Planting Micro swords

Do you mean try to get the plant intact separated from the wool? Once the stuff gets firmly attached to the wool, it's a pain to get it out. You can pull most of the wool off and it is easier to do this if the the whole thing is in a bucket of water. You can get it down to the bare minimum and then plant the micro sword as a bunch. You can actually get all or almost all the wool off, but try not to damage the roots in the process. I think this is the process you described that you're already doing. Patience is the key. From what I have read around here, it is not recommended to put the plant in the substrate while still in the wool. Thankfully, the micro sword I have purchased was always in a bunch, but not grown in wool. Some other folks around here might have some better methods.

Hmm.. I don't have a good answer for that, except that my LFS sells them that way. They are in Michigan and I do not know if they ship.

www.anchorbayaquarium.com

I never ordered micro sword, but have ordered other plants. I checked the site I have purchased from before (www.aquariumplants.com) and they sell micro sword by the square foot or by the pot, as do others I have checked. The root system is why they are grown in pots. Now I'm beginning to wonder if my LFS is the exception.

Excellent! What was the URL?

I was looking around this site for threads about the wool, what it's for, why you should remove it, etc... here's a good one.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40686&highlight=wool

Hey, nice site. Great looking plants and the prices aren't bad either. Thanks!