Hi all. New to aquascaping and setup my first tank. I've found plenty of information on plant maintenance and trimming in general. But I haven't been able to find any info on how to know when to do your first trim? How long should I let the plants settle in before trimming?

There are a few different plants I'd like to trim frequently and encourage them to grow bushier, rather than taller.

Thanks in advance!

If you are starting with emersed growth, you are going to want to wait for some heathy new growth that is adapted to underwater conditions, then cut and replant the healthy tops and ditch the older growth that is probably looking ratty anyway. Beyond that, I think you should experiment and get to know how your plants grow. Each species has its own vibe and takes to pruning differently. If you have healthy growth you can recover pretty easily from decisions that don't pan out.

Trimming is not just cosmetic though. It's critical to cut out unhealthy growth, and to make sure light and water flow reaches all parts of the tank.

Okay thanks. Yeah I was pretty clear on the benefits of trimming but it was tricky search terms to try and figure out how to evaluate when I should do my first trim on various plants.

Thanks for the tips!