Trimming back anubias

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

So I have a 29 gal biocube that I've been growing some anubias in. When I first put it in there it was pretty small. Now it's grown so big that it's touching the cover. I know I need to cut it back, but I'm a little hesitant. Should I treat it like any other plant? Cut then let it callus before planting it? The tank lives in the garage and I only really see it on the weekends. Also, I removed the divider in the tank that separates the refugium from the main tank. So there is no partition.

[Fish Folk]

It’s a rhizome plant, so just cut off a chunk of rhizome that has shoots and roots. Move it to a new space. If you trim long leaves, it should send out more. Just don’t bury the rhizome.

[Guest]

On 6/22/2021 at 12:43 PM, Fish Folk said:

It’s a rhizome plant, so just cut off a chunk of rhizome that has shoots and roots. Move it to a new space. If you trim long leaves, it should send out more. Just don’t bury the rhizome.

Yeah. I agree with this. It's a very hardy plant so you can't really go wrong. Use something very sharp like an x-acto knife or razor blade (be careful!). How long did it take to grow that giant mass of plants? 

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

About a 2 years. The tank started off with about 2.5 inches of compacted miracle grow potting soil and a peagravel cap. I just put the rhizome in the middle of the tank resting on the gravel and put the lexan top on. After that I'd forget about it for a month or two at a time. I eventually had to fert with dry orchid ferts since the miracle grow soil was pretty much tapped out. I don't have any fish in there right now.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Expectorating_Aubergine

[ChefConfit]

Don't cut off leaves they won't grow back. Divide the rhizome as others have said and make multiple plants then you can move what doesn't fit to other tanks or give them away or sell them. 

[ARMYVET]

Thats an awesome anubias.  

[Jungle Fan]

You can cut the extra tall leaves, it will grow new leaves, maybe not in the same place on the rhizome but it will grow new leaves. I had some very tall Anubias that I received out of a friend's tank that were covered in beard algae. I cut of all the leaves and cut the rhizome that was over 10" long into lots of smaller portions and each of them grew more leaves over a period of two months and I still have some offspring from that plant several years ago in my tanks today.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Jungle Fan