Trimming Aquatic Plants

Trimming Aquatic Plants
By [https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jon_T_Cole/1479049]Jon T Cole

One of the appeals of aquatic plants is that they become more attractive as they grow. This is a characteristic that is only true for living plants and not for artificial ones. On the other hand, the very characteristic of growing can be problematic for enjoying an aquatic plant layout.

First of all, overgrown aquatic plants can destroy the balance of a layout, especially because stem plants and the undergrowth can fill up the open space and spoil a layout. Secondly, since aquatic plants grow at different speeds depending on their type, slow-growing plants can lose out to fast growing plants. Several types of aquatitic plants are often combined to produce an aquatic plant layout. Therefore, certain techniques are required for growing all of the plants attractively.

The Effect of Light

The light intensity changes in an aquarium depending on the water depth. Stem plants, which are heliophytic (light loving), tend to grow vertically to capture more light in a deep, dimly lit environment. In a bright environment near the water surface, they tend to spread more horizontally. If the fast growing stem plants are left unchecked, they can cover up slower-growing stem plants, causing them to deteriorate.

Since sciophytic (low-light) plants that are slow growing to start with can withstand the shade well, they are practically unaffected in such a condition. If anything, their leaves may grow larger.

Heliophytic plants will eventually die if they are kept in such a dimly lit condition. Thereiore, as a general rule, slower-growing stem plants are kept relatively longer and faster-growing stem plants are cut shorter during initial planting.

Trimming Different Plants

In this article, Alternanthera reineckii was left long since it is slow growing, while fast-growing Myriophyllum mattogrossense was cut short at the initial planting time. By changing the length of plants at the initial planting time like this, slow-growing aquatic plants can be grown just as well as fast-growing aquatic plants in the same layout.

Likewise, during trimming, fast-growing aquatic plants should be cut short at an earlier time while slow-growing aquatic plants should be cut to a somewhat longer length after waiting until they grow sufficiently tall. Although it would be easier to cut all the bushes of aquatic plants to a uniform length, extra care is required if there is a difference in the growing speed in the mix of aquatic plants, since slow-growing plants will be covered up by fast-growing plants and decline in the end.

Trimming aquatic plants in groups and staggering the timing for trimming, taking their growing speed into consideration instead of trimming all plants at once, is an important technique that enables you to enjoy an attractive layout for a longer period. In a layout, it is important to not only make an adjustment for the growth of stem plants depending on their type, but also to control the growth of the foreground and background plants so their peak periods match and viewing is optimal.

Many of the plants that are used as undergrowth in a foreground, such as Glossostigma and Riccia, grow fast and require frequent trimming. It is difficult to match the timing for trimming the foreground and the background with stem plants, and, therefore, doing so requires careful planning.

The recovery time after trimming Glossostigma and Riccia varies depending on how much they are trimmed. While they grow back very quickly if trimmed lightly on the surface, it takes some time for them to grow back to a uniform, attractive condition if they are trimmed close to the surface of the substrate.

Taking advantage of this characteristic, I vary the trimming procedure depending on the situation. For example, if the background is close to looking uniformly attractive, I trim the foreground lightly to match their peak viewing periods. On the other hand, if it is going to take some time for stem plants to grow back after rejuvenating them by replanting their tops, I trim the foreground short as well.

In addition, I plant relatively slow-growing sciophytic plants in the midground so a layout still looks attractive enough right after the drastic trimming of foreground and background.

Although a layout is not going to be as attractive as before right after the plants have been trimmed drastically, leaving untrimmed aquatic plants in the midground keeps it attractive enough for viewing.

The aquatic plant layouts in the ADA Nature Aquarium Gallery and those installed in other public facilities in particular must be created with the understanding that they will be viewed by the general public. Since sciophytic plants such as ferns, Cryptocoryne, and Anubias grow slowly compared to stem plants and other heliophytic plants, they don't require a lot of trimming.

Even when they are grown for a long period of time, they are maintained by cutting off overgrown leaves one by one as a general rule. It is practical to plant epiphytic plants such as ferns and Anubias in the midground, since composition materials such as rocks and driftwood are placed there. The slow growing speed of sciophytic plants is an advantage from the standpoint of the ease of maintenance. To find out more, you can check out [http://UltimateAquariumGuide.blogspot.com]Trimming Aquatic Plants.

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