# What happens if you DONT trim dwarf hairgrass...ever



## gagaliya (Aug 19, 2006)

Hi, i asked this question a few times but noone seem to be able to answer. Does anyone know what will happen if I dont trim the dwarf hairgrass and just let it grow forever in a high tech co2 tank? 

I know for many carpet plants such as HC and UG, trimming is mandatory otherwise the bottom will rot due to lack of light and the whole carpet floats away...

But for dwarf hairgrass i dont see that to be a problem as..well it's grass. So what will happen if i just dont trim it...ever. Has anyone tried it? what are the results. 

thanks.


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## riverbrewer (Nov 1, 2010)

Mine got to be about 7-8" tall, stopped growing any taller, and continued to spread throughout the substrate via runners.


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## kcheung (Jun 6, 2011)

New roots will shoot out and layer over each other so your gonna have a thick thick mat


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I would like to add to your thread by asking is there any benifit from trimming DHG, does it help it spread faster, etc.


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## gagaliya (Aug 19, 2006)

150EH said:


> I would like to add to your thread by asking is there any benifit from trimming DHG, does it help it spread faster, etc.


I can answer that, yes it will make the plant spread faster. But you need to becareful not to trim too much or all at once, the problem with trimming dwarf hairgrass is it gets very messy, and those trimmed leaves will rot and in turn create algae on the carpet (which dhg is already attracted to). Also from my experience many times the trimmed leaves turn yellow too. 

What i usually do is take a large fishing net and put it on top of the grass i am trimming and try to catche all the leaves that float away.

Anyway from the responses it seems to be perfectly fine without trimming dhg. I am redoing the tank now, going to try not to trim it and see what happens in a year


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

I'm wondering about this myself. I've had my mini M going for about 5 months now w/ belem hairgrass. It has filled in every last square inch of my tank. what now?


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## gagaliya (Aug 19, 2006)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> what now?


sit back and enjoy your masterpiece?


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## Yoemen66 (Apr 28, 2011)

I have decided through trial and error, that it is best to let it grow fairly tall. When I keep it short, it has an issue with algae build up, when I let it get 4" tall or so, it has no such issue.


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## PUMPKINHEAD (Nov 5, 2010)

Here's my parvula patch,untrimmed for 4ish months already









I started to see rotting,yellowing and dying in the lower ares of the grass and thought it was from it shadowing itself from the light. But on a hunch I started dosing more iron and the grass came back greener then ever. So from my experience its fine grown long but might need some iron dosing.


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## gagaliya (Aug 19, 2006)

thanks! that's very helpful. I am using the tropica plant nutrient+, from my understanding it has a very good iron agent.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

If you don't trim it, it throws out longer and longer leaves to avoid shading itself out. Eventually you have 6+ inch tall DHG. It may start throwing runners up into the water column also.


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## gagaliya (Aug 19, 2006)

Sharkfood said:


> If you don't trim it, it throws out longer and longer leaves to avoid shading itself out. Eventually you have 6+ inch tall DHG. It may start throwing runners up into the water column also.


i guess my real question still leads back to if there is a carpet plant that does not need trim. So far the dhg seems to be the top choice even if it will eventually mess up. I dont mind if it's a difficult/demanding plant, but do such carpet plant exist? that you dont ever need to trim. 

I think dwarf sag also fits the bill, i kept them in almost all the tanks for years and never had to trim them, but they are too tall and aggressive for a nano biocube as i found out


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

What are those 3 little plants to the right of you DHG, they would make a nice carpet. Pogostemon helferi ??


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## sparkysko (Jun 11, 2004)

As long as you don't have algae problems, nothing.. It just gets denser/taller..What happens to a yard? I guess you get thatch.. 

I've been tempted to attempt 'dethatching' hairgrass to encourage deeper root growth.

Might be worthwhile to add blackworm (i think it is, not bloodworms, but the live worms they sell at the pet store). They'll keep the bottom clean and burrow around at the roots.


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## gagaliya (Aug 19, 2006)

sparkysko said:


> As long as you don't have algae problems, nothing.. It just gets denser/taller..What happens to a yard? I guess you get thatch..
> 
> I've been tempted to attempt 'dethatching' hairgrass to encourage deeper root growth.
> 
> Might be worthwhile to add blackworm (i think it is, not bloodworms, but the live worms they sell at the pet store). They'll keep the bottom clean and burrow around at the roots.


i dont know man, putting worms in my tank doesnt sound like such a good idea :biggrin: maybe some mts instead? i think they do the same.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

> i guess my real question still leads back to if there is a carpet plant that does not need trim.


I'm trying C. parva right now. I guess it will be months before I know if it ever needs trimmed or not.

There are a few members with nice parva carpets.


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## BlueJack (Apr 15, 2011)

Can anyone tell me how long it takes for dhg to spread into a carpet? I just planted some 1 week ago in my 20L and Fluval edge.

20L









Fluval Edge


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## karatekid14 (Jan 16, 2011)

My hair grass is about 4-5in tall but thick. It is also growing in java moss, about 4in above the substrate.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

From what I've read at Tropica it requires good light and a nutrient rich substrate, they also say it can form a dense carpet in a matter of weeks and after it starts to get tall trimming it down to 2 inches or so will help it spread, YMMV. My fish pick at it and my substrate is very old Flourite Red but each patch of DHG has an Osmocote tab under it and it's just staying the same or even loosing a little ground to the fish, but considering how much I net out of my tank everyday I guess it's growing ok. I would like to try the Starougyne Repens (I think) that Mr. Barr has used in his 180, it looks very nice and seem to stay nice and low, but the main thing is it seem to be much sturdier and I don't think my fish would pull on it. So far I can't find it anywhere and hope I'll see some for sale in the S&S.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Sharkfood said:


> I'm trying C. parva right now. I guess it will be months before I know if it ever needs trimmed or not.
> 
> There are a few members with nice parva carpets.


It doesn't seem as parva would need to be trimmed and sound like a good alternative that I hadn't considered.


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