flower stem on nep cutting

[adrian]

I got a vent x spec cutting from massmorels a few weeks ago, and the darn thing is putting out 2 flower stems now. Should I cut these or let them grow? I don't want to overstress the plant. Seems to be healthy otherwise.

Also, I had a vent cutting and a ventrata cutting that were starting to root, then one day the ventrata just turned all black. The tips of the leaves on the vent cutting turned black as well, and it has stopped growth but not turned all black. Should I toss the vent or see what it does? Also, any insight into why this might have happened?

 

[GrowinOld]

If thy flower stem offend thee,
cut it off!
No reason to have it there and trying to reproduce with others,
if there are no others around!

As far as your other neps are concerned, how did you know they were "were starting to root"? Did you see them?

Sometimes, if too wet, humid, or not enough, or if lighting wasn't enough or the temps too low or change too much (day to night), as the cuttings go thru the process of developing roots, these variables are often large enough to cause the rooting process to fail.
Think of the plant as needing an incubator as it has been hacked off from its roots and now has to repair the damage as well as grow new roots, all with its own stored energy, and no source of water. Its entire balance is off, and its not "business as usual" until all its "body parts" are back and operating at full capacity again.

Feeding/fertilizer won't help, as it can't make used of it. The only thing that can truly help it to recover, is to provide it with what it needs, all its needs, with as little fluctuation as possible. That is lighting, temps, water, humidity, etc.

Now, as far as tossing yours... If it is still green anywhere, it may survive. If entirely black, I would carefully un-pot it and look for any signs of life. Then if it is still alive to some degree, give it the best environment you can.
If it is entirely black, it is likely dead. No sense keeping a dead plant!
Here again, if you haven't un-potted it, how do you know it was starting to root?

 

[Brokken]

I'd say cut it off. I don't think that it can flower and also form roots at the same time unless your growing conditions are exceptional.
Regarding your other neps... How are you rooting them? Generally I like to keep my cutting bagged up until I start to see growing buds activating. Generally that can be a couple of months. Once the nodes activate, you can start progressively opening up the bag and acclimating your nep. One thing which seems to have made a significant difference in rooting new cuttings is hard to do, but will increase your success rate: Trim all the leaves in half - even though that means getting rid of the pitchers. This will reduce the rate of evaporation from the leaves and will make the process of bagging easier.

 

[adrian]

Sorry, I believe this is a rooted cutting, so it had some roots when I got it. Seems to be doing fine. I'm wondering if it makes sense to keep the flowers to trade pollen with someone. Will this stress the plant too much? If I keep it, how do I tell if it's a male/female? If I cut it, any advice on how long to wait/where to cut (how close to the base)?

As for the other neps, I pulled back the moss a little to check on root growth, and there were a plethora (see The Three Amigos) of roots. It had 2 node actuations, then in the span of a day or two turned totally black with no observable change in conditions.

 

[Nepenthes101]

I would let it flower for just a bit till new leaves form. I lost a Female Eymae cutting due to cutting the stalk off while in the rooting process.

 

[mass]

 

[quogue]

I had cuttings flower before. Plant didn't like it at all... but it turned ok in the end, probly smaller than it coulda been methinks.
I learned not to do cuttings before the time of year the plant usually flowers anymores