank now. Is there any way to cut it and re plant, or do i have to wait for runners?

 

[clutterydrawer]

Was it maybe "hygrophila polysperma"...

I don't have one but I found this info on tropica.com:

"The shoots must be pinched out regularly. Leaves lying on the surface form small new plants."

Edit: the shoot-pinching-out bit was in order to stop it getting too big and crowding everything.

 

[Jen]

so if i leave the leaves on the surface, i'll get new plants? nice.

 

[endparenthesis]

It'll make new sideways shoots... but won't grow any taller (from the original stem) if you cut the top off. A stem can grow new roots as well, so sideshoots could be cut off and planted.

Also, you can weigh down a stem sideways and new plants will grow up out of it.

 

[Jen]

Awesome. Thank you very much for all the help

 

[Yeaulman]

And also, if you let this plant get too long, it will start to look like a palm tree and lose all of its leaves at the bottom of the stem like mine did I had to learn the hardway and read that in a book at the library tonight.

 

[endparenthesis]

That could be an indicator of not enough light reaching the bottom.