# Giant Hair grass



## tundragirl (Feb 15, 2006)

Anyone know how this plant propagates? :icon_redf I have had a couple of bunches for quite some time and it doesn't spread at all. thanks


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## Blacksunshine (Oct 11, 2006)

I would guess just like its dwarf cousens it prop's via runners. what kinda light are you droppin on it?
I've found at least with the dwarf variant you have to break the big bunches up some so they have room to send those runners out.


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Hairgrasses spread via runners. If you have yours planted in bundles it would be best to take them out and separate them into individual, or small groups of plants. Also, trimming them down to maybe 2-3" tall before replanting seems to speed up their propogation.

When planting, place individual or 3-4 plant bundles in a grid pattern, with about 1/2" spacing between plants. This can be tedious work, but giving the plants some breathing room is the key to getting them to spread.


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## PineyMike (Mar 22, 2006)

Giant Hairgrass spreads quickly with runners. I've found putting root tabs under them puts them in overdrive. I wouldn't recommend giving giant hairgrass a trim. I've done it with regular hairgrass and it was OK. The Giant hairgrass will get ugly brown tips if you cut it. You would be better off just completely removing long strands from the base. There are always newer strands growing like crazy so you won't have to worry about thinning it too much.


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

MikeNas102 said:


> Giant Hairgrass spreads quickly with runners. I've found putting root tabs under them puts them in overdrive. I wouldn't recommend giving giant hairgrass a trim. I've done it with regular hairgrass and it was OK. The Giant hairgrass will get ugly brown tips if you cut it. You would be better off just completely removing long strands from the base. There are always newer strands growing like crazy so you won't have to worry about thinning it too much.


agreed 100%....on the giant form, the edges turn brown when you cut them.


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## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

It propagates by runners, but not for me.  I got a really nice pot of it that I divided up and planted in the corner to hide my filter uptake and CO2 reactor. It's been dying a slow death. Plenty of light, CO2 nad current. I'm lost on this one.

Tommy


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## styxx (Jul 2, 2003)

*aha!*

I agree with Ted, I have had mine for about 2 weeks. After taking mine out of the pots they came in and removing the rockwool, I put them into my substrate I left it alone. Yesterday, I saw new green shoot growing up. I have an insane amount of light on it (6.5wpg) w/CO2. Today, even MORE growth, so I divided both pots by half so now there are four sets of plants and tonight I noticed runners going horizontally towards each other. Apparently it takes some time to adjust and really high lighting helps...before when I had this plant, it would live for about 3 weeks and then turn brown and just die and that was with (3wpg). So it requires excessively high light intensity to spur growth. I have not cut the tips of the plant, I just let it grow out of the top since I have heard that it likes being both submerged and emerged simultaneously...


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