Re: [APD] monster plant removal

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Few things do really well at outcompeting a flourishing
Amazon. But you can retard growth.

First try removing lots of leaves. Grabbing petiole as
close to the base as possibile, peel and pull away formthe
base, always removing what is then outermost leaf. This is
a temporary resolution, but such is the case with all
pruning.

Second tack is the grab the plant firmly at the substrate
and gently tug and lift the plant until you can feel some
of the roots snapping. This will cause little disruption to
the substrate.

Third tack, root-whacking with a sharp blade, cut a
perimeter around the base as you have considered.

Fourth tack, do the third and then remove the plant and
prune back the roots and leaves rather severely. Then
replant in a desired location.

Fifth tack, if it's a E. bleheri, do fourth but instead of
replanting trade it in for an osiris, or ozelote or flame
sword -- they a bit tamer and shorter.

Fifth tack, just be glad it's not a rubin; Amazons ain't
got nothin on rubins when it comes to mature size; now,
those get really big.

sixth tack, if it's a rubin, get a bigger house, bigger
tank, and lots more fertilizer ;-)

Scott H.
--- Alan and Kim Van Nevel <van_nevel at verizon.net> wrote:
> Believe it or not, I have two sword plants that have
> outgrown my 250 gal 
> tank (8'x2'x'2).  They are doing well, plantlets on a
> regular basis, 
> flowers, all that.  But I am thinking of removing them. 
> My substrate is 
> gravel layered over monterrey sand, over a bed of soil. 
> I dont see 
> evidence that the swords have sent roots all the way
> through the soil to 
> the glass.  But my concern is removing these will cause a
> huge mess in the 
> tank.
> 
> Could I safely get away with cutting them down severely,
> and replanting 
> around them in the hopes the new plants would outcompete
> them?



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