Plants in the pots?

[NorCalFish]

I have a basic question about the plants that I see at pets stores (like petco) that are in the pots with the foam/sponge thingy wrapping the roots. I typically un-pot the plants and remove that material around the roots but i was wondering is it better to keep that material on the roots and keep it in the pot, and is it safe (as in long-term effects) to have it in the tank.

[jbradt]

Better ime to take them out of the pot. It helps to protect them for shipping, but will do nothing good for the plant or your tank in the long term.

[gmh]

The pot and the foam will constrict the root developement. Better to gently remove the pot and most of the foam.

[RMC]

The stuff used is rockwool. It really doesn't hurt anything and with some plants like babytears it's probably better leave some of it vs damaging the plants trying to get it off.

For my use, I remove it from most plants, especially anubuas and the larger-growing plants. I pull the bulk of it off by hand and then use a spray nozzle to get a bit more of it off. I do this for two reasons..... I like to trim the roots back a bit so they can absorb nutrients better after the transplanting, and it reduces the bulk that I have to try and bury in the substrate.