# Trimming Cabomba



## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

did you replant the top part? what you do is you cut it however long you want it, then replant the TOP, because that's what grows. It should then work for you.


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## Newkidonthetank (Apr 3, 2004)

oops.... umm hey will the bottoms ever grow? if not i only have 1 plant now!? i trimmed them and gave away the tops.... they arent growing but arent turning brown and its been a week or two


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## Wei (Jan 1, 2005)

Thanks said:


> did you replant the top part? what you do is you cut it however long you want it, then replant the TOP, because that's what grows. It should then work for you.


do you discard the bottom? I am have the same situation the top part grows nice and green but the bottom turns yellow.


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## Hypancistrus (Oct 28, 2004)

If you have good CO2, fert, and light levels, the bottom part of the cambomba stem may start putting up side stems (with new tops). However, the active, "growing" part of the plant is the top, if you snip it off, it cannot continue to grow from the "snipped" area.

Most people will remove the cambomba from the tank, snip the _bottoms_ off, then replant the tops. In my tank, my cambomba grows just under a foot per week, so when I snip off the tops for replanting, I make them _really_ short.


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## Azimuth (Feb 11, 2005)

Can anyone recommend a good bunch plant that can be cut from the top? It's too much of a pain to replant my Cabomba every week or two, so I'm going to replace it.


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm experiencing the same sort of thing with Limnophila sessiliflora. I've actually started to cut the tops off and leave the bottoms with the hope it will take longer to grow back. It's really stemmy, so it will have to go soon, I'm afraid. Right now I am trying some Mayaca, it has a similar look but I'll just have to see how fast it grows.

A lot of stem plants CAN be cut off from the top. But they just don't look good (start looking ratty) if you keep doing it.


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## Hypancistrus (Oct 28, 2004)

Azimuth said:


> Can anyone recommend a good bunch plant that can be cut from the top? It's too much of a pain to replant my Cabomba every week or two, so I'm going to replace it.


Not really a bunch plant... but valis might be what you are looking for.


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## Stu (Feb 16, 2004)

Azimuth said:


> Can anyone recommend a good bunch plant that can be cut from the top?


Unfortunately, there are none (that I know of) that look ok when topped and just the bottom left. As _jart_ said, most *can* be pruned this way, and this will encourage them to form more side branches, but the more you do it,the harder it becomes to hide the roughly cut tops. Also, at least one, if not most of the side branches will try and head for the light, effectively forming a new vertical stem, so over time it will look horrible!

The only plants that you can get away with top pruning without noticing the impact too much are those with uniform leaves (preferably those that are small to the eye); i.e grasses and as suggested; Vallis, but even vallis will look ugly with straight cut ends that look too artifical.

If you find pruning too much of a chore, then I would suggest either opting for slower growing species of plants, or put the brakes on your whole tank so that growth is slowed enough to manage.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Try Rotala rotundifolia/Rotala Indica, I abuse mine on a regular basis.


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## Stu (Feb 16, 2004)

150EH said:


> Try Rotala rotundifolia/Rotala Indica, I abuse mine on a regular basis.


Maybe yours grows slightly different to mine, but I find my Rotala looks quite odd after top pruning only, with too many flat tops!


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I don't mind the flat top for a couple of weeks, it allow more water flow in my tank. I cut it from 30 inches down to 10 and it does nothing for 2 weeks and then every cut stem puts off 2 new stems and grows back to the top within 2 weeks. It gets so thick that my Kuhlii loaches lay in the top and sun bathe.


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## sly (Mar 1, 2005)

Hmm...I guess thats why my nice and subtle red Ludwigia died off. It was growing very nicely until I decided to trim and throw away the tops.  

I'll have to remember to replant the top. roud:


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## Nolan W. (Feb 9, 2005)

150EH said:


> I don't mind the flat top for a couple of weeks, it allow more water flow in my tank. I cut it from 30 inches down to 10 and it does nothing for 2 weeks and then every cut stem puts off 2 new stems and grows back to the top within 2 weeks. It gets so thick that my Kuhlii loaches lay in the top and sun bathe.


LOL! That's what some of my SAEs do. My Hygro polysperma has gotten very thick at the top of the tank, and some of my SAEs just sit there under the lights.

Can you lay a stem on the substrate, wait for vertical stems to form from the leaf nodes, and, when they get long enough, chop them off and plant those? You can get many stems from one stem that way.


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## Stu (Feb 16, 2004)

Corydoras85 said:


> Can you lay a stem on the substrate, wait for vertical stems to form from the leaf nodes, and, when they get long enough, chop them off and plant those? You can get many stems from one stem that way.


Sure can. If you can't actually "lay" the stem on the substrate, plant it at a 45 degree angle instead of perpendicular to the substrate. This should cause the stem to throw out roots to try and achor itself and also promote new stems. Once this starts to happen, you'll have better luck getting it actually flat on the substrate.


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