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Re: trimming vals




On Tue, 9 Mar 1999, jlemons wrote:

The question was:

> > >What is the best way to trim long leafed plants like most vals?  Can I
> > >just chop them off the top to the desired length, or should I remove the
> > >long leaves and allow new ones to replace them?

Karen Randall responded:

> > The best solution is to not choose plants that will outgrow your tank.
> > Failing that, removal of the whole leaf is a much better option.  If you
> > strat cutting them, the leaf ends just start to rot back slowly, and you
> > end up trimming further and further back to get rid of the rotted area.

[snip]

> As far as triming the val and it then rotting, that has not been my
> experience.  I trim my val back to about half tank height once every 3-4
> weeks or so.  I don't experience any rot because of this, and there is
> noticable growth at the cut tips by the next day.

My experience has been consistent with Karen's advice.  A cut leaf tends
to rot back from the cut, though this isn't always an immediate effect.
I'm surprised that you see growth at the cut tip.  I thought val leaves
grew from the base.


Roger Miller