What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Pinguicula pullings

I am thinking of taking some pullings from two of my Pinguicula, moranensis and cyclosecta. If I were to take pullings from a plant that is about to enter its succulent stage, would that mean that the shoots from the pullings would need the succulent stage/drier conditions on the same timeframe? I don't want to take any pullings if the regenerated shoots will have to go right into that succulent stage. Any help is greatly appreciated..
Thanks,
Eric
 
Last edited:
Damp spagh in a clear saucer, put white base of leaf slightly below the spagh, and cover with another clear saucer. Put in high light and wait. If all is good and leaf is healthy, you'll have mini plants in a month or so-
 
Damp spagh in a clear saucer, put white base of leaf slightly below the spagh, and cover with another clear saucer. Put in high light and wait. If all is good and leaf is healthy, you'll have mini plants in a month or so-
I understand HOW to do leaf pullings. My question is if anyone knows more about the when part, and how the succulent stage requirement will affect those regenerated shoots.
 
Whenever I've taken pullings from plants in the succulent phase, they generally grew plantlets in the carnivorous phase. I don't think that the phase the plant is in currently affects the phase the plantlets will be in.
 
Last edited:
It doesn't matter, other than 'winter' leaves are easier to work with.
 
My point was regardless of the leaf "type", if it's healthy, standard protocol will work-
Good luck
 
I heard that "winter only" leaves will work better as well, however, my experience is that my Mexican Pinguiculas have never gone dormant yet, but I have taken at least 10 leaf pullings during their carnivorous mode, and 8 out of 10 times it made a new plant. Take that what you will. Just make sure it's a healthy leaf.
 
I don't cover either type of leaf pulling. Especially the succulent ones. They root fine in ambient humidity of >50%, which I always have in the greenhouse. In fact, I only run into trouble when air movement is stagnant or the soil remains too moist.

Since photoperiod and soil moisture affect what phase the plants are in, your cuttings will initiate a phase that matches those. If the parents are succulent now, the plantlets will behave that way too. I haven't played around enough with them to find out if you can induce the carnivorous leaves by adjusting photoperiod.
 
Last edited:
Here's an update on the cyclosecta pullings I've taken. Some of the carnivorous leaves that were still hanging on to the succulent phase plant have really done well after being pulled and place on a moist medium. It seems that the plantlets are in the carnivorous phase regardless of the mother plant's phase. The larger of the pulling plants are about one centimeter long, the shorter ones almost smaller than I can see. Thanks for all the info guys!

 
  • #10
Pinguicula leaf-pullings

Mexican Pinguicula leaf-pullings as a method of propagation, are a simple, easy, and wonderful way to vegetatively increase the number of plants in a collection. To provide an easy way to share the material necessary to get others started with a particular plant. And, as I've taken to doing, provide a backup reserve of little replacement plantlets, if something happened to the more mature plants of that type and I needed to replace them quickly.

Plantlets of most Mexican Pinguicula can be initiated on most any detached leaf. Summer leaves, winter leaves, most any time. They can be initiated by gently removing them from the stem. In most plants, by a gentle pulling and twisting motion. Some, such as P. reticulata are predisposed to have their leaves easily detach in this manner, so great care must be taken when handling this species, so that it does not drop all of its leaves from the stem. I place leaf-pullings, sorted by variety, and labeled, into individual ziploc plastic bags (with a piece of paper towel inside to absorb excess moisture, respirated by the leaf-pullings (otherwise they sometimes rot). Most often I simply drop the leaves into individual disposable transparent plastic cups, with nothing in them but the leaves and a label (if I don't write the name on the rim of the cup). I stack the cups where they can get some indirect light (but not so high they easily fall over) - and direct sun will cook them almost immediately. I clip the ziploc bags on the edges of light fixtures with wooden clothes pins.

Almost without exception many plantlets form and they will remain small, yet viable, sometimes for several years.

I've had P. reticulata form plantlets on the initial leaf-pullings, then on the leaves of the plantlets thus formed, and then on the leaves of those plantlets, before I finally planted them up. Quite an increase in total numbers, overall.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Another alternative, with the transparent plastic cups -> once the leaf-pullings form plantlets, if there is enough space for the cups to fit where they can get a full amount of growing light, is to periodically add water and nutrients to the plantlets in the cups and they will continue growing towards maturity (as semi-aquatic/epiphytes), or until they run out of space (whence they can be potted-up).
 
Last edited:
Back
Top