To cut or not?

[Bhu]

Hi all

Well my tank is coming along lovely now. My crypts have stopped their melt and growing back well, and the rest are growing like crazy! (Well except for the LB )

So my alternanthera rosaefolia has grown to the top and just stopped there! Instead of going taller it now has much longer leaves and seem to be growing longer as well...

Here's some pics to help visualise...

So zooming in on the AR...

One more...

So can these plants sence the water surface and stop growing upwards? If I were to cut it where on the last picture do you think i should make the cutting? Should the cut be flat or a 45 degree angle? Or should I just leave it as is as it looks lovely?

Any advice much appreciated...

Best wishes

Bhu

 

[GreenNeedle]

I would leave it until it reaches the surface and then starts bending because it looks nice as it is. Where to cut? Low down just above a plant node. straight cut/diagonal is no difference the stem is only 2mm wide Cut at a point where it is below a viewing point. i.e. you won't be able to see the plant when you've cut it until it grows again. Will probably send out 2 shoots from the cut. Plant the cutting somewhere close to it.

 

[X3NiTH]

This pic was taken the other day and is what Alternanthera.Reinekii 'Mini' does when it first hits the surface (Tropica tissue culture specimens planted at the end of March this year).



Mine did what yours did and grew longer leaves for a while until the stem grew thick enough to support the extra weight for new growth above, it then shot up. Cutting down and replanting the tops really helped this grow, the area in my tank where it grows best also has the deepest part of the substrate (about 7cm) and growth here has resulted in stronger thicker stems to support surface emergence. This variety of mine has not split new growth to two branches when cut, it sprouts a new head and keeps a singular stem and also produces thicker stems.

 

[Bhu]

Cool! Thanks for that x3nith I will be leaving mine for a while then