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Planting question for a newb

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Scooter_916

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I just recently purchased my first live plants, a couple java ferns and a crypt, they were in the black baskets/pots with the tan colored matting, when I got home I pulled them out of the baskets and picked of as much of the tan stuff as I could and the planted them in the gravel, they looked great st first, but now they are looking like they are dying so I pulled them out and they are now just laying on the bottom, I'm currently cycling a new bigger tank and was wanting to either attach these, or buy new plants to attach to my volcanic rocks.

Si my question is
Are there plants that should and shouldnt be planted into the gravel?

And when I buy a plant that's in the lil basket, can I break it down into smaller plants to attach to my rocks or will I need to leave them as a singular plant and just buy a plant that is smaller?
 
Your java fern is epiphite so that will need to be stuck to a rock or wood and kept above the gravel....crypts like to have their roots buried but unfortunately there's the notorious 'crypt melt' where the leaves turn to mush and we'll, melt. This is due to it adjusting itself to your water conditions and will eventually start to grow new leaves, if it was me I would plant it back as it is and see what happens!

And yes, I always separate my plants into smaller bits and spread them around, they soon grow bigger and better
 
Here are a few photos, of the plants, hopefully they arent too far gone.

And thank you. I will start working on getting the ferns attached to my rocks, would the crypts be better planted in the gravel then glues to the rocks with ferns?
 

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The roots look great but the leaves are questionable
 

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I know they arent the best photos, I'll try to get some better pics
 

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Typical for crypts, plant them into the substrate and just let them go through the process...when they've finished transitioning pop a root tab under them and they'll grow loads! They like low light too so a great beginner plant
 
You have happened to pick on two of the trickery plants to grow. Stemmed plants are always the best bet for starter plants.
 
itiwhetu said:
You have happened to pick on two of the trickery plants to grow. Stemmed plants are always the best bet for starter plants
Click to expand...
The opposite in my experience! 😆 how funny! Never had an issue with crypts at all 🤷‍♀️
 
itiwhetu said:
Crypts are easy to grow then. Go for it good luck.
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Do I detect sarcasm? I'm simply saying I've never had an issue myself 😅 no need to be shirty ❤
 
No sarcasm. I have always found Crypt's harder to grow than stemmed plants. You have a different experience that is fine I'm happy to say crypts are easy to grow.
 
I've always had low-tech though and I think most stems need decent lighting? Maybe that's why I've had better luck with crypts 🤔
 
Some species of Cryptocoryne are more prone to melting at the slightest change in light, fertilizer, GH, pH, being moved, etc, than are some other species. When I moved in 2000 I had an incredibly beautiful carpet of two crypts in my 5-foot tank, Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia and Cryptocoryne undulata and they did not flinch at being uprooted, moved, and planted again. But two years later, when the water authority began [unknown to me at the time] adding soda ash to increase the acidic pH, all of the crypts melted within two days of a water change, and they never came back.

I have C. balansae now, which has been uprooted and moved three times; the first time it didn't flinch, the second time it partially died back, and the third time it died back completely but now has new lush green leaves.

All of which only illustrates that circumstances vary, but the risk of crypts melting at any change should always be kept in mind.
 
Good to know, thank you. Should I leave them untill they really start to melt to remove or should I remove them before they decay too much?
 
Scooter_916 said:
Good to know, thank you. Should I leave them untill they really start to melt to remove or should I remove them before they decay too much?
Click to expand...

If the crypts melt, just siphon out the mush and leave the roots alone. If you're lucky, the plants will grow new leaves, sometimes within days, sometimes within weeks.
 
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