# Has anyone successfully kept HC Cuba or does it eventually uproots no matter what?



## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

Just keep up on trimming. That's the only issue. I never had it uproot in my 20L when it was entirely carpeted with it and only ripped it out because I got bored with it. Good trimming habits are what matters with HC. Laziness isn't acceptable. Let it get about 3/4"-1" thick then mow it down to 1/4"~1/8". I do this in my Mini M and you can see the results of a tidy lawn in the pictures. Speaking of which, it's actually time for a trim on the left side of the tank. I'll post before and after pictures tomorrow on maintenance day.


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## bbergeron (Feb 13, 2013)

Is there another way to keep it attached to the substrate? I'm having the same issue and it's hardly reaching 1/2" let alone 3/4"-1". Just when I think a patch is gonna take off and start to spread it begins to uproot itself. Should I be trimming anyways at this point?


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

I alwats start mine dry and let the roots establish first. Once filled i make it my weekly chore to trim whilst doing a water change. It stays low and compact .... just like it said it would on the box ;-)


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## Forumsnow (Feb 22, 2012)

I did a dsm from oct to nov and its been growing strong ever since. This tank is lower light with no co2 or ferts as it is my oebt tank. I have NEVER had a single piece pull up on me and it just continues to get thicker and thicker with each trim. Not sure what all the fuss is about, hands down the easiest plant I have grown. "Just like it said it would on the box" perfectly put! Just make sure to trim.


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish (Apr 29, 2012)

Forumsnow said:


> I did a dsm from oct to nov and its been growing strong ever since. This tank is lower light with no co2 or ferts as it is my oebt tank. I have NEVER had a single piece pull up on me and it just continues to get thicker and thicker with each trim. Not sure what all the fuss is about, hands down the easiest plant I have grown. "Just like it said it would on the box" perfectly put! Just make sure to trim.


I think you're just exceptionally lucky.


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## Forumsnow (Feb 22, 2012)

I don't think it's luck at all, really quite simple. Do a really nice long DRY start, I put that in caps because everyone always makes it way to moist. And be patient, I let mine grow for almost three months. Let it it get to how you want it, nice and thick and lush, do not rush the flood. I just started the dsm on my Taiwan Bee tank using hc this past weekend. I am not planning to flood till atleast the end if July, and no shrimp till atleast October. If it grows the same in there, there is no luck. Just patience hahaha


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

DSM isn't necessary but I'm neither going to support nor turn it down. HC is all in the upkeep.


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## Zorfox (Jun 24, 2012)

I think the uprooting issue has a lot to do with the substrate. HC has a very fine root structures and needs a substrate with a porous surface to attach.


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## frrok (May 22, 2011)

*Has anyone successfully kept HC Cuba or does it eventually uproots no matter wh*



freph said:


> DSM isn't necessary but I'm neither going to support nor turn it down. HC is all in the upkeep.


Following your advice once I flood. Thx


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## Forumsnow (Feb 22, 2012)

freph said:


> DSM isn't necessary but I'm neither going to support nor turn it down. HC is all in the upkeep.


True, definitly not necessary, but does it make life a whole lot easier? You bet ya. You can get to the same result just one way takes way less effort. Your advice on trimming is spot on though. I would say I trim a third of my tank every week. If you let it get to thick the plants below will not get enough light and die. That's when you get the uprooting. I do not think substrate plays that big of a role as I have grown it in both fluorite and aqua soil.


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

You can have good root system without the DSM. I also believe there is more to it then just the lower part dying because of light. I seen this one lust carpet where the hobbyist was frantic about trimming and in the end, it uprooted itself. His thread is on a different forum.

Forumshow - Excluding the transitional period, how long have you grown HC? 

Got to be other HC growers out there and their stories.


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

It can still uproot if you're too rough with the way you're trimming or using dull/bad scissors. That'll just pull the stuff up without really cutting it if it's too dense. What you want to do is treat it like you're cutting human hair almost. If you've ever seen a stylist take their fingers and run the hair between them to a certain length and then cut, that's what you want to kind of do with your scissors. You lay them flat against the HC so there's HC coming up through them and then you just cut it. For cutting up against the glass (and, this is necessary or it gets too thick) use just the tips of the scissors and really press into it without pressing too hard against the glass. use whatever angle necessary. Skewer it almost. Watch the glass so you see how deep you're going into the HC. Sorry if my explanation is bad. It's something you have to learn on your own. I've pulled up countless patches with bad trimming method and can't say I care to do it again. :hihi:


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

Explanation is fine, I understood you completely. The cutting advice was refreshing as I am guilty of the things you mention. But, I still think eventually replanting is needed. The HC just grows on top of each other, you have to do a big trim down to the substrate and by that time, it looks just as bad as a fresh replant.


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

I slacked a little bit in some spots because my arms got tired, but you get the point. Keep in mind, it's usually good if you hit yellowish stuff. That's a good stopping point and depth goal. Green on top too is fine. You just don'w atnt to see any fully formed leaves really. First 2 pictures are before, the next 3 are after.


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## snakeskin (Jul 28, 2005)

That is beautiful! I just got some and before planting it I lad out a layer of black sand bc I had heard they like finer substrates. I wish I had known about the dry start method before but is it possible to get it to grow very well even w/o the dry start?

I had a difficult time getting it to stick in the sand so I placed rocks on portions of it so that it would stay down and hopefully start to root... is that a valid idea?


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

snakeskin said:


> That is beautiful! I just got some and before planting it I lad out a layer of black sand bc I had heard they like finer substrates. I wish I had known about the dry start method before but is it possible to get it to grow very well even w/o the dry start?
> 
> I had a difficult time getting it to stick in the sand so I placed rocks on portions of it so that it would stay down and hopefully start to root... is that a valid idea?


Thanks. That tank was not dry started, so yes, it is possible. 
Rock is fine. You can also sprinkle some more sand on top. Whatever works.


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## snakeskin (Jul 28, 2005)

> Thanks. That tank was not dry started, so yes, it is possible.
> Rock is fine. You can also sprinkle some more sand on top. Whatever works.


Glad to hear that! Thats pretty much my strategy for the time being!


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

freph said:


> I slacked a little bit in some spots because my arms got tired, but you get the point. Keep in mind, it's usually good if you hit yellowish stuff. That's a good stopping point and depth goal. Green on top too is fine. You just don'w atnt to see any fully formed leaves really. First 2 pictures are before, the next 3 are after.



That is really good HC Cuba pre-post trim! I going to go ahead and stick with HC even though she a heart breaker for me. This carpet was nearly "connect" as I had two side growing and was waiting for them to combine. 


















She broke my heart... look how close it was....


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## freph (Apr 4, 2011)

I'm not even sure what went wrong with the left side of your carpet. It doesn't even look like it got too dense. It just looks like the roots didn't grow right or something....maybe the soil was too compacted or something? I just find it so strange that even with that little HC it would float up. Maybe the underside rotted out somehow....since I can barely see any roots under it at all.


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## Forumsnow (Feb 22, 2012)

FlyingHellFish said:


> You can have good root system without the DSM. I also believe there is more to it then just the lower part dying because of light. I seen this one lust carpet where the hobbyist was frantic about trimming and in the end, it uprooted itself. His thread is on a different forum.
> 
> Forumshow - Excluding the transitional period, how long have you grown HC?
> 
> Got to be other HC growers out there and their stories.


I would say it has been growing submerged since November, so right around 6 months. I do not even trim as drastically as freph does. Just use my ebiken wave scissors and cut it a nice even distance. I can see roots going down a good 4 inches into the soil so the only way it could pull up is if the lower stem rotted. Maybe I am just lucky but I have found this no tech tank to grow plants better than any high tech tank I've had. 

As stated dsm is not mandatory. But I feel it really helps get that good deep root structure. People claim hc requires high light and good co2, how do you explain my tank then? 








I would say that is extremely healthy growth, those are month and a half old oebt for size comparison. 








My camera really does it no justice, in person it is a lush green do thick you could barely fit a pin through. Maybe it likes cooler temps? This tank stays at 68.


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## Fishbowling (Jan 7, 2013)

Wow...some impressive work in this thread. 

Anyway, I have a patch of HC in my low-tech 2.5g tank, and I have no trouble keeping it down...it's rooted to a piece of filter floss (was trying to do a planted filter and it didn't work). It sent roots right through the floss, and when I decided to plant it I knew keeping it down would be a pain so I just trimmed off the excess material and stuck the HC in the tank with a chunk of filter floss still attached. It's been about a week now, and it's already starting to explore. It did take several months for it to take root in that filter floss, but it's as happy as it can be now.


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