Potted Plants - Not Potted Meat

Ok all you plant guru's out here.....how in the <bleep><bleep><bleep><bleep><bleep> do you get the plants out of the cigarette butt material that they put in these pots without damaging the plant?!?!?!?

I just spent nearly an hour on one pot of dwarf hairgrass. Trying to carefully remove it from the pot and then plant it in the tank. I feel like a doctor from hair club for men! :grinyes:

I'm working on a pot of HC right now....sheesh! Had to take a break. Hand was getting water logged.

Oh well....back at it.

Well....the hairgrass I pretty much got all seperated. The HC on the other hand.....I don't think I can get it all seperated. I guess since it is planted in this material that it will be safe for the aquarium. I got quite a bit of it off but there is still some left. Should be ok right? How big a "slice" should I make the HC for good growth?

Try to get a pic up tomorrow. I kinda threw things together in the 10g. Definately full now. I have one large mat of the HC. Didn't seperate it. I have a couple of really small pieces that came apart during the seperation.

Will it bother the plant if it is planted with some of this media still attached to the roots? The HC was fairly ok in getting off the majority of it but still a bit left as I just put the big mat down into the sand a little. I might tinker with it a bit more later but didn't want to do anymore damage to it. ;o)