# Eleocharis vivipara size



## Shad0w (Nov 13, 2006)

Quick question, does anyone know how tall Eleocharis vivipara will grow?

Thanks


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Individual plants can grow maybe 4 inches, but they grow new plants at the tips of the leaves, which get higher, and the group of connected plants can reach over 12 inches. E. vivipara is not as nice a plant as the other Eleocharis species, which propagate by runners just below the surface. Little bits of E. vivipara leaves or small plantlets can break off and grow quite well floating and become a nuisance, getting all tangled like hair algae in other plants. E. vivipara, like duckweed, is difficult to get rid of, if you don't want it. in the picture, below, the mass of plants at the top came from just three plants at the bottom.


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## Haeun (Oct 19, 2006)

Lol, I imagine combing the plant like hair.

Can it just be trimmed? (Sorry for the hijack.)


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Yes, it can be trimmed. I have seen very nice aquascapes where a large number of plants were planted close together and then kept trimmed so that secondary and tertiary plants didn't create a huge mass above them.


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