Every now and then, Sarracenia rhizomes may create a new growth point close to the main growth point. After a few weeks, this growth point will make a few pitchers; these pitchers may be the size equivalent to those of Sarracenia seedlings. If left alone, in a few years this growth point will grow to make its own mature pitchers.
Propagating Sarracenia by leaf cuttings seems pretty hard to do, and for the most part, it's unsuccessful. However, one day when I was repotting a S. purpurea, that had a few of these mini growth points on it, I accidentally ripped it off. When I noticed it, I decided to not throw it in the trash, but to plant it in soaking Peat moss with some other Sarracenia seedlings. The growth point had no roots what so ever, but it did have 2 tiny leaves.
Keeping it in very high humidity, and bright light for about 2 months, I ignored it, but every time I did notice it with the seedlings I saw that it still had its old little leaves. After a while, I decided to see if it had made roots, and, miraculously, it had! This tiny cutting has now produced 2 tiny pitchers ever since it was planted with the other seedlings, and is growing big.
I have the feeling that this method of propagation is a bit like rooting Darlingtonia stolons, since it’s faster than growing from seed, but unfortunately, like Darlingtonia stolons, the original Sarracenia plant must initiate this.
Right now I’m trying this method with a few S. x catesbaei growth points that are emerging from the rhizome of the parent plant.
Does anyone else use this method for propagating Sarracenia? Any ideas on how to speed up the rooting process or the growth point? I'm pretty sure others have done it before, just haven't seen any articles on how to do it. it seems interesting to me...
Thanks!
BTW: I am pretty sure this could be just like cutting up large rhizomes to produce new plants, but this method is supposed to use just growth points, not so much as the actual rhizome of the plant to propagate.
Propagating Sarracenia by leaf cuttings seems pretty hard to do, and for the most part, it's unsuccessful. However, one day when I was repotting a S. purpurea, that had a few of these mini growth points on it, I accidentally ripped it off. When I noticed it, I decided to not throw it in the trash, but to plant it in soaking Peat moss with some other Sarracenia seedlings. The growth point had no roots what so ever, but it did have 2 tiny leaves.
Keeping it in very high humidity, and bright light for about 2 months, I ignored it, but every time I did notice it with the seedlings I saw that it still had its old little leaves. After a while, I decided to see if it had made roots, and, miraculously, it had! This tiny cutting has now produced 2 tiny pitchers ever since it was planted with the other seedlings, and is growing big.
I have the feeling that this method of propagation is a bit like rooting Darlingtonia stolons, since it’s faster than growing from seed, but unfortunately, like Darlingtonia stolons, the original Sarracenia plant must initiate this.
Right now I’m trying this method with a few S. x catesbaei growth points that are emerging from the rhizome of the parent plant.
Does anyone else use this method for propagating Sarracenia? Any ideas on how to speed up the rooting process or the growth point? I'm pretty sure others have done it before, just haven't seen any articles on how to do it. it seems interesting to me...
Thanks!
BTW: I am pretty sure this could be just like cutting up large rhizomes to produce new plants, but this method is supposed to use just growth points, not so much as the actual rhizome of the plant to propagate.