# Pruning and Horizontal Growth



## Haeun (Oct 19, 2006)

I've read that after first planting, I should let my stem plants grow to the top and then cut. I've been trying to keep my hands away and let it grow out before I do any snip-snipping.
However, I've been having horizontal growth with my rotalas and my hands are itching to just cut off the part that's curving over. I've read that the rotalas start bending over when there's either good conditions or enough space. Would pruning help it grow upright? Should I cut and replant to give them less space? Or leave it alone a bit more, and prune after it grows out more?

The reason I ask is because I'm trying to get bushier growth, and according to this article, rotalas don't like to


> branch well until they can actually lay across the surface of the water. Rotala macrandra is a good example of a plant with this growth pattern. You will be able to propagate the plant much more quickly if you allow this habit and trim stems intermittently after they have spread across the surface.


:help: I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

My rotala rotundifolia and rotala sp. green both start bending over horizontally when they get near the water surface. Or, if a stem lags behind in growth and is partially shaded it tends to start growing horizontal to get out of the shade. It looks like either high or low light cause the horizontal growth. I really like the plants, but I admit I don't understand them.


----------



## Haeun (Oct 19, 2006)

:\ I mean, they're nowhere near the water surface yet, as you can see in the first picture. There is no shade really, and I have a 13 watt light maybe 4-6 inches from the plants. And this is a 2.5 gallon tank. I would've though 13 watt is plenty, though I can switch it to a 27 watt. I'm dosing excel instead of CO2, could that be a factor?

I really like them too. They just confuse me.
Man. I wish I can just twack them and tell them to stop slouching.


----------



## gas (Jul 27, 2006)

All the rotalas grow toward the most brillant point like you can see in your tank.
When they recieve good lighting conditions they strat to grow horizontaly.
Try to cut and replant to make something more dense (btw it's beautiful)


----------



## Haeun (Oct 19, 2006)

Thanks. 

I decided to just prune everything low, and let it bush out now. I had cut one stem before, and I noticed it had already branched several times. I'm going to hope that they all branch as they grow back in. I'll see if they still flop over after they bushed out and gain some density.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I had a 2+ gallon tank set up until a few months ago. I used a 27 watt PC desk lamp set about 6 inches above the water. I also used Excel and no CO2, and did EI dosing. My experience was that I had low to moderate lighting. I used a few small sprigs of rotala rotundifolia among other plants in it. They grew slowly, and reached the water surface in about 6 months. So, I suspect now that you just don't have enough light. From the photo it looks like all of the plants are growing towards the middle where the light is brightest. Sorry I didn't remember my similar slzed tank experience before.


----------



## gas (Jul 27, 2006)

> So, I suspect now that you just don't have enough light. From the photo it looks like all of the plants are growing towards the middle where the light is brightest


I totally agree with that


----------



## mellowvision (Jun 18, 2007)

could they also be growing against the filter current from right to left? (I'm no expert, just wondering myself.)


----------



## Haeun (Oct 19, 2006)

Ahh, good point. I do have a eheim ecco 2234 on a 2.5 gallon. Maybe?


----------



## gas (Jul 27, 2006)

I don't think so cuz the green sp grows to the left and the red one grows to the right, and both grow toward the center just above the light


----------



## essabee (Oct 11, 2006)

Plants do so many things, and behave in so many ways that they are impossible to be said generally. With some reservations I would dare to make a few general statements about the aquatic plants' direction of growth based on my own observations:-

1. Given enough lighted space around them, a plant will grow sideways to save itself from future competition, by shading that space. Such tropism is only available to plants which can branch, or stems which can lengthen their leaves or send out runners.

2. Although plants do grow towards light, every plant has its own likes and dislikes to the intensity of light. If the light is too intense a plant may sheer away from the direction of light.

3. Soft stem plants, ones that cannot grow emersed, when they reach the surface of the water will and has to grow horizontally, if it continues to grow. Some of these types of stem plants don't branch till they have nearly reached the surface, thereafter they commence quick branching and spread all over the surface of the water.

With judicious pruneing we can take help of the natural affinity of behaviour of a particular plant to increase one or other of its behaviour.


----------

