Jump to content

Pruning dwarf aquarium lilly, tiger lotus


Recommended Posts

I was on the ole YouTube the other day and saw this video, but I was less interested in the highlighted arowana and more interested in one of those plants in the center:

I can see what appears to be either a dwarf aquarium lilly or a tiger lotus. Mine always have runners going to the top, but this aquarist appears to have pruned it in a manner that allowed the plant to have a lower profile. Does anyone know how to do this? Or is this some other plant that does this naturally? I am dubious about pruning all the leaves that have reached the top because that's pretty much all of the leaves (like, 3) and I think that would kill the plant. I love 'em but I am careful to trim leaves here and there since they can block a lot of light to other plants in the aquarium. Thoughts?

Btw I personally think that rank is a little small for the arowana, but what do I know...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Andy's Fish Den said:

I have trimmed leaves that reach the surface if it gets to be more than a couple. It seems to train the lotus to grow more compact and keep the leaves down low in the water

Yep, catch them early before they even open up once they go beyond the height you prefer, and you'll teach the plant that danger lurks at the higher levels. Although it'll still try to send one to the top every now and then.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, StephenP2003 said:

Yep, catch them early before they even open up once they go beyond the height you prefer, and you'll teach the plant that danger lurks at the higher levels. Although it'll still try to send one to the top every now and then.

Very interesting! I didn't know you could "train" a plant like that. Right now it only has leaves floating on the top; I'm concerned that cutting them will kill the plant. Ant advice on that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Kat_Rigel said:

Very interesting! I didn't know you could "train" a plant like that. Right now it only has leaves floating on the top; I'm concerned that cutting them will kill the plant. Ant advice on that?

I also learned you can do the same thing with dwarf sagg, although the leaf melts when you trim it so it's a slower uglier process.

Sorry, I don't know for sure what would happen if you trimmed all the leaves on your bulb - my gut is to say you won't kill it, especially if it's still attached to the bulb. Anecdote - I did lose all the leaves to my dwarf tiger lotus last year, and the bulb stayed dormant for at least a month before another leaf emerged. I have read that if you let all the leaves (or a bunch of them) reach the surface, it can be tough to make it do anything else. That's why I started trimming mine before it even opens if it's looking like it'll reach the surface. Gotta be paying attention because in a short aquarium it can sprout and breach the surface in a day or two. It may just require some patience while you let it go through a dormant or ugly period.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Kat_Rigel said:

Very interesting! I didn't know you could "train" a plant like that. Right now it only has leaves floating on the top; I'm concerned that cutting them will kill the plant. Ant advice on that?

If the bulb is solid and healthy, you will be fine. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/14/2020 at 10:36 PM, Kat_Rigel said:

Very interesting! I didn't know you could "train" a plant like that. Right now it only has leaves floating on the top; I'm concerned that cutting them will kill the plant. Ant advice on that?

Once the plant starts growing and you start to see more leaves, I've found that new leaves can form often and it doesn’t seem to respond negatively from trimming. If you were wary of cutting them all at once, start with one every once in a while, and it’ll probably quickly put your mind at ease once you see how quickly new leaves will form. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...