Sarracenia Leaf Cuttings

[peter]

I was just wondering if you could take leaf cutting from Sarracenias. If so, is it baisically the same procedure as taking Venus Flytrap cuttings?

Thanks

 

[SnowyFalcon]

Nope. You have to divide the rhizome. Supposedly you can cut the rhizome into pieces and it will form new growth points, but it sounds dangerous to me.

SF

 

[Sarraceniaobsessed]

I have done divisions of rhimomes with some sucess, enough sucess that I do recommend it. The plant to be divied needs to be old enough to be able to be cut into 2" to 3" sections and the sections need roots. When I did it, I cleaned the sections up by removing all the old stems where the pitchers connected exposing the dormant 'eyes' that produced the new growth points. If the plant in questions rhizome is not long enough to cut into sections, you can slice the rhizome part way through not totally seperating it and expose the top and it should sprout new pitchers. The new plant can then be seperated when it is big enough to support itself.

 

[sarracenia]

You can take leaf cuttings of Sarracenia. I have discovered this through accidents. This past summer, I was pulling weeds out of some pots when I noticed I had pulled up a single S. alata pitcher, with a little bit of root still attached. I stuck it in the soil, expecting it to perish, but it is still alive, even surviving outside here, with several nights dropping to 20 degrees recently.

I will say I don't recommend it. Most Sarracenia branch out relatively quickly, once they get mature. I recommend waiting to divide the rhizome once it gets large enough.

 

[WildBill]

Hi Peter -

I have never had a problem splitting rhizomes and have been successful - even on young plants. They seem to start growing after just a month sometimes.

On the other hand, here's an example of a leaf cutting: Once I split a S. purp rhizome and a pitcher came off at the base. I figured, what the heck might as well try it. So I placed it in live long fiber sphagnum hoping for a new plant. The two inches or so nearest the base stayed bright green but no new growth has happened after TWO YEARS! It's buried deep under the snow right now with my other Sarracenia to see if dormancy does anything for it. This spring will be 3 years....

WildBill

 

[NickHubbell]

WildBill, thats a long time for a leaf cutting

I personally tossed my leaf cutting out after a year or waiting.

 

[WildBill]

I agree -

It's just another CP experiment (like when I fed the blue food coloring to the VFT...) to see what, if anything will happen. If it had turned brown or black I would have tossed it. The base still looked healthy before I put it into this year dormancy. The S. purp seeds have actually outperformed it!

WildBill

 

[pond boy]

I have found that they stay green but don't do anything as well. Lol.

 

[gardenofeden]

they will grow if there is a tiny bit of rhizome attached

 

[Vertigo]

I agree with gardenofeden. It's not that nothings happening, it's just that you can't physically see what's happening. Since you have a leaf with a sliver of rhizome, any and all energy that the plant is creating would be pushed down towards the rhizome to create a new one as well as establishing a root system well enough with what it has to keep it alive long enough to develop enough of a rhizome to store energy over the winter.

Bill, if it survives I think you might be surprised this year.