Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1999 14:23:10 EDT From: CMDodd@aol.com To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2768$foo@default> Subject: Re: Nepenthes cuttings
In a message dated 99-08-01 07:31:00 EDT, you write:
<< I still have a large Nepenthes with its six-foot vine, lots of basal
growth, and no pitchers. It simply refuses to pitcher. So, I'm
planning to cut up the main vine, which should make about 15 to 20
cuttings. I'm sure somebody has done this before. I have the book
"Carnivorous Plants of the World" which tells how to do it. My only
question is, once the cuttings are made, planted, and baggied...do I
grow them in low, moderate, or high light conditions? Who has had
success with this?
---Steve Klitzing
>>
Steve,
You can take one to three (two probably being optimal) node cuttings
place them in small pots of sphagnum to root and place them in a shady humid
area in your greenhouse and water them as per the other plants. You also
could bag them, just be sure to put them in indirect light, not in the sun.
You should check the pots for roots after a month or so and if they are well
rooted plant them, moss and all into whatever media you are using in say a 4"
to 6" pot and replace them in the low light area as before for an addtional
month, by then fall will be approaching and you can move them to a higher
light level area.
In general it is a good idea to put as little stress in newly rooted
cuttings or divisions of any plant, so light shading, extra humidity,
attention to watering, and if you fertilize at all wait until new growth is
obvious and well along.
You did not say which Nepenthes you had that will not pitcher, but there
is a clone of N. gracilis that has been floating around as "N. distillatoria"
that is known for difficulty in pitchering. It originated at W.I.P. years
ago. It tends to behave like N. ampullaria, with no (or relatively few)
pitchers on the climbing stems and then with age you may get basal pitchers
at ground level. One it does pitcher the traps are a nice reddish brown and
quite large for N. gracilis. Once you have more than one to play around
with, put one in very high light or even full sun (gradually) and see if you
can force it to pitcher.
Cliff
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