How to avoid crypt melt
I’m really liking the look of Cryptocoryne lutea ‘Hobbit’ in the front of the Fireplace Aquarium and it might be nice to put in a second row but it has taken this slow growing crypt more than four months to really get going. Is there a way to speed up the transition from the emersed growth form of the plant as received from the shop to the submerged form it will take in the aquarium? I previously noticed Jurijs Jutjajevs’ “pro tip” to simply cut all the emersed form leaves off and only plant the roots and crown of the plant. Leaves that have already been removed can’t melt. I wasn’t brave enough to try that last time, but this time, BRAVERY UNLOCKED.
As received
Out of the pot
No rockwool
Cut in half
Ready to plant
Cryptocoryne planting “pro tip” from Jurijs Jutjajevs
The plants arrived in good time and in great condition as always from Aqua Essentials. Compared to the first time Hobbits, these seemed more mature and grown in – there were two solid masses of plants, one in each pot, which I cut in half to be able to spread them out more. I thought about leaving one of the plantlets with the emersed form leaves on as a control for this little experiment, but then decided to just go for it. Four big pieces of Hobbit and one very small piece got installed in the tank, looking somewhat like tree stumps. The big question is whether Jurijs is right and vigorous new adapted growth will spring up, or whether these bottom halves will simply rot away…
Front view
Side view