# Pruning crypts



## reilly

What is a good way to prune crypts without causing to much stress. I just killed one. I am guessing because i pruned it to much. The next day it looked like hell and the day after some of the leaves were hanging down to the substrate, it only got worse from there. I have about 15 more that need trimming but now I am a little nervous.


----------



## HeyPK

There is no good way to prune Crypts, or, for that matter, all crown plants. If your crypts need pruning, you should probably take them out completely because they are too large for your aquascaping plans. Either try smaller crypts, or a different kind of plant alltogether, that either grows or can be pruned to your specifications. You have to plan ahead with crown plants and envision what they will look like when they reach full size. If a patch of crypts is advancing by means of runners into territory where you don't want them, you can pull up the newer plants and confine the older ones to where they belong without hurting the older plants.


----------



## reilly

Thats not what I wanted to hear ;-) Thanks for the info though


----------



## Phil Edwards

Reilly,

To add to what Paul's said about planning ahead when placing Crypts, I have "Trimmed" them in my tanks. The trick is to remove only one or two leaves no less than 4 days apart. Carefully removing the largest leaves one or two at a time every week worked well to maintain the plant in the shape/size that I wanted it. One needs to be careful not to go too far or your plants will melt like happened to your plants. 

If you're needing to do a serious trim for say algae reasons it's best to use scissors and just shear the entire bunch off two inches or so from the substrate. That'll remove the large affected leaves and generally protects the new, tender leaves. Most crypts I've done this to have responded well and were back to full size in a few weeks. Proper nutrition is essential to this working however. The plants need good stores in their rhizomes to recover from shearing. Placing a fertilizer tab near the plant when doing this will help greatly.

Still, proper prior planning when planting crypts is most important.

Best,
Phil


----------



## SCMurphy

At the AGA convention Jan said to just give crypts a haircut when they needed pruning. He said to lop the leaves off just above the rossette level and they will come back thicker and send out runners. I haven't tried this yet, and I probably have one of the thicker stands of crypts around so maybe I have a good candidate for an experiment. **

**Before I get dissed, it's a 10 year old stand of _C. balansae, lutea, beckettii,_ and _lucens_ that has formed a rhizome mat so thick I can't push my hand into the substrate.


----------



## pardalisjk

anyone ever try cutting the largest plants back below the crown and let the smaller offshoots take over? I was thinking of tyrying that with my wendtii at the front of my tank. Jim


----------



## SCMurphy

pardalisjk said:


> anyone ever try cutting the largest plants back below the crown and let the smaller offshoots take over? I was thinking of tyrying that with my wendtii at the front of my tank. Jim


 I just pull those plants and give them away at club meetings.


----------

