Rehab a potential bargain haul

[OllieTY]

Hi all,

I was visiting a local fish shop, and came across what felt like too good a bargain to miss: £1 for tatty potted plants. On closer inspection, i could see a fair few crypts in there. I bought 5, and then was kicking myself all night for not having a few more. Well, I jumped out of bed the next day, and returned with:

24 Crypts, an Echinodorus and an anubias rhizome!

Now, Currently I have them in a propagator with water about half way up the pots, and an old tank light on like so:

Is there anything I should be doing differently to try and grow these crypts on? At £30 for all the plants and the propagator, I wont be too upset if this experiment doesn't work, but the opportunity for essentially £100 of free plants nearly had my eyes bulging out of my head when i saw them in the LFS!

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi Ollie
Nice bargain!
I would remove them from the pots and grow them emersed in some used soil/aquarium substrate!
Crypts like sand/gravel mixed in with the substrate.

 

[OllieTY]

Is that going to be more beneficial than leaving them in the rock wool? On the one hand the rockwool should have lots of nutrients in.... on the flip side i dont know how long they were in the bargain bin for, maybe all the good stuff has leached out? Maybe I'll go grab a bag of aquasoil just to be safe

 

[_Maq_]

Crypts like sand/gravel mixed in with the substrate.

I'm rather lost in the terminology you've used. I take "sand" or "gravel" for one of possible "substrates". When speaking about substrate blends available commercially, I usually add an adjective, like "soil", "special", "nutrient-rich" substrate to avoid misunderstanding. But then, of course, I'm not a native speaker...
As for me and Crypts, I think they don't like newly established sand/gravel substrate, but things seem to get better with this substrate being enriched with detritus and live organic matter. Is this what you had in mind?

leaving them in the rock wool?

It's quite a tedious job to remove rock wool from well-grown and branched roots.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Is that going to be more beneficial than leaving them in the rock wool? On the one hand the rockwool should have lots of nutrients in.... on the flip side i dont know how long they were in the bargain bin for, maybe all the good stuff has leached out? Maybe I'll go grab a bag of aquasoil just to be safe

Great to see someone having a go at nursing knackered plants back to health. Given the right care they should recover and thrive. Give nature half a chance...

Rockwool does not contain nutrients. It's simply a convenient growing medium. Most nurseries use hydroponic systems like ebb and flow to water and feed plants. I'd do as @GHNelson says and plant them in used aquatic soil or maybe even general purpose compost with added grit, and feed them with fertiliser. I'd mist them once a day too, and don't forget ventilation to prevent mould.

 

[OllieTY]

Thanks for the advice guys. I wonder if it would be feasible to line the pots with mesh or tights, and put the aquasoil/sand/compost mix into there? I do like the idea of having them kept in pots if possible...

 

[G H Nelson]

I'm rather lost in the terminology you've used. I take "sand" or "gravel" for one of possible "substrates". When speaking about substrate blends available commercially, I usually add an adjective, like "soil", "special", "nutrient-rich" substrate to avoid misunderstanding. But then, of course, I'm not a native speaker...
As for me and Crypts, I think they don't like newly established sand/gravel substrate, but things seem to get better with this substrate being enriched with detritus and live organic matter. Is this what you had in mind?

Sorry, is a tad vague!
I was meaning used planting media....similar to Active Plant Substrate then adding gravel/sand/grit!
As Tim stated....you can use potting compost also....

 

[G H Nelson]

Thanks for the advice guys. I wonder if it would be feasible to line the pots with mesh or tights, and put the aquasoil/sand/compost mix into there? I do like the idea of having them kept in pots if possible...

I don't think it would be a good idea....others may think differently?

This could have a impact on root production/health and general growth.....might even stunt the plants.
Its not that difficult to remove the plants from the pots....use scissors to cut away the pots if stuck around the rockwool.
Remove the rockwool....then use a dinning fork to remove the remaining rockwool on the roots.
Doing this will give you an ideal opportunity to inspect the root systems.

 

[_Maq_]

then use a dinning fork to remove the remaining rockwool on the roots.

Brilliant! It never occurred to me, I'm using a toothpick.

 

[G H Nelson]

Brilliant! It never occurred to me, I'm using a toothpick.

Well, he has purchased about 30 pots....so I thought I would throw in that little tip, or he could be removing Rockwooll till the next Blue🌑Moon!

 

[OllieTY]

I do appreciate the advice, I think in the garage I have some old aquasoil, sand, topsoil, gravel etc. I might just make a big mix and see how it goes!

 

[G H Nelson]

I do appreciate the advice, I think in the garage I have some old aquasoil, sand, topsoil, gravel etc. I might just make a big mix and see how it goes!

Yes, that will do!

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi
Moist/Damp substrate is the best option....don't over-water as you might end up having Blue/Green Algae!
The Crypts might melt their leaves...but they will grow back if all is well with the substrate.

 

[OllieTY]

Hi
Moist/Damp substrate is the best option....don't over-water as you might end up having Blue/Green Algae!
The Crypts might melt their leaves...but they will grow back if all is well with the substrate.

I wonder if it might be beneficial to put in a drainage layer/ drain tap on the bottom....

 

[G H Nelson]

Yes, if you want to go to the trouble installing a tap!

 

[seedoubleyou]

Might it even just prove beneficial to trim the crypts right down to the roots (leaving a cm or two of stem) ? Allowing the plants to focus on growth rather than repair.

This method is often adopted when planting crypts in aquariums as it saves the leaves melting and the plant can just focus on growing new leaves from the off.

 

[Tim Harrison]

That usually works with healthy plants that have a store of energy. I’m not sure you could say the same for the op’s sorry specimens. Personally, I’d just plant them in soil and give them some tlc; see how they go.

 

[_Maq_]

This method is often adopted when planting crypts in aquariums as it saves the leaves melting and the plant can just focus on growing new leaves from the off.

I have made some observations which make me doubt this practice.
First: I've observed that leaves accidentally removed and left in the tank do not suffer from Crypt melting and remain alive and healthy considerably longer than those remaining on the original plant.
Second: On one occasion, Crypts traveled to me for the whole two weeks (from Ukraine). Still, they looked perfectly healthy. After planting, these melted within two-three days. And later, as usual, resumed growing from the rhizome.
What do these observations suggest? If the leaves are attacked by parasites (fungi?), why the detached and more vulnerable leaves remain healthy? And secondly, if the Crypt melting were simply a reaction to changed/bad conditions, why didn't they melt while on travel, in a plastic bag with naked roots, in total darkness, and cold weather (while waiting for transport) altered with periods of warmth (while inside the van), and melted only after that martyrdom when planted in a (mature) tank?
Here's my hypothesis: In nature, Crypts experience a typical tropical year cycle - a rainy period and a dry period. Which often means altering emerged and submersed growth. I think that once the plant gets to "believe" that this change is approaching it remobilizes nutrients and amino-acids from old leaves to use them for creating new, different leaves some later on (after the change). If this hypothesis is correct, the Crypt melting is not a "sickness" but a controlled reaction to changing conditions, and removing leaves in advance in fact harms the plants because it deprives them of the nutrients & amino-acids they could have used later.
I repeat, it's just my hypothesis (but I happen to like it).
After all, don't we observe the same with Echinodoruses, only in slower and step by step (leaf by leaf) order?

 

[PARAGUAY]

Well, he has purchased about 30 pots....so I thought I would throw in that little tip, or he could be removing Rockwooll till the next Blue🌑Moon!

There's a Blue Moon tonight Hoggie, apparently should be good visibility as well 🙂

 

[OllieTY]

Well, I had enough old aquasoil left to mix with some potting soil and some osmocote for a 2 inch layer, and then I capped it with old sand gravel mostly for aesthetics...

Unfortunately, alot of the crowns/rhizomes had mostly rotten roots, which I washed away. The fact that alot of them have some leaves gives me some optimism, but I'll give them all a month or so and see if I notice any more new growth. I have a question regarding the water level in here. Currently the substrate is fully saturated, but there is no standing water in the bottom. With the plants and any remaining roots in this fragile condition, does it make more sense to keep the conditions like this? Or should I add water so that the water level is maybe 1 inch under the surface?