I want to try my hand at a carpeting plant. Can I just put the pot it comes in in an easy planter?

[KyleKVK]

… or do I have to carefully tweezer individual bits into the substrate?

[AnimalNerd98]

You can definitely just plant the plant in the container it came with. Keep it flush with the gravel and as long as you are using a plant that sends out runners like Vallisneria or Chain Sword, it should work. Albeit, it may take some more time since you are only “seeding” one part of the aquarium, so it will take longer to fully blanket out than say diapering some of the plants evenly across the tank. So if you can be patient, go for it! 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

The more you break it apart and plant small clumps the better the likelihood that you’ll get your carpet. It will take forever without co2 to get a carpet. My recommendation is to double or even triple the number of plants you planned to plant if you want it to setup quickly. If you let me know which plants you’re  considering I can give you further directions. 

[Jungle Fan]

You can place the potted plant in an easy planter, but then you likely won't get a carpet.  To grow a carpet can take a long time and @Beardedbillygoat1975gave you really good advice on how to go about it. Before you get started you should also decide whether you want to continually have to trim the carpet, or if you want something that stays low on its own, or if you want something that is  a bit taller and doesn't require much maintenance. Another important consideration is your lighting in regards to the demands of different carpet plants. Carpets can be very satisfying to grow, they can also be a steady source of frustration if one doesn't consider all involved.

Some links and a video that might help:

https://aquascaper.org/freshwater-aquarium-plants-guide-how-to-carpeting-aquarium-with-hemianthus-callitrichoides-aka-cuba

https://www.tropicalfishcareguides.com/aquarium-plants/low-light-aquarium-carpet-plants/