Plant Maintenance

[rowdyates]

Tank has now been going 6 weeks and some of my plants are growing quite nicely, one of them Hydrilla Verticiliata has now reached the top of the water and as it continues to grow it now leans at an angle, so it's now a third of the way across the tank. What should I do to keep it in check, should I just chop it off at the height I want so it won't grow further, the bits I chop off I guess I just plant. Any advice on how to maintain much appreciated.

Cheers,

Keith

 

[George Farmer]

As you say, just re-plant the cuttings. This is a very common way of propagating stem plants.

Use sharp scissors as to avoid the crushing of stems. Remove the required quantity of lower leaves. Avoid lead weights and use tweezers to gently push the stem into the substrate an inch or two. The plant should take root fairly quickly. You can actually float the cuttings for a few days too, you will see new roots form letting you know it's ready for planting.