Pull/Pinch?

[jonnyjr]

Over the years of having varying degree's of difficulty planted tanks, I've always pulled the stem plants up cut the bottom off, leaving the top to carry on proliferating. Its getting a bit of a ball ache pulling up my Alternanthera reineckii and Ludwigia repens every two weeks and cutting the bottom off, I feel I'm wasting some of the plants energy by producing roots instead of focusing on growing. Would it be better to pinch the growing tip out and letting new growing tips produce on the stem?

 

[Dolly Sprint 16v]

Over the years of having varying degree's of difficulty planted tanks, I've always pulled the stem plants up cut the bottom off, leaving the top to carry on proliferating. Its getting a bit of a ball ache pulling up my Alternanthera reineckii and Ludwigia repens every two weeks and cutting the bottom off, I feel I'm wasting some of the plants energy by producing roots instead of focusing on growing. Would it be better to pinch the growing tip out and letting new growing tips produce on the stem?

"Pinch"

By pinching out the tips will stop the upward growth and produce side shoots or cut the plant in half which will produce the side shoots making the plant bush out. The top section of the plant that you are left with replant in the substrate - free plant.

have a read at the attached article.
http://www.ukaps.org/plant-maintenance.htm

Regards
paul.