When to thin Crypts (if at all)

[Blinky]

A while ago I removed the fast-growing stems and microswords from my 65g and moved the Crypts from my 14g into the tank. The 18" x 36" floor of the tank is filled with Crypts - C. wendtii green & brown, C. willisii, willisii x. 'lucens', C. undulata and C. wendtii var. 'Tropica'.
I'm wondering when (and if) to thin them out - they're under 4.6WPG PC lighting with high CO2 at 82F - 84F, so they're growing like weeds! I think they look happy - they're big, the leaves are glossy and the reds are gorgeous - I'm just concerned that at some point they'll start to choke each other out.
If I thin them out, is it better to remove a few plants here and there (as you'd thin carrots in a garden, removing smaller plants to allow the larger ones more room) or cut out larger sections to allow surrounding plants to spread to the bare area and regrow?
TIA

 

[Slappy*McFish]

You could always just give some away.
I'd go ahead thin some out...keep the best looking plants and try not to move them around too much. They hate being moved.

 

[RTR]

My Crypts don't hate being moved at all. But then all my tanks have similar substrates, lighting, and handling. Once a Crypt stand gets crowded I pull the whole thing, vacuum the gravel a bit (to get rid of dead/broken rootlets), and replant a fraction of the plants in the same area. The rest go elsewhere or are traded off. I'd say 1-3 year intervals, depending on original density and rate of growth, plus my willingness to make a temporary mess.

 

[Blinky]

Thanks for the replies
I'll wait for the stands to fill in completely and then remove larger sections, keep the cream of the crop and give away/trade the rest of the plants.