Trimming Riparium Stem Plants

I am sure that trimming methodologies would be an important thing to consider when growing stem plants in ripariums, just as they are for regular planted tanks. While some of the stems that I have tried grow more slowly than others, they are all bound to require pruning to control size and shape. The following photograph illustrates this well. This is the same Pilea sp. plant growing on a Nano Trellis Raft in my 20-gallon tank.

Alocasia amazonica and Pilea sp. in Riparium Planters

Although I don’t have that larger plant in this tank, I paired the Pilea with the Alocasia amazonica, which I am growing on for my 56-gallon Column, to get an idea of how they would look together. You can see that the Pilea stems have gotten to be long and leggy and that it needs a trim.

After shooting that picture I did top the Pilea and planted the new pieces on another Nano Trellis Raft. This plant is easy to propagate in this way because as it grows it develops many small roots all along the stem, even above the waterline, so you can just put cuttings on the raft without having to worry about maintaining high humidity while new roots form.

So, I have not had much practice growing stems in ripariums, but I offer as food for thought the idea that growing and maintaining them for pleasing riparium layouts will require some careful observation of the responses of individual plants. It has been my experience that rosette-type plants (e.g., Spathiphyllum, Echinodorus, Cryptocoryne) are somewhat easier to manage in riparium planters, but the great variety of aquarium stems plants that can grow emersed offer many colors and textures for the above-water area of riparium layouts.

Here is another shot showing these two plants together.

Alocasia amazonica and Pilea sp. in Riparium Planters