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plant trimming question



Dave Berryman wrote:

> I was thinking of trimming the plants WAY back to allow them 
> to grow in thicker.  How far down can I trim them and is it ok to do 
> this?  I think Amano does this to his tanks.  How often should it be 
> done.  Once every 3 months, once every six months....?

Amano says he whacks everything back to just a few inches above the
substrate.  I find that the optimum length has to do with the type of
plant, the amount of light, and the overall robustness of the tank.  A
good place to start experimenting is with an easy, fast grower like
Rotalla rotundifolia.  If you whack it too far down it will die, but if
you catch it too high it will become leggy.  I try to cut mine every 2-3
weeks (not months!) above where the stem has branched, or in the case of
single stems, I allow several nodes to remain, cutting just above a node
if possible.  If you're successful, the plant will branch at the node
closes to the cut, rendering it thicker when it grows out.  The next
time you trim it you can either repeat the same cut or whack it slightly
higher, encouraging even more branching.

As usual, your mileage may vary!

Michael Rubin in San Francisco, where the weather today has that funny
look on it's face...