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Keiki Paste and Heliamphora

Over the past year and a half or so I've been watching my H.tatei var. tatei grow and thrive without ever giving the slightest hint of dividing. About a month ago, I finally decided to take matters into my own hands. I made a 1/2 long wedge shaped wound around the base of the plant with a razor blade and applied some keiki paste to the wound. I buried the treated wound with live LFS and left it alone for roughly 1 month. Last night when I decided to remove the moss to see if there was any progress, this is what I found :





There are now 4 healthy looking offshoots emerging from the treated area.
 
That is awesome. Good job finessing the heli to do what you wanted to! Mine won't listen to me!
Your like a heli whisperer!
 
Thanks. I'm really surprised that it only took around 30 days to get results like this.
 
considering Heliamphora are related to Sarracenia I wonder if the Keki paste was really necessary for this result. Would a wedge shaped wound induce something like this on its own like it does in Sarracenia, without the keki paste? Sounds like more experiments to be had! Very cool results nonetheless :)
 
Possibly, but not this rapidly. As anyone who grows H.tatei knows, it is frustratingly reluctant to divide. Using the paste has undoubtedly expedited the process.
 
ah well very cool! Congrats on your new babes
 
That was fast!
 
Very cool Johnny, nicely done...

it will be interesting to see what it looks like when you repot
 
Thanks Butch. I agree, not often you see a tatei with growth like that.
 
  • #10
Amazing recovery, well done my friend :)
 
  • #11
wow, I guess fortune really does favor the brave :) That's pretty interesting. FWIW my oldest tatei has never made little pups. It finally divided into 2 growth points last spring after flowering. The upside is that both growth points flowered this year, but the downside is so far the pitchers are way smaller than they used to be.The stem was creeping along horizontally but has now gone vertical for ~2 inches. I'm hoping it will fully bifurcate, I'd love for this plant to have a Y shaped stem.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51764444@N03/13126809284/

13126809284_1684da3c19.jpg
 
  • #12
More like "Fortune favors the horribly impatient" ! Ha ! I'd love to see a bifurcated H.tatei in cultivation ! The only ones I've seen are in situ pics. Is that the monster tatei of yours I've seen pics of before ?
 
  • #13
Hello,

yes, but it's significantly less monstrous now. Between splitting and fruiting it has definitely lost some mojo. Last year it was in flower or fruit for 4 months, and now it's blooming and fruiting again so it doesn't have much time to make pitchers each year. On the other hand the seedlings from it look promising so it seems worth it to keep breeding with this plant. I am excited that the stem went vertical since Andreas said that is rare with the Cerro Duida plants. If the stem fully splits I will be really happy. Hopefully by 2019 it will be clear whether that is going to happen :)
 
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