# Getting ready for my first transplant. Need tips.



## FreakIndeed (Jun 17, 2007)

I'm getting ready to do my first big transplant when I combine a heavily planted 55 and a lightly planted 55 into one 90 gallon. I'm looking for some tips on transplanting.

When I pull up the stem plants that have rooted, should I remove the roots before I replant them?

I've got one beefy Amazon Sword that is surely going to have one huge root system. After pulling it up should I trim the roots or leaves or both before replanting? If so, how much?

The Sword question also pertains to some pretty big crypts I've got growing.

My biggest question is how to handle sagittaria. I've got it growing all over the bottom of my heavily planted 55 and all the plants are connected by the little runners. Do I pull all this out and leave them connected and replant the whole bunch? Can I cut the runners off and plant each plant individually hoping they will then send off their own runners and populate the 90 gallon? Do I trim the roots? These are some of my favorite plants and I don't want to risk killing them.

Thanks for any and all help!!!

Tony


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## NoSvOrAx (Nov 11, 2006)

Trim roots enough to make it easy to plant. Personally, I'd chop the sag up, because I find it easier to plant that way.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I have found that plants that reproduce with runners do best if the small new plants are left connected with a runner until they have developed some roots. But, I haven''t had any luck trying to plant a long string of plants attached with runners. So, I suggest cutting the runners and replanting those new plants which have roots, and not those which don't have roots - (leave them floating?) I never have success replanted rooted stem plants, unless they are top cuttings with aerial roots only. It doesn't make sense to try to keep the rooted bottoms, since nearly all stems grow out so fast anyway. The Crypts will most likely melt when you transplant them, but they do recover and start new leaves pretty quickly. I find it very hard to transplant a heavily rooted plant, since I can never get all of those roots down into the substrate. Root pruning helps a lot.


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## FreakIndeed (Jun 17, 2007)

Thanks for the tips! I have heard about the "crypt melting". I'm switching the crypts into the same substrate and the same water chemistry, so I'm hoping to avoid it. We'll see though!


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

The crypts will almost certainly melt a bit, but don't get too nervous. They'll bounce back soon enough. My own personal theory is that the plant expends energy to produce the perfect type of leaf for the condition it finds itself in. Light, substrate, and nutrient concentrations can all vary from place to place. My own melt pretty severely even after a minor trim, but they come back every time.

Don't be affraid to take scissors to the roots of rosette plants. I usually remove anything that is so long that you can't plant it easily. Bending roots into a "J" is worse than just cutting them off. With your stemmies, just cut off a bit below a node and replant. They'll rapidly be back. Be prepared for a couple weeks of slow growth while the plants adjust to a new situation. The crypts will take a few months to get going strong again, but when they do, you'll soon be trying to figure out how to trim them back.

The best advice I can give you is to take your time, go slow, and draw up a careful map of the desired aquascape before you start.


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