Sometimes you have to mow "the lawn"

[Sandyjo]

Last night put on some good music, made a cocktail, and cleaned the 75 gal community tank, found a few more baby platys and trimmed/pulled out some of the jungle val (aka the lawn). It grows so well with just a weekly dose of easy green. Kept about a dozen stems for my upcoming patio tank project. In 3-4 weeks it will look like top pick b4 again...and it will be time to mow "the lawn" again. 

[Isaac M]

Sounds like you had a great night! Haha Jungle val always looks great once established, its a classic. Great looking lawn, tank and platys! 

[Tanked]

I wish I had a lawn to mow.  I have a 65 tall where JV would look great if it would grow.  The largest of my 3 surviving runners is still the size of quarter after 2 years. 

[Kalita]

I may be crazy, but I love the before look! Either way, envious that it grows so well for you!

[Sandyjo]

1 hour ago, Kalita said:

I may be crazy, but I love the before look! Either way, envious that it grows so well for you!

Me too actually but it affects the water parameters and the oxygenation of the tank when it covers too much of the water surface, at least for me. 

 

1 hour ago, Tanked said:

I wish I had a lawn to mow.  I have a 65 tall where JV would look great if it would grow.  The largest of my 3 surviving runners is still the size of quarter after 2 years. 

It's like a weed in this tank but I have to use root tabs to get val to grow at all in my 20 gallon though. Have you ever tried root tabs?

[anewbie]

Yea. I know one of these days I need to do it - but i swear i did it last week..... But it keeps growing back 😞

 

 

[anewbie]

So in the above tank the val which is on the left side actually have leaves that are over 6 feet long (most of them have been trimmed to two but i left  a few in the very back); however in my 29s i ahve italia val (this comment is for growing them) and they grow a lot slower but given time they eventually get 3 or 4 feet long - it just takes several months instead of a couple of weeks. I used to think they needed root tabs to grow but that really hasn't been the case - i think a lot might depend on how soft/hard your water is as well as the maturity of your tank (though i'm not even sure about that because this val is old - i had it in a 40B before i moved so i think it is like 3 1/2 years old and when i first go it it went from 1 plant to 10 plants in a short period - maybe a month or two. Back then i didn't know what i was doing - i just stuck in the substrate and pretended it didn't exist. It does need decent light (i had a fluval 3.0 on that tank) and i think the water in boston was pretty soft but i never measure it (testing water? didn't know anything about that when i got the plant). My current water is gh 7 kh 3 ph 7.1 and i do use nilgoc complete fertilizer once a week and of course i have fishes in the tank that help fertlize it.

-

Also you need to be patient. I find this plant grows in spurts. For a while it stopped sending out runners than recently (a month ago?) it started sending them out like crazy - not only in the above tank but also the 29 - in fact it was intruding on some other plants so i had to throw a dozen away - it was spreading way fast - patience is always a trick with plant. They move in order of months. If you do make changes to your tank try to take it slow and in a control fashion - don't change a lot at one time. 

[Tanked]

21 hours ago, Sandyjo said:

It's like a weed in this tank but I have to use root tabs to get val to grow at all in my 20 gallon though. Have you ever tried root tabs?

Originally just Easy Green.  Later I found a root tab that would supplement the EG.  Now i am using root tabs from the Co-op.  The root tabs made the Anubia happy, but did nothing for the JV.  The original plants grew some, put out runners and died. As of this week, the dime sized runner in my experimental tank is missing, and  I discovered that the other two runners in the 29 gal. had uprooted and are snagged in the floating Anacharis.  The JV was sold as a low light plant, but the floaters are only inches from the light, and it may be too bright.  The Italian Val seems to like the 29 gal tank that the JV won't grow in. 

After 3 years I would consider the tank to be mature. The JV and the Anubia are my original plants, and will be 3 years old this fall.  My water is considered very hard, and I would consider the lighting to be medium. My lighting is all DIY so there is no real way to measure or compare. I will probably move one of the runners to the low light experimental tank  I have a single Wisteria remnant there that is thriving for now.  All of the Wisteria in the brighter planted tank grew really fast, then died as well.

 

[Ulipetovay]

Even though it's from a few years back, it's awesome to see your enthusiasm for your tank still shining through. Tending to aquariums can be such a rewarding hobby, whether it's trimming plants or welcoming new additions like those baby platys. It's like creating your own little underwater world!

And hey, speaking of "lawns," have you ever thought about trying your hand at planting creeping thyme? It's not just for gardens—it can add a unique touch to outdoor spaces like patios too! Who knows, maybe your patio tank project could benefit from a touch of greenery like that.

Edited April 29 by Ulipetovay