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i have background vallis planted at either end of my 4ft tank they are growing very well and putting out lots of new shoots the problem is they have grown to the waterline and are now growing along the surface and are about to meet this is now blocking out my lights so how far back should i cut them? the reason i am asking is i had the same with my hair-grass and i was advised to cut it back to approx 6" off the substrate which i did about 8 weeks ago and now it is hardly growing at all apart from a few strands which have reached the surface again

thanks for any help

papasan.

Hi
Actually, you don't cut plants shaped like Vals as if you
were using a lawn mower. Unlike terrestrial grasses in
our lawns, they usually don't grow back and instead die
off.

Unless you have one of the smaller varieties such as
corkscrew Val, they all grow to several feet in length.
This type of plant grows from the inside out so to speak.
That is, the newer emerging leaves come from the center
of the crown and as they mature they are moved aside by
even newer leaves. Thus the oldest, and usually the longest
leaves are on the outside. If you are going to trim them
use a sharp pair of scissors and snip the outermost leaves
down near the crown.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

thanks for reply frank i need to do something fast as i think the leaves are obstructing my water flow.

cheers
papasan.