# growing hairgrass



## nokturnalkid (Apr 3, 2007)

Ime, dhg isn't that particular about ferts. As long as there are ferts in the water column, the dhg should be fine. For me, dhg would go downhill when I would slack off of trimming.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

trimmings and co2 are key to DHG


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## jocky (Feb 14, 2010)

Now your trimming experience would be when the carpet is very thick right? Or should I be trimming when it is starting/still growing from the initial plantlets?

I read somewhere that trimming them to .5" when planting them will stimulate faster growth, right?


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## sparkysko (Jun 11, 2004)

I've grown dense carpets of hairgrass under extremely hard and extremely soft water in 3 different tanks. I never added fertilizer. I just used CO2 and eco-complete for the substrate.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i just go to town and mow the lawn when it starts to look bad. when i do trim it i do it with no discretion. just hack away at it. the more you trim the thicker it will grow back. but .5 inches sounds about rite.


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## jocky (Feb 14, 2010)

Do you think the use of a nutrient rich substrate or substrate fertilizer is beneficial.


So taking you guy's/gal's suggestions I would be safe to conclude that proper CO2 and the occasional trimming is best in growing/maintaining this plant. Yes?

Nobody measures the water column nutrients?


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i never measure anything. my DHG grew fine before i started dosing EI. i use inert substrate with no root tabs or anyhting like that with no problems.


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## jocky (Feb 14, 2010)

You guys make it sound so easy. But my plant is not moving at all. 
Another question, How much luck do you need to grow the plant? LOL JK

Thanks for the quick response guys/gals. I appreciate it.


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## sparkysko (Jun 11, 2004)

I never measure. I'd consider adding iron which is cheap enough at the LFS if you're using an inert substrate. I always thought that any iron that is in the water rapidly oxidizes and becomes useless to plants, hence why they sell chelated iron, which is chemically altered so it doesn't oxidize. 

For this reason I use deep substrates in an attempt to have an anaerobic zone that can de-oxidize iron and make it useful for my plants. I have no idea how well that works out.


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## sparkysko (Jun 11, 2004)

Also, I've never tried trimming to speed up growth. I've only trimmed when I wanted a uniform height, or when it looks cruddy on top, AFTER it's already filled in. 

Best method i found to get it to fill in is to just stop poking at it. I kept resetting the stress clock on mine when replanting/futzing with it all the time. 

As far as trimming? I don't know. I do know that certain parts of plants produce chemicals that do certain things. Say you have a tree. Every tip of every branch produces a chemical that inhibits the growth of new branches. You chop of the tip and you cut off the part that is producing that inhibiting chemical, so the tree will go into 'make more new branches' mode until that chemical goes back to an acceptable range.

I'm not sure if each tip of each blade of hairgrass produces a chemical or not. Possibly it just leaks out the chemical produced elsewhere and has the same effect as cutting a runner.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i beleive when its trimmed it triggers it to send out runners...


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

+1 on the trimming down to 1/2 to 1 inch , the stuff grows like crazy in my 20hand 2.5g


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