Cyptocoryne parva planting help

Aqua Jon

So I just got a stock of plants from SA. I have just planted them as they came in today, but I'm not sure I'm happy with the location and current setup of the Cryptocoryne parva. I ordered a pot of the specimen and was to chicken to divide the plants root system since it is after all a crypt. Is it still possible to replant the parva after dividing the bulk of it? If so, how would i go about doing this the best way? Here is the current setup with the parva in front of the driftwood and left a bit.

A visual update :)

Byron

Beautiful aquarium in the photos, well done. I like the substrate, good choice for colour. And those plants will fill in and that will be a jungle when they do, but you can also thin/prune/divide later.

Potted plants, whatever they may be, should be removed from the pots and carefully remove the planting medium (wool stuff). I say carefully because the roots have probably grown through it, but I find that it generally will come apart and slide off the roots if you do it slowly. Just so happens I was planting out new potted crypts yesterday in my 70g re-do. Mine were like yours, thick; and I left a couple but separated a couple others. Once you get the wool off, carefully use your fingers to gently spread the roots at the crown, and you will probably find 3 or more significant plants (and possibly a few daughter plants sprouting). Plant them separately.

If it were me, from your photo I would consider dividing the C. parva into three, planting two of them where it now is only spaced maybe 2-3 inches apart, and the third at the right end of that wood just about where that white ball is (can't tell what that is, seems to have a tiny plant attached, maybe a Java Fern?). Crypts always appear more "natural" when in groups and together or in the same general area, such as around a chunk of wood.

Hope this helps. I do like that aquascape.

Byron.

Aqua Jon

I will have to uproot and replant as soon as possible before the parva sets in. Thank you very much for the compliments on the tank :) And yes I'd like to do something very similar to what you described with the parva. Since it does grow so dense I am looking to have it expanding and pack that left side with the two other crypts and the micro sword. I had not thought to spread it much around the tank though. I will give that a try.

Some of the wool is still left behind tight within the root system, is it a problem if I leave small parts of that planted in the substrate?

And on a side note, yes that is Java Fern attached to a small marbled stone. It is my experiment in propagating the Java Fern by removing it and growing it apart from the leaf.

Byron

If there is a leaf and a root or two, it should manage. Nutrients come solely from the water column of course.

No, I try to remove as much of the wool as possible, but there are inevitably little fragments imbedded with roots.

Yes, crypts do not like disturbance, so do the separation /planting quickly. Keep it in the same general area for a natural look, like three around the wood, rather than three spread out across the tank.

Byron.