# Trimming Blyxa japonica



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Hi folks.

I have been using Blyxa japonica as a grass, so the right half of my tank from the back to the front is 100% Blyxa. It looks really wild, and quite cool but now it's starting to get pretty thick and soon it will need a trim.

In the past I just pulled out all the Blyxa and snipped off new stems of growth and replanted those. In this case, it's just not feasible for me to pull that much plant matter out, trim and replant.. especially if it has to be done every couple months or more often.

So I was thinking of perhaps just giving it a haircut of sorts.. maybe just going in with the shears and cutting at 30 degrees from vertical to sort of thin it out.. 

I think it would probably look like crap for a while, but would fill in again and look good.. I hope!

Has anyone else used Blyxa as a grass field like this?

I had an idea for a minimalist aquascape as well.. a tank planted 99% with blyxa and then in the sweet spot / golden ratio planted with the red tiger lotus I've been growing which is wonderfully trained to stay around 4 to 5 inches tall. It's a magnificent midground plant after you train it.


----------



## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I never tried trimming Blyxa before. I would think that the trimmed ends would turn brown, maybe start to die and look really bad. I personally would just thin it out and let it fill back in.


----------



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Trena you confused me a bit.. what is your idea of trimming as opposed to thinning out?


----------



## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

By trimming I mean taken scissors and cutting the tops/tips off and by thinning out I mean actually removing plants.


----------



## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

Blyxa is a stem plant, so if you trim the leaves I think those leaves would die off. Just pull a section at a time and replant that section if you dont want to pull it all. That is the only thing I dont like about that plant. Its difficult to trim other then pulling it and thinning it out.


----------



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Yeah I should be more clear, I am not proposing to simply cut off the leaves, but cut deep enough that I inevitably snip off new stems.. I have noticed blyxa grows new stems quite prolifically.. Maybe I will just get rid of it and pick a different true grass plant.. I sure like its intense golden orange colors though.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Blyxa J. grows so well I have just pulled up most of it, replanted a few new shoots in bare areas, then sold the excess to the LFS. However, my LFS had never heard of it and was spooked by my recital of its best growing conditions. They did buy it though. I just love the plant anyway for its colors and the detail on the leaves.


----------



## GillMan (Feb 22, 2005)

Y'all should post pictures of your 'colorful' B. japonica. I always just assumed is stayed green. Orange, huh? I have some I recently added to my 90G but it's being shaded out my other prolific growers. Sounds like I'm gonna like this plant. I have a sea of P. helferi 'Downoi' and L. cardinalis in my foreground. I had to pull up part of my Downoi and snip off the side shoots to thin it out. I do this in patches so it's not a big chore. Sounds a lot like your japonica. I get mounds of Lobelia, one plant as big a round as your hand and have to remove the outer shoots to make a smaller mound.

Don't cha hate it when plants grow so well?!


----------



## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

I've grown blyxa fields when I had my 20g, they grow fast and enormous! my field of blyxa is starting up again in my 50g, I should have enough when I redo my tank. I pretty much just uproot all the stems, slice any new stems off and replant them all, much easier for me that way.

Blyxa will change colors when you add more iron in the tank. I remember one day where my blyxa was all green and after a dose of 10ml of flourish iron, the next day they were bleeding red (quite nice, adds some colors to the scape).

After I rescaped my 20g, which was 5 months ago here was all the left over blyxa that I had forsale. Over 100 single plants!


----------



## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

Barry, 

Besides all the BLYXA BRAGGING, which by the way, I've pulled up plants the size of BASKETBALLS! That's one great photo.

I just love this plant! 

But, I've done exactly what you are proposing. I've done some thinning out of the clumps with well placed snips, taking off selected side shoots. This can helps somewhat and extend the times between the re-planting chore. Sooner or later, I think, you will ultimately need to yank the whole clump up to contain it.

PS. Anyone mizs spellcheck az mukh az mi?


----------



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Jdinh04 said:


> I've grown blyxa fields when I had my 20g, they grow fast and enormous! my field of blyxa is starting up again in my 50g, I should have enough when I redo my tank. I pretty much just uproot all the stems, slice any new stems off and replant them all, much easier for me that way.
> 
> Blyxa will change colors when you add more iron in the tank. I remember one day where my blyxa was all green and after a dose of 10ml of flourish iron, the next day they were bleeding red (quite nice, adds some colors to the scape).
> 
> After I rescaped my 20g, which was 5 months ago here was all the left over blyxa that I had forsale. Over 100 single plants!


Yeah I bought my blyxa from you! I now have at least ten times that amount you sent me.. great plant.


----------



## pawslover (Feb 22, 2006)

banderbe said:


> I had an idea for a minimalist aquascape as well.. a tank planted 99% with blyxa and then in the sweet spot / golden ratio planted with the red tiger lotus I've been growing which is wonderfully trained to stay around 4 to 5 inches tall. It's a magnificent midground plant after you train it.


How did you train the tiger lotus to stay that size?


----------



## Riba (Feb 9, 2006)

pawslover said:


> How did you train the tiger lotus to stay that size?


Cut off any leaf that goes higher, after a while the lotus will get the picture


----------



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

pawslover said:


> How did you train the tiger lotus to stay that size?


Riba has the idea.

Just cut off any leaf that goes higher than you want it to.

usually the plant will "learn" about an inch or so below that..

I haven't trimmed my tiger lotus in.. many months.. it NEVER sends a leaf higher than two inches above the soil.

It also looks _really_ cool that way.


----------



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Wow, I never knew that. You learn something new everyday.


----------



## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

Pawslover, I'm so glad you asked that question about keeping the Tiger Lotus trained to stay low, both of mine seem to be getting a bit too tall now, even though I've been cutting down any new growth that goes higher than the plant, looks like I'm going to have cut even lower, as I like it to practically sit on the subtrate, rather than grow tall enough for my fish to swim under it. 

banderbe, if you want to sell any of your Blyxa, I'd be happy to buy some from you, as I've been looking for this plant, I love it. I have dwarf sags that are growing similar to how your Blyxa is growing.


----------



## banderbe (Nov 17, 2005)

Linda, I have it up for sale right now.. it's very healthy, beautiful stuff. Grows quickly.


----------

