# [Trimming Technique] Glossostigma elatinoides



## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

One of the best ways I've found to minimize the vertical growth with Glossostigma is to plant the tips of the runners. Although a more tedious way to plant, the glosso seems to get started up quicker this way. A set of curved forceps helps to plant glosso the best. It takes about four weeks for the glosso to fill in completely.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Couldn't agree more!

I have also always found glosso was easiest to plant when you break up the chain into individual plantlets and especially use curved forceps. Fills in nice and fast too vs. planting entire chains which tend to keep growing in the direction they were planted (creates rows)

The curved forceps REALLY make all the difference for planting foreground plants.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

Hi,
Good tips, may have my old dissection kit somewhere.
Planting and trimming glosso takes a lot of patience. Trimming is very messy. IME snipping all the leaves and leaving the roots and the runner in the soil takes a lot of time. Sometimes it's just better to rip the whole mat of glosso and replant...and sell the extras.  

regards 

Stan


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

This method is also the best way to treat lilaeopsis. New growth only happens at the tips of the runners, which are slow to branch. Older parts of the plants don't grow and tend to gather algae. If you replant just the tips then the plants look better and grow faster.


Roger Miller


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## Aquadise (Jul 26, 2006)

Thanks for the tip. But for me, glosso no matter how I cut it always has been a ground hugger in my tank. I believe its the lights.


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## Noddy65 (Jul 8, 2005)

If you have long runners in your tank you can always just trim between each little plantlet with a fine pair of scissors without having to pull it up. Each plantlet will then send out a shoot, filling up the bottom really quickly.
Mike


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## Wood (Jul 27, 2006)

Yea my glosso almost seems to want to escape the light in my tank, I know I am using way too much light for them. I have found that a good way to keep them from "tunneling" and hugging the ground is once they start to tunnel, get a pair of tweezers and go into the subsrate under the roots, and carefully bring the glosso up, so the leaves are above the substrate, but the roots are still mounted. Use the stems to bring them up, dont grab the leaves. Basically act like those things that lifts the pallets at Home Depot. Go underneath and lift. My glosso tunnels so much that I actually do this once a week. It doesnt hurt it at all and really helps them to send more runners.

Hope this helps all those out there will similar problems.


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