How to trim java fern is a way to give your aquarium plants some care because of their hardy nature yet beautiful appearance. But cutting java ferns of the Polypodiaceae family is necessary to keep them looking healthy and growing too big.
Getting rid of some dead leaves and keeping them short will make your whole aquarium look more attractive and keep the plant easy to care for. So, let’s break a step-by-step on how to trim these ferns successfully.
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How To Trim a Java Fern Properly?
To trim a java fern, you must first examine your plant very well and prepare the right tools. Then you should start to trim the fern in a gentle way, and make sure you give it some time. Then, try to replant the fern again to have prosperous growth.
You must also remember that this process can be tricky because while you are supposed to cut all dead, brown, melted leaves off the fern, you should avoid doing so all at once.
Cutting a majority of the plant off at once can cause trauma and damage the entirety of it permanently. To keep things safe, you should go about this trim one by one and try taking it slow to keep the plant as stable as possible.
– Examine Your Plant
While it is unheard of, it is not uncommon to trim aquatic live plants like java shrubs. This is because even these can begin to outgrow their homes which can damage them in the long run.
The most popular varieties like the windelov java fern, narrow leaf java, trident java fern, java moss, and needle leaf java, which are most commonly grown in aquariums only have a few requirements, and to examine them, you will look into the matter closely.
Is it coming in the way of other fish or possibly outgrowing its home? Does your java fern have any dead leaves that must be taken care of? Or is it too young and small for a trim? You don’t want to trim a perfectly sized java fern too early. These questions are needed to tell whether your plant needs a trim, and they will come up as you examine it well.
– Preparation of the Right Tools
The first step is to gather all the trimming-related supplies. Get ready to trim the plants using wavy scissors. All of the plant pieces that will be cut will be cleaned and removed using a fish net. Some of them will be put back into your tank as new plants.
The heater and filter can then be turned on before you begin trimming. You can also remove some water from the tank to avoid spills, and try to manage the task as such. Moreover, if there is aquarium glass work, it would be best to remove it.
– Trimming The Fern
Although the process of trimming is only sometimes necessary for the Javas, it must still be done. If any of the questions above match your needs for trimming, you should go ahead with it.
But, it is never ideal to start haphazardly cutting the plant’s leaves. Do not simply remove all the bigger leaves; in this case, you must just cut off a few pieces, and you’ll soon see the tiny plant’s leaves sprouting.
If you see signs of java melt and any dead leaves, you will need to gradually get rid of them. Check the entire plant, from the leaves to the rhizome, before pruning. This will guarantee that you complete the pruning process carefully. It could spread to the healthy leaves and, finally, the rhizome if all of the dead leaves are not removed.
– Give time
Remember that you shouldn’t remove all of the dead leaves at once because doing so can startle the plant. Find the damaged and diseased leaves, then remove a small number of them each time. Let a week or so pass between each prune, if possible, and you would see the process more clearly and wouldn’t put the plant at risk.
They are also safe to remove if you see multiple young shoots. You can utilize the little shoots to start java fern propagation and grow new plants rather than pruning rhizomes.
– Replanting a Java Fern
You have the choice to replace the portions of your plants that were cut after trimming. The process of adding plants to your java fern tank using the pruned parts is known as plant propagation. So, if you’ve wondered how to propagate java fern, you can start here. After cutting your java plants, you can replant them.
Before placing the leaves in the tank substrate, they must be removed as long as the fish tank has room; plant as many as you would like to have. After you replant it, give it a few weeks to grow this will give your plant a fresh start.
How To Give Care For Freshly Trimmed Java Ferns?
To give the right care for your freshly trimmed java fern you should provide it with the right nutrients, and try to give it the proper maintenance. You must also provide adequate filtration, and the right lighting needs as well as fertilizing needs.
– Provide the Right Nutrients
After being freshly trimmed, your java shrubs may need a boost in nutrition to rescue growing normally. Typically for java fern care guides, this plant doesn’t need fertilizer because it can absorb nutrients from the water through its narrow leaflets. But, adding liquid fertilizer to the tank during water changes will promote faster development.
Although CO2 is not required for Java fern growth, adding it to the tank will hasten the growth of the plant. This is a matter that you should be aware of because a small quantity of it would be boosting the growth, of course, if the tank lacks it.
– Maintenance
A Java fern should not be planted on materials like gravel and rocks because doing so would cause the rhizome to decay. If the fern turns brown, the rhizome is likely decaying.
Black patches on the fern’s leaves are where the plant sprouts, despite the fact that aquarists occasionally mistake these spots for sickness. Reduce the lights in the tank if, after a few weeks, the dark patches don’t sprout new ferns because they might be burned.
Large brown spots that cause the fern to become mushy are signs of melt; remember that usually, too much light or too many algae in the tank may cause melting. If you notice this after a trim, try keeping ferns in a more shaded area. This would show you that you must follow up with what is going on and how your plant is reacting and maintain the tank accordingly.
– Filtration
Filtration is not only crucial for maintaining your planted tank’s aesthetic appeal. Keeping the water in your aquarium clean and healthy for your plants and animals is also very important.
Aquarium filters eliminate solid waste and chemical impurities and transform toxic chemicals found in betta fish waste into harmless molecules. Using Java shrubs, you may use virtually any kind of filter in your freshwater aquarium. You can use under-gravel filters, power filters, sponge filters, canister filters, or even power filters.
If you need clarification on the size filter to purchase, an excellent general rule is to pick one that can process the entire volume of water in your tank four to six times each hour. For instance, a filter with a flow rate of 40 to even 60 gallons per hour is needed for a 10-gallon aquarium.
A filter is one of the basic tank requirements that help in keeping java fern alive as well as any of the fish inside. A water temperature of 60 to 83 degrees Fahrenheit is also recommended so that the plant would thrive.
– Lighting Needs
Regardless of whether an aquarium has planted inside or not, light levels are crucial. A plant will grow spindly and may never reach its full potential if it is placed in a low-light environment.
Also, for best growth, these aquatic fern requires at least three watts per gallon or roughly three watts of fluorescent light per square foot in a 10-gallon tank.
– Fertilizing Needs
Always start with healthy plants to prevent your java ferns from melting, and the key way to do this would be through the right fertilizing nedes. While this may seem obvious, a lot of plant lovers only know the difference once it’s too late.
You should also be providing these plants with the best possible fertilizer, like a liquid fertilizer, as those tend to go best with these plants and avoid melting altogether.
Conclusion
Because java plants are extremely easy to care for, they are ideal for beginner plant parents who want to plant some java ferns in the water. These java ferns grow rapidly, which is why pruning may become necessary, so just remember:
- If your tank size is a bit small, your java fern may need a trim regularly. This is nothing to worry about as a beginner; you just need to know how to go about the trim to make sure your plants stay alive and damage-free.
- Plant java ferns in the tank once you’ve trimmed off all the dead leaves and browning stems, and melt.
- If you see your java fern turning black or brown, you should trim them because these could easily spread to the rest of the plant and ultimately damage it.
- Ideal tank conditions may still lead to browning leaves and accelerated growth rate in javas, so don’t be afraid to trim them.
Because java fens are beginner-friendly plants, there should be no problem with trying to trim them as someone new to plants, and they are generally pretty hardy and will begin growing as soon as you plant them in a tank. Just try to take each step one at a time, and you should be successful in the end.
