Re: Containers for Nepenthes cuttings

Heggood@aol.com
Fri, 18 Oct 1996 11:22:52 -0400

A couple of months ago I picked up a tip from an article about using 35mm
film
containers for rooting nepenthes. I tried it and it works very well.

The article said to take a 35mm canister (the clear polyethelene type),
punch
some holes near the bottom for drainage, fill it with rooting media
(vermiculite was
recommended, but I have good results with 50/50 sand/peat) and place your
cutting into it. The advantage of this method is that you can see the roots
emerge next to the (almost) clear plastic, eliminating the need to tug at the

plant to see if it has a foothold yet.

I modified the technique by removing the bottom of the film container with a
sharp knife cutting it as straight as possible. Next, I put the drainage
holes
in the snap-on lid which then becomes the bottom. When the cutting is
ready to transplant, remove the lid leaving you with a cylinder open at both
ends, then push the entire contents through the cylinder.

This is less stressful on the plant than trying to extract it from the top or
cut
the container from the plant's perimeter.

-steve-