Separation anxiety

[lithopsman]

Hello all,
My N. rajah has been working on a basal rosette, and it now has 3 little fully unfurled leaves, one new one about 1/4 of the way unfurled, and one pitcher that opened yesterday. I have a few questions about what to do:

1) Should I remove it now or how much longer should I wait?

2) I really don't want to risk messing up this cute little plant, so what are your surefire methods for getting basal rosettes to root? (swords I know you've done it)

Even though I have done this sort of thing before, I ask because this is N. rajah, and I really don't want to mess up!

Graci!
Caio,
Lithopsman

 

[droseradude]

Cut it off when you have 7 or so leaves, and cut the bottom leaves off.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

It going to take a while to root, then again it might already have roots below to soil surface so be gentle with it. Use a very sharp and sterile knife to cut it away from the mother plant, treat with some rooting hormone, keep in high humidity and no extremes, esp heat wise. Keep well watered and it should grow.

 

[lithopsman]

So, between Droseradude and Nep g, I think I've got it covered:

Cut it off when you have 7 or so leaves, and cut the bottom leaves off.
then:
It going to take a while to root, then again it might already have roots below to soil surface so be gentle with it. Use a very sharp and sterile knife to cut it away from the mother plant, treat with some rooting hormone, keep in high humidity and no extremes, esp heat wise. Keep well watered and it should grow.

So that is what I'll do, unless swords has something else to say... I'll keep you posted!
Lithopsman

 

[swords]

Hi Lithops man, here's what I did to seperate my N. rajah offsets:

Using a forceps (long tweezers) and a sterilized sharp scalpel (dipped in alcohol) to grasp and slice the tiny shoot from the mother plant.

remove the bottom leaf or two (exposing 2.5cm of stem). After removing the leaf or two there should be at least two or three full leaves that will stay on the tiny plant.

Make two or three vertical slits through the outer layer of the stem at the cut end (this helps the lateral roots to emerge-they don't have to fight through it). Helps a faster start in my opinion.

dip into rootone with fungicide on cut and slit end.

Prepare a SMALL pot (a 2" diameter is good) of pure long fibered sphagnum moss. You may add up to 25% pearlite if you like to assist with drainage, as small basal shoots can rot quickly or not root if the soil is too wet. I prefer to use pure LFS anyway and only water half as often as the rooted plants until the basal shoot shows signs of growth (at least two new leaves). I mist the leaves lightly (not a heavy soaking) every few days to keep the small plant hydrated but not overly wet.

Wrap the tiny basal shoot in living sphagnum (if you have it) or one long strand of LFS  aroudn the cut end up to the bottom of the lowest leaf and place it snugly in the tiny pot. Make sure it doesn't wobble when you pick up and set down the pot, if it does pack more damp LFS into the pot until it remains stable. A stable plant is the first step of a solid new root system.

Growing conditions:
To root a tiny plant you will need extreme humidity (80-100% humidity at all times) and bright lighting (without high temperatures) so that the tiny plants can stay hydrated and make energy from the intense light. Cuttings in dim  conditions may not work.

You may try wrapping a baggie over the top of the pot to create a little "greenhouse effect" but you must make sure the temperature does not get high inside the bag. My plants grow in brightly lit fog most of the time so there no question of extreme humidity. Without these kinds of conditions it may be hard to get the same results with the tiny offsets and node cuttings.

Hope that gives you some ideas.

 

[droseradude]

Would you say this method applies to all basal shoot-rootings? It would be a pretty helpful mini-article if so.

 

[swords]

Yes, the above description is my same process for rooting all Nepenthes cuttings. Whether basal cuttings, nodal cuttings, or rooting small plants that arrive with bad, destroyed or even missing root systems.

Some of the plants I've used this method successfully with include:
N. alata - cuttings
N. ampullaria - arrived fungus covered reduced to cuttings
N. campanulata - arrived w/ no roots
N. clipeata -arrived w/ no roots
N. Coccinea (red & yellow forms) - cuttings
N. Emmarene (khasiana x ventricosa) - cuttings/basal shoots
N. inermis - no roots soil too wet when small
N. lowii - no roots soil too wet when small
N. macrophylla - arrived w/ no roots
N. maxima X ? #1 Red - cuttings
N. maxima X ? #2 Yellow - cuttings
N. rajah - basal shoots
N. Ventrata - basal shoots/cuttings

Other than the steps in the previous post, I forgot to say the proper temperature for each species must be taken into consideration. Root highlanders in bright, humid and proper cool conditions (70-80*F daytime and 50-60*F night) and lowlanders in bright humid and proper warm conditions (85-95*F day and 70-75*F night).

 

[lithopsman]

Thanks, swords!
It sounds like I need a couple more leaves, but then I'll follow your wonderful instructions!!

 

[babygirl64]

Hi everyone, I am a newbie with a question/problem. I was separating the the plantlets that sprouted from one of my neps, and I accidently broke the main stem. What I wanted to know is will I have to toss it and just root the "babies" or can it be rooted. I just stuck it in some water for now. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Capslock]

Yes, it can be rooted! Just treat it like any other cutting. Depending on how many leaves you have on it, cut off the bottom few so you have an inch or two of stem, treat like you would any cutting.

Capslock

 

[babygirl64]

Thanks, capslock

I will do that asap.