Cuttings.

[Mannannan]

I got myself a Nep wreck of unknown species a few weeks back, and now new little sprouts (16, to be exact), are forming on the dead stems.

If I want to cut these off, to try and make new plants of them, at what size should I attempt this?

Right now they are very small, only about a quarter of an inch long, but I'd like to be prepared anyway.

Thanks /Quensel

 

[swords]

Hi there. What you are seeing is the dormant nodes in the stem becoming active. I will usually let them create at least 3-4 real Nepenthes leaves before removing them. The first one or two leaves that emerge from the dormant node will not look like normal leaves they don't usually have a tendril or a pitcher but the 3rd leaf (is usually the first real Nepenthes leaf).

After you cut it off with a clean razor blade or a scalpel remove the bottom leaves so you have about 1-2 inches of stem. Take the scalpel and make some vertical slits about 1" long towards the cut end of the cutting. This allows the horizontal stabilizing roots to emerge easier and gives you a firmly rooted cutting.

I use pure long fibered sphagnum moss packed firmly into a 2" square seedling pot to root Nepenthes cuttings. Make sure the cutting doesn't wiggle as a wobbly plant will not root properly. I water the cuttings only when the soil feels lighter but I mist the leaves daily. Daily misting is very important for cuttings (especially if not housed in a very humid terrarium) because the plant will not be using much water from the soil until the new roots emerge and keeping the soiltoo wet will cause new tender roots (or the stem) to rot. When the cutting has created 1-2 new leaves I pot into a bigger pot and my normal potting mix (50/50 long fibered sphagnum and small orchid bark) and water as normal.

good luck!

 

[Mannannan]

Sahweet, thanks a lot for the info!!

I read somewhere that some kind of 'rooting hormone' should be used to make this part easier.. what would you say about that? True or bs? And if true, what kinds are there, and what's the best one?
*feels like a total n00b*