Crypt Rootstock

[kamikazi]

Ok so a friend gave me a bunch of cryptocorynes and mixed in were a bunch of loose roots with rhizomes or whatever you call them.

What if anything can I do with these to get them to grow?

[DogFish]

Burry the rhizomes just under the surface. When you look at them you should be able to figure out the planting orientation.

Also, you might want to keep track of what you put where. A lot of baby crypts look alike. I ran into that in some grow out tanks. If you ever decided to sell or trade most people want positive ID on plants they keep.

[ADJAquariums]

do the rhizomes have any leaves on them? or do you know if your friend has plants such as java fern or anubius?

[kamikazi]

Originally Posted by DogFish

Burry the rhizomes just under the surface. When you look at them you should be able to figure out the planting orientation.

Also, you might want to keep track of what you put where. A lot of baby crypts look alike. I ran into that in some grow out tanks. If you ever decided to sell or trade most people want positive ID on plants they keep.

Is there something specific to look for to determine the planting orientation? What I have is all the same species. I'm not sure if its wendtii brown, lutea or beckettii though. On the ones with leaves the leaves are dark, purplish underside, kinda dark greenish/purple on top.

Originally Posted by ADJAquariums

do the rhizomes have any leaves on them? or do you know if your friend has plants such as java fern or anubius?

No leaves on them, roots and rhizomes only. These are specifically cryptocoryne, not java fern or anubius.

[DogFish]

"On the ones with leaves the leaves are dark, purplish underside, kinda dark greenish/purple on top."

Sounds like C. Becketti, I have quit a bit of it in my tank. Even young plants have a darker leaf. The new leaf maybe 4 to 1 ratio long vs, wide. I have two emerged babies going now, If you want I can take one of my famously bad pics.

lutea - these leaves are lighter color than Becketti and a bit more narrow.

wendtii brown - I've not owned this crypt But, I have Fla. Sunset which I believe is very close?? This is a dark and more fatter football shaped baby leaf with a bit of a wave on the leaf edge.

One end of the Rhoizome should have a point on it, or will soon if it was broken off, this is were the new leaf will come off,. The other end should have at least root buds on it. You may need a magnifying glass to see the root buds.

If you just can't figure out which end is up you could float them for a day or two and hopefully get some root growth going.

If you have roots now, pretty simple they go in the substrate. Do keep the crown above the substrate, a little higher is better than too low. I plant all my crypts a little deep. Once I got them all where they need to be I leave them alone for a day. If I'm still happy the next day with placement I gentley pull them up to the the substrate surface to expose the crown.

I think the biggest mistake we make planting crypts is not considering mature size. So,keep that in mind in relationship the glass walls of the tank.

[Eldachleich]

Originally Posted by DogFish

"I think the biggest mistake we make planting crypts is not considering mature size. So,keep that in mind in relationship the glass walls of the tank.

THIS!! I can't tell you how many crypts I bought only to have them explode into growth.

[kamikazi]

Originally Posted by DogFish

"On the ones with leaves the leaves are dark, purplish underside, kinda dark greenish/purple on top."

Sounds like C. Becketti, I have quit a bit of it in my tank. Even young plants have a darker leaf. The new leaf maybe 4 to 1 ratio long vs, wide. I have two emerged babies going now, If you want I can take one of my famously bad pics.

lutea - these leaves are lighter color than Becketti and a bit more narrow.

wendtii brown - I've not owned this crypt But, I have Fla. Sunset which I believe is very close?? This is a dark and more fatter football shaped baby leaf with a bit of a wave on the leaf edge.

One end of the Rhoizome should have a point on it, or will soon if it was broken off, this is were the new leaf will come off,. The other end should have at least root buds on it. You may need a magnifying glass to see the root buds.

If you just can't figure out which end is up you could float them for a day or two and hopefully get some root growth going.

If you have roots now, pretty simple they go in the substrate. Do keep the crown above the substrate, a little higher is better than too low. I plant all my crypts a little deep. Once I got them all where they need to be I leave them alone for a day. If I'm still happy the next day with placement I gentley pull them up to the the substrate surface to expose the crown.

I think the biggest mistake we make planting crypts is not considering mature size. So,keep that in mind in relationship the glass walls of the tank.

Thanks dogfish. You ever sell any of the Florida Sunset?

[DogFish]

I only had one and I split it and gave 1/2 to Xue(Looking4roselines). Mine is in my Whiskey Barrel pond. I only got this because a guy I know was selling them at a Club Swap and he insisted "they" set the color and now this new batch will color up.

3mos & waiting

It's growing well but looks like a wendtii to me.

I only trade/sell with my friends as I no longer post on SNS. Send me a Friend Request and if you are still interested at the end of summer PM me, we can work something out and it's yours if you want it

[kamikazi]

Originally Posted by DogFish

I only had one and I split it and gave 1/2 to Xue(Looking4roselines). Mine is in my Whiskey Barrel pond. I only got this because a guy I know was selling them at a Club Swap and he insisted "they" set the color and now this new batch will color up.

3mos & waiting

It's growing well but looks like a wendtii to me.

I only trade/sell with my friends as I no longer post on SNS. Send me a Friend Request and if you are still interested at the end of summer PM me, we can work something out and it's yours if you want it

Hmm I'm beginning to wonder about the sunset, I liked it because of the color but now i'm not so sure. Someone else was saying theirs either lost the color or never got it. They were saying the color only seemed to happen with emergent growth. Once you submerge it looks alot like other crypts and loses the orange color.

[DogFish]

oh, I thought it was a all B.S when I bought it. But, the seller is good people and I though I'd try it and it was just $5 for a healthy pot that a broke a few splits out of.

Interesting, I bought it in emersed form and it was just a bit darker. I wonder if it was in a hight light and CO2 tank what might happen.

Should be interesting what it looks like end of summer.

[kamikazi]

so I asked my friend what he gave me, he said he thought it was wendittii. It came out of a high tech high light tank but he also has it in a low light low tech tank and its much greener like wendittii. I hope it stay kinda purple in my tank though, but we shall see.

[150EH]

They will most like look different and melt until they adjust to the new parameters, but I love Crypts they are good in warm water, hard water, or just about any water.

[DogFish]

Originally Posted by 150EH

They will most like look different and melt until they adjust to the new parameters, but I love Crypts they are good in warm water, hard water, or just about any water.

PLUS they are very low maint. plants. Once they mature and fill in they are IMHO the #1 Aquarium plant....at least for me.