# dwarf hairgrass runners



## charliey (Dec 31, 2012)

A few days ago i bought dwarf hairgrass (gel kind from petsmart), i trimmed the stems before i put them in, hoping that i would get better results than my previous attempts. Some of the stems have began to bend downward into the substrate. Are these bending stems runners?


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## Mantis992 (Feb 13, 2013)

charliey said:


> A few days ago i bought dwarf hairgrass (gel kind from petsmart), i trimmed the stems before i put them in, hoping that i would get better results than my previous attempts. Some of the stems have began to bend downward into the substrate. Are these bending stems runners?


The exposed tips of the hairgrass are bending towards the substrate?


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## MiSo (Oct 26, 2005)

runners will seem to come up from underneath. i dont know why they started to bend. i dont suggest trimming the dhg. you should give the plants some time to recover. i've found that trimming has stunted growth ime.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Depends upon the species but most varieties of Dwarf Hairgrass will do fine with trimmings. It can actually grow more quickly when trimmed and optimum conditions are provided.


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## Shrimpo_Brian (Feb 12, 2013)

I've got that problem with mine too. But I heard from someone that they mislabeled it, it was supposed to be belem. Though I'm not sure of it...


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## charliey (Dec 31, 2012)

thank you for the replies. Yes, some of them are already down into the substrate while others are forming arches. here a some pictures of a couple of my bunches.


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## charliey (Dec 31, 2012)

has anyone else experienced this?


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

haha yeah - topfin's DHG is the japan version of DHG I believe. (forget the scientific name) I bought their gel-pack a month ago and have my DHG doing exactly the same thing (check the first picture) 

For runners here is a quick rundown on how it works:

2nd picture shows how the DHG shoots runners while being planted. They will also send roots deeper into the substrate for more nutrients while sending out runners about 1/4 inch out. Mine usually take about 3-4 days to see a new runner emerge out of the substrate (pressurized Co2, dosing, medium lighting 8 hours)
You can also see in the 2nd picture that for some reason each runner keeps going deeper into the substrate which causes longer time for stems to show above the substrate.
3rd picture shows the roots and runner system of uprooted DHG.


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## Vermino (Jun 14, 2012)

charliey said:


> View attachment 171665


Some food for thought as well, spreading out the DHG in smaller clumps will help growth exponentially. I suggest 2-3 stems per clump (it's even better if the stems are interlinked with each other but not needed)

This will help stop melting your DHG. They compete with each other for light and nutrients, ones that don't get enough will brown and die off while others will thrive. You can already see your outer growing well while your inner is pretty much stunted.

Just things I've found out along the way with growing DHG =)


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## hambone870 (Feb 13, 2013)

^^^^ +1 ^^^^

while it might be a pain, pull those clumps apart and plant them as Vermino said in groups of two or 3 stems

i wouldnt trim until the dhg is stable and you have seen some upwards growth, but once you've seen that, trimming will help it expand outwards


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## charliey (Dec 31, 2012)

Thank you guys so much for all of your help. I'll split them up into smaller bunches. It also seems like this type of hargrass grows much more quickly than others since it immediately sends runners. It's called Eleocharis parvula


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## charliey (Dec 31, 2012)

What I still dont quite understand is why the stems have literally covered themselves (4th picture)


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