PDA

View Full Version : So, I made a big mistake. Now what?


Alfcea
08-07-2008, 12:25 AM
Hello guys!

I made a big mistake with my amazon sword. Since it was getting a little too big I decided to cut the crown/rossette in two halves... I remembered reading a thread about cutting it... but now that I found the thread again I realized that I shouldn't have. Too bad...

Fact is, I have already cut it. What can I do now? Should I just watch it die? Why is the crown so vital? Is there any hope it will heal? Won't each half retain the cellular totipotentiality? Why/why not? What can I do to help it?

Any advice will be greately appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Alfcea
08-07-2008, 03:11 AM
Anybody has any ideas?
ILuvMyGoldBarb
08-07-2008, 09:36 PM
I can't give you the biology of it, but it has been my experience, and the experience of many others that a rosette that has been cut generally dies.
Alfcea
08-08-2008, 01:14 AM
:scry:
.............
ILuvMyGoldBarb
08-08-2008, 01:23 AM
I found this for you.

Most rosette plants cannot be “pruned” like a stem plant. With Vallisneria and Sagittaria, some people trim the ends of the leaves if they lay across the water surface and block light. The disadvantage of this method of trimming is that the damaged end of the leaf often begins to rot. Eventually, the whole leaf will die back. The best answer is to use those species that will not outgrow the height of the tank they are kept in. Alternatively, it is preferable to remove the longer outside leaves while allowing the shorter, young inner leaves to grow rather than to damage the leaves by shortening them.
This was taken from Aquarium Frontiers On-Line (http://www.csd.net/%7Ecgadd/aqua/ah_main/jun1998.html)
Excellent article on the propagation of different kinds of plants.
Alfcea
08-08-2008, 02:53 AM
Thanks! Now we know that rosette plants cannot be trimmed like stem plants... Maybe the only way to trim them is just to cut off the old, dead looking leaves... I hope my "two plants" can survive, though. It's been a week since I cut the rosette and so far, there aren't any signs of rotting and one of the halves is even throwing out a new leaf... lets see how it develops...

Thanks!