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Flytrap leaf pulling specifics that have always escaped me

After all the research I've done and questions I've asked, I have a good idea of how to do leaf pullings properly, but the last part, "planting" them, has a gray area I'm hoping someone can help with. I have two main questions...

I used newly-opened traps to make both pullings off of TC flytraps that I'm over-wintering under fluorescent lights.
I laid the leaf on the soil and covered most of the white part with a few pinches of soil so that it's buried, albeit lightly.

1. Is that correct, or are you supposed to cover it a bit with soil but leave some of the white part of the leaf-end exposed to the light?

2. Now that it's planted, all you have to do is keep the soil around the white part of the leaf wet (daily spray bottle)? Or just damp?

Below is a photo of what I did tonight - the red highlight shows where the white part of the leaf is under about 2-3mm of soil.
 
It looks like you've got the right idea, more or less. I would suggest burying the leaf tips a little deeper. You shouldn't see any white, and you shouldn't really see too much of where the leaf fades from green/yellow to white. That tissue wasn't photosynthesizing before and it won't be any time soon, so protect it.
In my experience, cuttings do fine under conditions that VFTs would ordinarily like. Also, I use the older leaves - even ones that look almost entirely dead. Whenever I repot my VFTs, I pull the leftover nubs from leaves that have died down to the soil level and, so long as they're still firm and white at the bottom, I save them for cuttings. In a typical season I'll find more of those little scraps than I can count. I don't keep very close track of them, so I can't say for sure, but I think I get at least a 50% strike rate - possibly more.
I think it's best to leave the green parts exposed enough to get light, and bury the raw tip of the leaf down about as deep as it was when it was still attached to the mother plant. (1/2 - 1 inches?) Typically there isn't much, if any, green on the pieces I use, so I just mix them into a slurry of peat and aggregate (usually ceramic chips) and spread an even layer across the top of a prepared pot. Then I throw a light layer of gravel or aggregate on top to help protect the cuttings from heavy rain until they have a chance to strike roots.
I don't think wetting with a spray bottle is necessary. The occasional top watering might be appreciated, though.
~Joe
 
Straight down into the soil huh? Okay, I'll do that, and bury them up to the green.

Thanks for the response. :)
 
No problem - I'm glad to help when I can. My philosophy about VFT cuttings is to try and simulate the conditions that would prompt the plants to naturally form offsets. But they aren't especially touchy, so really it mostly amounts to making sure that the disturbed leaf stays moist long enough to sprout roots. Once you get plantlets, in colder climates like ours you can get them to bulk up to adult size faster by keeping the surface of the soil warm; top it with a layer of peat or dark-colored gravel so that it absorbs the heat of the sunlight.
Best luck,
~Joe
 
Looks right, except that I would use LFS and keep covered until you see sprouting.
 
I have typically used live sphagnum in the past to root Dionaea cuttings. Several leaves were placed in a small pot and it was easy to see potential rooting with that loose media; also, there are some anti-microbial properties to the moss which are beneficial to the cuttings . . .
 
Looks right, except that I would use LFS and keep covered until you see sprouting.

I have typically used live sphagnum in the past to root Dionaea cuttings. Several leaves were placed in a small pot and it was easy to see potential rooting with that loose media; also, there are some anti-microbial properties to the moss which are beneficial to the cuttings . . .

When you use LFS or live sphagnum, how deep do you put the white rhizome? Do you cover the white of the leaf when using LFS as well, only partially, or do you typically just lay the leaf on top and keep watching?
 
The white / basal part is only slightly covered by the LFS.
 
  • #10
Thanks everyone. In Spring I'll make some pullings and plant them like seedjar suggested.

I got a hold of some LFS and here's what I ended up with -
 
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