Trimming Plant Help

[Finznfangs]

OK..... Dumb question time.

I have some Twisted Val and another tall non twisted plant that have grown rather long aroung 1M, now i am wanting to ecourage more shoots and growth so should i trim the plants back down the the water leval??? Tank height around 550mm.

Cheers

[Godly3vil]

I think if you trim the leaves they will probably die off, if you trim them to the substrate you should be fine.

[Finznfangs]

Really?? Hmmmm i dont want to have no high plants in my tank.. will look very bare. I think i will just leave them alone.

[Sophia]

Twisted val grows a few leaves thick per plant and then it puts out runners with new plantlets attached. The oldest ones are in the middle and they get longer and longer until they go brown or start looking grubby and you can trim out the leaf. Eventually you'll end up with a mass of waving leaves if you let the plantlets do their thing.

[SamH]

Is it at all possible to just cut the tall ones and leave the ones that haven't reached the surface yet? Or are all the leaves the same height?

[Finznfangs]

All the leaves are the same height, I do pull out the ones that go brown. I will just need to get a bigger tank. :rotf:

[the-obstacle]

Twisted val handles being trimmed quite well in my experience. Just cut it all off at the length you want and off you go. Worst case the leaves go brown and then the plant regrows them but I never had that happen with mine.

[NoFishing]

I cut mine all the time. The ends may go a bit raggy, but that's about all.

[F15hguy]

trimming them doesnt bother them if what my B-nose do to them is anything to go by.

btw if you have any trimmings give them to some silver dollars, always good fun to watch them go down like spaghetti

[Adrienne]

I snip the tips of my val off once it reaches 70 odd cm and have no issues. As Sophia said it propagates by putting out runners.