Hi all,

I have a 10 gallon w/ a 15 W flourescent light and some newly purchased Cabomba, as well as some older Hornwort. I have never had Cabomba before and I was wondering what kind of maintinence it needs, ie how it responds to trimming, or what it needs for propagating.

Lack of growth isnt a problem, it has doubled in height in just a week!f

Actually that is another poblem. Both my Hornwort and now this Cabomba seem to grow "too fast". As in their leaves cannot keep up with their rtapid stem growth. When i purchased these plants they looked squatty, thick, and healthy. Now thaw are no less leafy, but they look less thick because they are growin upwards so rapidly. What is causing this, is is natural? I have been trimming the hornwort often, as shoots seem to grow straight up at an inch a day at times, but they dont brach out. I have many long stalks, but no branching out and fannning out with the splitting off of new stalks. The plant now looks nothing like the ones i see in the store or online.

I bought the Cabomba to have a thicker, more bushy plant, but it too has started growing like the Hornwort. It look slike there is the same amount of leaves on each stem, but the stem has lenghtened greatly and the gaps between the leaves have now gotten so large that the plant looks bare. :( Whats causing this? What can i do to stop it? Will trimming help?

Thanks!
Dean

You must have strong lighting in your tank that the cabomba is growing so well. I could never keep it alive in an aquarium or the pond (just because the fish ate it though).

If you need to prune it, you can do so. It should handle it pretty well. Just cut off what you don't want there. The tops of the plants are the most actively growing so you may want to cut off the tops and replant those, tossing the older bottoms. It will reroot without the bottom like many submerged plants (hornwort, anacharis).

It's normal for the plant to grow towards the light as fast as it can. Once it's at the top of the tank, it will probably spread horizontally across the water. Once shaded out, the bottom parts of the plants will often drop their leaves. To prevent this, you could provide light all around the tank (not just from above) or cut the tops off often and replant them (although that will stress the plants). Stronger lighting may also decrease the plants' need to grow up to the light that exists.

Cabomba, like most plants, likes a lot of light and fertilizer (from fish waste for nitrogen (nitrate) and liquid plant food for trace elements).

I'm not sure what the secret is that allows stores to keep them bushy all over (if it's not something I already mentioned).

I have a black thumb myself so I hope you can find help elsewhere.

Good luck!