Please describe a cutting that can be...

[LauraZ5]

Please describe a cutting that can be transplanted into its own pot.

We had a few cuttings of N. 'Gentle'.  We placed these in LFS in plastic zip locks and they turned yellow and finally succumbed to some sort of a fungus I presume. They are black now so I presume it is over for these cuttings?  Would that be an accurate assessment?

We also had a few cuttings of N. ventrata that appear to have all rooted. They have been in LFS inside of plastic baggies for around a month. These were handled the exact same way the other cuttings were handled and all of the baggies were in the same window. The N. ventrata cuttings are all shooting out new growth that is nice and green. As a rule of thumb, when should they be transplanted into their own pots?

Also too, does anyone have any ideas why all of the N. ventrata cuttings seem to have rooted yet the N. 'Gentle' did not? Is there something we could try differently next time? Any tips or advice would be very much appreciated so that the next time we try this we don't lose all of one species.

 

[Kate]

Generally as soon as you notice they have roots, plant them up and get them acclimated to their more perminent home.

As for why the N. 'gentle' didn't make it... I really have no idea. Nothing at all was done differently? It is possible that these may just be harder to root though that would just be speculation on my part.

 

[endparenthesis]

My Ventrata cuttings have done fine on their own in lower humidity (I assume that's the issue rather than the actual potting) after maybe a month or more. And they don't do much for a while after that.

I think maybe it's the bag that did your cuttings in. They need some airflow, though keeping humidity at the same time (without a greenhouse/terrarium/whatever) is tricky. Maybe you should try leaving more space for air to get into the bag and sacrifice the little humidity you lose and see what happens? The more closed off my cuttings have been, the worse they've done.

 

[Capslock]

I've always done cuttings by just putting the cuttings right into nep mix in a pot, and putting them with my other neps. They always seem to work for me, at least a good 80% of them. I don't use plastic bags or even terrariums.

Casplock

 

[elgecko]

Laura,
I make slices in the stem which will be placed in the soil, and dip in rooting hormone. Place the cuttings in equal parts of peat moss, LFS, and perlite. I use plastic cups with holes poked into the bottom. I place them in my kitchen by the sliding glass door where my neps grow. No bags or terrariums used. I have had great success this way with only losing 1 or 2 cutting so far.
This is my third time making cuttings, and the largest amount I've done at one time. 2 plants got chopped.

 

[TheAlphaWolf]

What... thing...(species/variety/cultivar/subspecies/whatever) are they? they look exactly like my N. belii x ventricosa cutting.

 

[Flip_Side_the_Pint]

Quote[/b] (Capslock @ May 06 2005,9:32)]I've always done cuttings by just putting the cuttings right into nep mix in a pot, and putting them with my other neps. They always seem to work for me, at least a good 80% of them. I don't use plastic bags or even terrariums.

Casplock

thats what I do, except I take a razor and I "skin" the bottom of the stem so the "core" is exposed then I dip that "core" in rootone...


I use rootone because it has a fungicide already in it

 

[LauraZ5]

OK, I noticed that there did appear to be notches in the base of the N. 'Gentle' as well as the N. ventrata cuttings. I do not know if these were actual notches or just the way they were cut. The individual who sent them to us indicated he had used a fungicide. I am sure he did.

The only thing I can think of given conditions were the same for all cuttings would be that we started running out of freshly hydrated LFS after we ziplocked up the first cuttings which were the N. ventrata. After we ran out, my son added LFS that we had set aside in a baggie from plants we had just purchased to what was left of the fresh LFS. I figured it would be ok and evidently the combination of being in a sealed bag for over a month with less than sterile LFS that had been previously used in shipping other plants must have done them in. I suppose all it takes in a sealed bag is one little pathogen.  Odd because the other plants that the LFS was used to keep their roots moist while being shipped are doing perfectly fine. I will never ever ever do that again. I looked up photos of the N. 'Gentle' and that would have been an absolutely spectacular plant not to mention the time it took the man who prepared those cuttings to get them to us. So sad!

On the brighter side, I am relatively sure I can let my kid pot up his cuttings. He is going to keep the strongest and the weakest plant for himself and he is going to give the other 2 away to kids at his school. I am very happy that he has plants that he sort of got going (with the help of the person who prepared the cuttings) to share with friends.

Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.

Say Steve.  My husband lives and passed over the goods when he got home and... is there anything you don't touch that turns out perfect?  I mean you seem to have the camera touch, the wood touch, and the cuttings touch and so forth and so on.

 

[elgecko]

TheAlphaWolf,
Most of them are Nepenthes 'ventrata' (Nepenthes ventricosa x alata). The others are believed to be N. khasiana x N. ventricosa (Nepenthes 'Emmarene')? That is what several people thought when I posted pictures of the plant and pitchers over a year ago.


Laura,
Thanks for the comments.
I do terrible at pygmy gemmea and so - so with starting seeds.

 

[Cindy]

Laura,

I too favour elgecko's way of rooting the cuttings over the usual "cuttings in a bag". A lower humidity in the surroundings seems to stimulate faster root growth as long as you keep the media moist, not wet. Keeping the media airy with perlite (in elgecko's case) also helps tremendously.

 

[Treaqum]

Now that I put my nep cuttings in a tray in the window they seem to be doing fine. I hope they will root.

 

[seedjar]

Well, as long as we're talking cuttings, is it better to put cuttings in natual light (a windowsill) as opposed to artificial lights? My apartment is pretty dry and the windows are somewhat drafty, so I think that cuttings would have a better chance with the rest of my CPs, under the grow lights. Is there something about natural light that makes it especially preferable?
~Joe

 

[elgecko]

I have never tried my cuttings under artificial lights. I would think it would be fine.
I'm sure someone has tried it and can give there first hand experience.

 

[Treaqum]

Natural lights are well natural

 

[Flip_Side_the_Pint]

all my plants and cuttings have always been under some form of artificial lighting and root just fine

 

[endparenthesis]

My cuttings have never seen natural light.

 

[LauraZ5]

I guess I am middle of the road.  My cuttings are in a western window and I add supplemental lighting. I'm using the 60 watt Sylvania Grow Bulbs from Menards or Home Depot. Worked great for the cuttings that took.

This would be a gross oversimplification,

Quote[/b] ]Natural lights are well natural

I am relatively sure there are numerous bulbs out there capable of duplicating the natural light spectrum quite nicely. I also know of many people who exclusively use artificial lighting and have superb results. Several of my friends use one cool and one warm fluorescent bulb over their plants and their results blow me away.