some cutting and rooting

[shawnintland]

Hi Itamar,
Great idea to do this test with different media and to share the results! Thanks. Despite all the threads I read about '1 month rooting', it seems my plants are always much slower to really root up. I find it's generally 2-3 months before I have a good solid mat of black roots. The water-rooting test I did started on March 11th this year and I still have not transplanted them into media, but the roots are really strong now after 4 months. (See attached photo shot at 3 mos.)



~Shawn

[Vincent]

nice roots!

[paphioboy]

itamar, I have not tried the water tooting test, so not sure how it would work. I'm quite surprised that the top cutting (second pot) grew so well. top cuttings usually don't do well for me. They either dry out or are too soft, so the stems don't produce roots. I usually manage to root the more woody cuttings. In your third method, I think you shouldn't let the mixture become so waterlogged. I don't think nepenthes roots are adapted to anaerobic conditions for such long periods of time. I find perlite + peat an excellent rooting medium if planted the normal way in a pot with drainage holes..

shawnintland, great roots! :D Is that a trichocarpa/amp cutting..?

[David]

Pure sphagnum moss does best for me. The cuttings gives out offshoots pretty quickly and root well for me. And it is always 100% success.

I've tried the water rooting option a couple of times but the cuttings root really slowly for me. After a couple months, the offshoots have already develop with about 2-3 leaves but sometimes the roots have not developed. Also the success rate is not always 100%.

[shawnintland]

Phapioboy - yep, that's a trichocarpa...now how did you guess that?

I can't figure it out...must be sunspot activity or global warming! I did everything the way I usually do it (meaning every possible combination of tests!) and suddenly almost every type of cutting has just gone wild this time around! I mean gracilis, amp, raff, hooker, trichocarpa, coccinea have all done great over the last couple months where normally its 60/40 against!
The only ones that didn't take were a real surprise to me - N. ventrata - not a single one! I'll post some pictures when I get a bit more time.

David, I agree - water rooting seems slower, but I find that it's so mindless (as long as the boxes/trays are under the automatic misting system) that I can cut 'em and forget 'em for a few months and then just come back and pot 'em up. (Just did a bunch of your gracilis 'stouts' the other day! Thanks!)

On that note; automatic misting/watering; this is probably the biggest help I've given my propagation technique! If you can find a way to put together even a low-cost automatic system that mists things a couple times a day for even a minute or two you will be amazed at the improvements!

OT; Has anyone figured out how to use the 'image codes' from Picasa photo albums on PP forum?

[David]

Originally Posted by shawnintland

David, I agree - water rooting seems slower, but I find that it's so mindless (as long as the boxes/trays are under the automatic misting system) that I can cut 'em and forget 'em for a few months and then just come back and pot 'em up. (Just did a bunch of your gracilis 'stouts' the other day! Thanks!)

Haa, haaa, actually I also do that if I am busy and do not have time to root them in a pot of sphagnum moss. I'll just root them in water. But I think your misting system does really help in rooting them. On top of the high humidity, the cuttings also get air circulation. Perfect!

[arvin555]

I just want to comment that maybe we should consider the possibilty that because the Top cutting did not need to make any new shoots, that it might have been first to make roots instead? Just offering this possibility.

I did a Gracilis cutting, and i think it was a sure thing, but no, out of 5, I got only 1 left and that is the top cutting. Paphioboy, your experience is the opposite of mine. Top cutting, almost surely will survive, Woody cuttings, almost surely die.. for me.

TTFN
Arvin

[automaticws]

Hi shawnintland

Why not try some automatic misting system complete DIY kit (cheapest solution) from www.automaticwateringsolutions.webs.com. you can also get the misting part/nozzle only

Originally Posted by shawnintland

Phapioboy - yep, that's a trichocarpa...now how did you guess that?

I can't figure it out...must be sunspot activity or global warming! I did everything the way I usually do it (meaning every possible combination of tests!) and suddenly almost every type of cutting has just gone wild this time around! I mean gracilis, amp, raff, hooker, trichocarpa, coccinea have all done great over the last couple months where normally its 60/40 against!
The only ones that didn't take were a real surprise to me - N. ventrata - not a single one! I'll post some pictures when I get a bit more time.

David, I agree - water rooting seems slower, but I find that it's so mindless (as long as the boxes/trays are under the automatic misting system) that I can cut 'em and forget 'em for a few months and then just come back and pot 'em up. (Just did a bunch of your gracilis 'stouts' the other day! Thanks!)

On that note; automatic misting/watering; this is probably the biggest help I've given my propagation technique! If you can find a way to put together even a low-cost automatic system that mists things a couple times a day for even a minute or two you will be amazed at the improvements!

OT; Has anyone figured out how to use the 'image codes' from Picasa photo albums on PP forum?