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!

Cuttings

I've been hearing a lot about cuttings and how to grow them, but I'm not sure how to make one. What does a cutting look like and where am I supposed to make the cut?

Anyone have any pics to give me an idea of what one looks like? (cuttings and the plant where they came from)

Thanks
 
One thing about that page:

At step 5 he cuts the lower part of the stem along it's length.
Is this the best way?
You can also do it like a cross (very short) at the bottom part right?

Will roots form everywhere where you make the cut or just the lowest part?
 
Just a few notes as that page is a bit dated.

I no longer use alot of rooting hormone. Although I do occasionally use a liquid form. I have found if the cuttings are short and excess rooting hormone is used the cuttings will root but bud initiation is supressed. So you end up with a rooted cutting that doesn't grow. Alternately you could also use a fungicide dip on the cut to help prevent disease, for anyone that has a problem with cuttings rotting.

With respect to the slice on the stem, roots will only form where the layer inside the stem is exposed. If you just put the cutting in mix you will get roots out the cut end but not much up the stem. Making a slice on the outside gives a much stronger cutting with respect to volume of roots and also stability once rooted. There are always different ways of doing things however but I would recommend some sort of cut at least a little bit up the stem.

Tony
 
Tony,
Don't some people now-a-days even remove all the covering of the lowest inch or so of the cutting(kind of like peeling a carrot, I guess)? I would imagine fungicide would be a must in that scenario.

Cheers,

Joe
 
Haven't heard that one Joe but I guess anything is possible.
 
I noticed that the plant he made the cuts from is very big compared to mine. Is there a certain age/size the plant should be before you make a cutting.

My nepenthes is only about 2-3 inches tall and has about 6 pitchers ( 1- 2 inches big). And compared to the plant on that site, the gaps between each leaf is very, very small. I'm starting to get the impression that my plant is not mature enough yet.

O, and when do the plants begin to mature anyways?
 
No it is not big enough. Never do a cutting if you do not have two growing points. Your plant probibly needs a year or two of growth before you can do a cutting
 
Treaqum, that is the biggest false assumption that Peter D'amato threw around in his book (I'm assuming thats where you read it as its the only place I've read it) about only take a cutting if you have 2 growing points. Sure, it is feasible to have 2 growing points, but no it is not at all necessary. I can take a climbing stem of lets say N. maxima with no basal rossette and chop it down from 2 foot tall to 3 inches tall, and it will grow back no problem, provided it was happy in the first place. So, I encourage people to hack back those old climbing stems and make way for new growth.
 
  • #10
I have found that when I do a cutting, I always get a node to swell and continue the growth of the cut vine.
I have also noticed that many times after cutting, a few basal shoots will start as well.
 
  • #11
I have had a couple instances when a plant did not regrow from the bottom section after removing the top. These were plants that had numerous healthy green leaves remaining on the lower portion too. Usually it is not an issue though if there are some healthy leaves left on the bottom piece.

Turner - usually you want to have at least a few inches of stem on the cut piece. For many young Nepenthes this means a long time of waiting (years in some cases) before the plant gets tall enough. Some plants will get taller faster so how long it will take to 'mature' is highly variable on the type and how well it is grown. Some plants even when mature and vining will vine faster than others with lots of stem inbetween each leaf.

Tony
 
  • #12
What does a basal shoot look like? Is it just the start of a new plant forming from the roots?
 
  • #13
A shoot originating from down around the base of the plant. Sometimes they come out from under the soil surface and look like they come from the roots. In actuality it is from some buried stem.

Tony
 
  • #14
Here's a handout from a presentation that John Phillip (President of NECPS) gave at a meeting last year. There are photos of the process from the second link.

The main thing i learned (which has, in my limited experience, worked 100% so far) is that tip cuttings are best rooted in water, while the rest of the stem does better in sphagnum. Obviously there will be some other opinions on this matter.
smile.gif
 
Back
Top