prunning Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis)?

Need to start prunning Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis).
Most of what I read is just chop it off and stick the top in the gravel.

There are 3 types of growth from the plant that I don't know how to deal
with and would like some advice;

Straight white roots(?) growing down to the gravel from the stem.
Leave them, or remove them?
Cut them or pinch them?

Black webs of roots(?) growing from the stem.
Leave them, or remove them?
Cut them or pinch them?

Horizontal Branches 7" long, can these be cut off to keep a more
vertical shape?
Can the branches be planted vertically?

When I chop off the top half of the plant, and plant the top, how can I
keep the bottom from branching?

Cutting off the top to replant the top, should I cut below or above an
existing leaf/white root/black web?

--
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To email me just pull my_finger

Jim Anderson wrote:
Need to start prunning Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis).
Most of what I read is just chop it off and stick the top in the gravel.

There are 3 types of growth from the plant that I don't know how to deal
with and would like some advice;

Straight white roots(?) growing down to the gravel from the stem.
Leave them, or remove them?
Cut them or pinch them?

I was taught never to pinch from plants, but rather to cut with a sharp
pair of pruning scissors. Pinching tends to do more tissue damage.

I generally leave white roots on plants like hygro. First, I find them
attractive, and second, the plant is using them to absorb nutrients from
the water column.

Black webs of roots(?) growing from the stem.
Leave them, or remove them?
Cut them or pinch them?

Sounds like algae, or rootlets covered with algae particularly if they
are sproting from the internodal part of the stem. Normal, healthy
plant growth isn't usually black. Algae may come off with gentle
rubbing. Otherwise, cut it back.

Horizontal Branches 7" long, can these be cut off to keep a more
vertical shape?
Can the branches be planted vertically?

Yes, branches can be cut off and planted vertically. This is one of the
easiest ways to propagate the plant. Cut the stem off about 1 cm below
a leaf node, cut off the leaf, and bury that node in the gravel so the
plant can root from it. If the nodes are close, it's fine to remove
leaves and bury more than one. On the main stem, trim the remains of
the branch back to the stem because it will rot anyway.

When I chop off the top half of the plant, and plant the top, how can I
keep the bottom from branching?

Discard the bottom if you only want vertical growth. The plant's only
option once you have removed the apical node is to branch from the top
remaining node and turn the branch upwards, putting a kink in the stem.

Cutting off the top to replant the top, should I cut below or above an
existing leaf/white root/black web?

Cut about 1 cm below an existing white root node, remove any leaves, and
bury the white roots in the substrate.

BTW, other plants that respond well to this sort of trimming are
Cambomba, other Hygrophila spp., Hydrocotyle, most Rotala spp., and
Alternanthera spp. I'd guess it applies to many other stem plants but I
haven't grown them to know.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__

In article , eetmail-
says...

Thanks Elaine

--
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To email me just pull my_finger