Size terra-cotta pot for cryptocoryne lutea?

[metropolis93fan]

I want to keep my cryptocoryne lutea I will be ordering in a terracotta pot. 4"? 6"? Help appreciated!

 

[itiwhetu]

Why are you putting it in a pot? they are both big pots.

 

[metropolis93fan]

Why are you putting it in a pot? they are both big pots.

Ease of movement if I reorganize my tank. Crypto plants don't do well being displaced. And I don't want huge patches taking over my tank. If you think I can go smaller I'd like to. But wasn't sure what it would need.

 

[itiwhetu]

Ease of movement if I reorganize my tank. Crypto plants don't do well being displaced. And I don't want huge patches taking over my tank. If you think I can go smaller I'd like to. But wasn't sure what it would need.

I'm using these little planter bags for my aquatic plants now and they are working really well, I roll down the top. Fill them and then just poke them into the gravel base of my tank.

 

[itiwhetu]

 

[Colin_T]

use a 1 or 2 litre plastic icecream container that is 4-6 inches in diameter x 3-5 inches high.

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GROWING PLANTS IN POTS.
We use to grow some plants (usually swords, crypts, Aponogetons and water lilies) in 1 or 2 litre plastic icecream containers. You put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the container, then spread a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser over the gravel. Put a 1/4inch (6mm) thick layer of red/ orange clay over the fertiliser. Dry the clay first and crush it into a powder. Then cover that with more gravel.

You put the plants in the gravel and as they grow, their roots hit the clay and fertiliser and they take off and go nuts. The clay stops the fertiliser leaching into the water.

You can smear silicon on the outside of the buckets and stick gravel or sand to them so it is less conspicuous. Or you can let algae grow on them and the containers turn green.

 

[metropolis93fan]

I'm using these little planter bags for my aquatic plants now and they are working really well, I roll down the top. Fill them and then just poke them into the gravel base of my tank.
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Neat idea. What are they called/where can they be found?

 

[metropolis93fan]

use a 1 or 2 litre plastic icecream container that is 4-6 inches in diameter x 3-5 inches high.

--------------------
GROWING PLANTS IN POTS.
We use to grow some plants (usually swords, crypts, Aponogetons and water lilies) in 1 or 2 litre plastic icecream containers. You put an inch of gravel in the bottom of the container, then spread a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser over the gravel. Put a 1/4inch (6mm) thick layer of red/ orange clay over the fertiliser. Dry the clay first and crush it into a powder. Then cover that with more gravel.

You put the plants in the gravel and as they grow, their roots hit the clay and fertiliser and they take off and go nuts. The clay stops the fertiliser leaching into the water.

You can smear silicon on the outside of the buckets and stick gravel or sand to them so it is less conspicuous. Or you can let algae grow on them and the containers turn green.

We really don't use such ice cream containers. There's a homemade ice cream shop we get ours from that are just cardboard cartons. By winter maybe, but not for a while (I hope!)

 

[itiwhetu]

Neat idea. What are they called/where can they be found?

At any garden Centre, if you look at the first photo the label is there

 

[Colin_T]

We really don't use such ice cream containers. There's a homemade ice cream shop we get ours from that are just cardboard cartons. By winter maybe, but not for a while (I hope!)

It doesn't have to be an icecream container, just any plastic container that is similar sized. Have a look for fast food containers at the supermarket.

 

[Stan510]

4" pot clay or plastic will do. Plastic with no drainholes will keep the plant from rooting into the substrate. But,maybe you might want that- gives a bigger plant in a smaller area.
I use to grow plants in pots all the time. Even these days I keep C. balansae from taking over my whole aquarium by having it in a 8" glazed pot. That plant even cracked that pot with its strong root system.

 

[Aqua67]

I keep a red tiger lotus in a 4” green plastic pot filled with gravel and some root tabs. That plant is notorious for taking over a tank and I’m keeping it contained in the pot. When roots come out the bottom, I trim them. I trim the leaves to train the plant into a bush and I haven’t allowed the leaves to reach the surface. This prevents the beautiful lotus flower from developing, but it keeps the look I want in the tank.

 

[Stan510]

That C.balansae went from one single plant to about 100 in over two years..it was the cumulative root systems that split a quality glazed pot at the corner. Its rampant..if you want rampant ? Its the one.