Potted plants

[plah831]

How do I get the spongey/wooly stuff off my plant roots? I tried removing the bulk of it, but don't want to hurt the little rootules. Now I'm left with the stuff coming off now and again in the water. I'm worried that a fish might eat it and choke, or that it might be bad for its insides.

What do you guys do?

 

[John N.]

Two things come to mind.

1. Run it under water, and slowly peel away whatever whool is around the roots.
2. In a half filled sink, and submerged underwater remove the whool.

Depending on your plants, if they are stem plants you could simply cut off the lower rooted whool portions and plant them down without problems. With crypts and swords, you can cut off pieces of the roots without issue too.

Good luck,

-John N.

 

[Wishful]

The best tool I've found for easing out the wool without damaging the roots is a toothpick, or nutpick, or bamboo skewer, or (the one I can usually find first)...a corncob holder pick.

Using anything similarly shaped, insert the pointed end initially just above the ends of the roots and gently pull it down and out, teasing out the wool. Each time you do this, insert the point a little higher up---like combing hair if you start at the top, the downward pressure tangles the ends and tightens any constricted areas--so work your way up gradually. Keep inserting the point and gently working it down and out. Occasionally you'll get a nice big chunk of wool, usually you'll get little shreds--but this will let you work into all those tiny areas with minimum breakage of the roots.

 

[plah831]

Thanks for the suggestions! I like the toothpick idea. I am learning a lot more about plants these days and am starting to intuit which ones can take root damage (e.g. those which can grow roots from the stems, or propogate by runners) and which can't.

I'm glad I got into plants long after I understood fish better. There's so much to know!

 

[misopeenut]

i found the rinsing in the water, easiest. most of the plants, you can cut the roots off if the wool doesnt come out.