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Bringing my water wisteria back...

6K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  redchigh 
#1 ·
I've got some water wisteria in my tank, and it was doing really well. It grew to the top of the water and was spreading out along the surface, so I decided it was time to trim it and replant the parts that I trimmed. The replanted parts seem to be doing fine, but the original stems are looking like garbage now, with just looooooooong stems and very little plant at the top. I read an article that said when stem plants become all stem, you should uproot them and take the healthy parts off the top and replant them, and discard the rest. So how do I know where to cut them off at the top? I assumed that there should be some roots dangling from the nodes, but there are no roots... just leaves. With no dangling roots, am I correct in assuming that there will be no new growth if I replant the tops? Would it be better to trim the tops off and keep the roots that are at the bottom of the stem? Will new leaves grow from that? I'll go take some pictures...
 
#3 ·
After reading some more about water wisteria... my current understanding is that I can trim the tops, leaving a few nodes attached, and those nodes will grow roots? Is that correct? If so... would it be better to leave them floating (so, as close to the light as possible) while waiting for roots, and THEN replant them in the substrate?
 
#4 ·
Yes, the nodes WILL grow roots. I always trim the tops off of my leggier looking stems of Wisteria, leaving two (sometimes only one) node and then plant the tops. I'm not a fan of this particular plant as a "floater". I've never not had a newly pruned "top" take root.
 
#5 ·
I just had some of the same plants that were getting long andstemy with growth on the top. I replanted the leave part in my sand. I replanted the part with the roots as this will grow back in time. I them seperated the long stem parts at the the notch area leaving a notch and floated on the surface on my tank to grow. The notch area will form roots or leaves. The added light will make them grow and when they get roots you can replant that in your sand or gravel or keep some as floating plants for baby fish to hide in. You will get new plants from the floating stems in no time.
 
#8 ·
My attempts to grow Wisteria always result in plants like those in the photos. I suspect it is too little light. They do fine for a time, sometimes a couple months, but then the lower leaves start rotting off.
 
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#9 ·
I suspect it is too little light.
Yeah, I assume it's a plant that shoots itself in the foot, so to speak... once it fills out enough on top, the top of the plant blocks the lower parts from receiving enough light.

I just went and trimmed the tops off and replanted them... in doing so, I noticed a few little leaves coming out of the stem of one a bit lower down, presumably as a result of that first trimming that I did back when the leaves were growing along the surface.

I think from now on I'll try to trim them down before they get as tall as they did... keeping them so they only get up to mid-level, and I'll think of some taller swords maybe to fill out the top behind them.

edit: Oh! the new little leaves are visible in that first smaller picture that I posted... partway down on the left stem.
 
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