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Ever topped off a rajah?

swords

swords

Howdee folks! Longtime I know!

I chopped all my out of control neps this past week (2 years unpruned growth) but I have yet to decide what to do about my N. rajah. It's about 3 feet in diameter and about 2+ feet tall but his stem is mostly bare except the last 6-8 leaves. When other plants get like this I just chop em and restart the top, never had a problem but I'm a bit wary of doing this to my rajah since he was among my first Neps and... well it's a rajah!
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Anyone else ever done this with success? I know the offsets root easily but what about restarting a top this big? I had to add some soil above as the roots are coming out of the soil surface, roots as big around as my finger!
 
I say let it flower! Or else make it...few ppl have done that b4
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I love seeing those huge rajah pics w/ pitchers in cultivation.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (swords @ Jan. 22 2006,4:13)]I had to add some soil above as the roots are coming out of the soil surface, roots as big around as my finger!
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Wow I'd love to see a pic of this plant!
 
Let it go, get the gender of it then chop it.
 
Hi Josh,it's been a long time....Welcome back.

IMO, i'd let it grow until it flowers, it'd be nice to have some rajah hybrids around

Gus
 
Josh,

I'd counsel against removing the top, at least until there is a decent basal to continue growth. Whilst it is likely that if you did chop off the top, it would then sprout a basal, I wouldn't want to take the risk with a mature rajah. I know of one mature rajah that gradually lost its growing tip after being moved, but the slow death of the tip gave it the time to produce a basal.

As for whether the cut tip would strike, it is hard to say, it may well, but again it would be a struggle for a thick vine to support itself to produce roots. Chances would be improved if pitchers are left on to provide moisture and sustenance.

I agree with the others, let it grow and flower (and it will most probably be a male, all the Kew clones are, as far as I'm aware). It is all part of rajah's growth habit to get leggy as it gets older (as it is with most other neps). Eventually, the main vine will die, to be replaced by basal vines, as is rajah's habit in the wild.

Hamish
 
Thanks for the insights all! I'd love to make it flower, I've tried the false drought a few times and false drought + new lighting, nothing! At times the darn plant was red/orange with leaf pigmentation (not burn) but it wouldn't do it for me. It's in so much light the leaves are almost like leather. Anyone got other ideas on how to coax my plant into showing me it's privates?
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I believe mine is from Borneo Exotics (got it from Tony P back in '01 or '02).

I'll post some pics of the survivors of the day of sharp knives soon, not to many escaped the blade and the rajahs latest pitcher (17 cm) just faded completely so I've cut it off but I can't wait to see the next one, it's gonna eat well!
 
Hey Josh,
I've heard (could be a wive's tale) that putting an apple in the encloser with a plant can help to stimulate flowereing.....Something about a chemical that an apple releases as it decomposes.
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  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (schloaty @ Jan. 24 2006,2:38)]Hey Josh,
I've heard (could be a wive's tale) that putting an apple in the encloser with a plant can help to stimulate flowereing.....Something about a chemical that an apple releases as it decomposes.  
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Ethylene is the chemical name you are looking for
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  • #12
[b said:
Quote[/b] (fc3srx713b @ Jan. 24 2006,8:30)]does it really work?
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I wouldn't know about Neps, but it certainly works to stimulate flowering in Bromeliads (including pineapples).
Amori
 
  • #13
The proviso is that the plant has to be sexually mature for it to flower. It may not be quite at that stage yet, even if it is really big. If it is producing uppers, then it is ready to flower.
 
  • #15
Nice images dominic I'd love to wander through that GH! But I only saw a small rajah on the 3rd page, no flowers.
 
  • #16
It's the pic right below the baby rajah.

-Ben
 
  • #17
Ah yes now I see! I was expecting to see a huge plant with a flower spike, not just the flower (plus I can't read the text to let on what I'm looking at).

Any idea about the size of the flowering plant - how large is each leaf now? Is the plant climbing? If so, it must increase it's growth rate at some point rather than one every 2 months or so. Even if it's climbing those nodes still look very compact.
 
  • #18
Ok, here's a shot of my highland tank aftre doing all the cuttings, it looks like so much room afterwards! The rajah is the dominant plant in there currently.
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off topic but oh well I though you might like to see anyway,
This is one of my tiniest highland orchids,
rest1.jpg

I think it's either a Restrepia (or some form of Pleurothallis). These flowers are about 1/16th of an inch and the leaves an inch at the oldest/largest. Sometimes it's covered with these little blooms.
 
  • #19
Hey Swords, what size pot is your rajah in? I'm just trying to get a grasp on the size of your plant.
 
  • #20
Hey Swords! Good to see pics of your tanks again! I was wondering the other day if you still had them. I kinda missed those "jungle" shots of all your plants.
 
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