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When trimming Ammania/Rotala 'bonsai' for the first time

parotet

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Joined
12 Oct 2013
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1,695
Location
Valencia, Spain
Hi all

Simple question but I didn't manage to find the answer anywhere... I have planted Ammania/Rotala bonsai and I'm not sure when I have to trim it. For stem plants and when it comes to the first trim, I usually let the stems reach the surface to have a strong root system, but obviously this is not the way to go with this plant.

Jordi
 
I got it also (the Bonsai form).. :) First i thought whats so bonsai about it. It shot with in a few weeks over 20 cm its tips emersed. But it all seems t be in the light..
Now did i change my light setup for the 3th time. i started with 3 x 600 lumens 5000k warm white, 6500k cool white and the rotala grew leggy and fast to the surface. I extended the lights after a few weeks with 2x 1500 lumens extra 8000k dumped the warm white. Still it grew leggy.. Now few weeks back i changed it again dumped the 2x 600 lumens and replaced it with 2x 2300 lumens 10000k. And lo and behold the Rotala bonsai stops shooting, grows more dens with shortr internodes and less fast to the surface. They haven't seen a sciccor over 3 weeks now. And before i trimmed them weekly and drove me crazy. If you want to i'll have pictures and can show you the difference what i mean and the difference is realy clearly to see. It's a bit late now to search around in all thepics i made but tomeorow i'll have them.

Now i'm building me a new light setup, hanging instead of stand and dump the 2x 1500 lummens and go with 4 x 2300 lumens 2x 8000k and 2x 10000k.. but it will hang a few cm higher.. I realy wonder what this will do to the rotala bonsai.

Anyway this plants loves light to stay down.. and it's trimming is totaly related to what light it gets.. :)
 
This os one of those stem-plants, where the group perfectly fit the "Black Current Method", of trimming.

When group of stems is in good growth, getting a bit over desired hight, you start by cutting the 1/3 of stems in the group. Cut the tallest, and cut quite low (=A few cm. above substrate), sinve Rot. indica 'bonzai' is usually good at branching from cut stems. You can re-plant the cuttings into the group, to chieve denser look.
As growth gets going again in the gruop, cut the next 1/3 of stems in group. Again cut the tallest, and re-plant some, if you want.
As growth gets going again in the group, cut the last 1/3 of stems in group - which should now be the tallest ones........and continue like that hereafter........

This way the group will have full-grown, new shoots and new-cut stems at all times. Thereby being in young, virile amd nice to look at, at all times. The time of the total circle will ofcourse depend on genetal parametres in tank )=light etc.)
 
well - well........
Not trying to be funny about tank parametres......but too late to edit; sorry :crazy:
 
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