Nepenthes cuttings

[Richard Hole]

Hello

I am wondering the best way to cut Nepenthes cuttings based on my ideas below. An experienced grower suggested dipping the part of the cutting that goes underground in 75% methylated spirits and 25% water for 30 seconds in order to kill fungi and bacteria. He then suggested to soak the cutting in water before cutting the bottom half inch off as the cutting as it may have absorbed some of the methylated spirits. However cutting half inch off the cutting may mean a node would be wasted if the leaves are close together. This would mean less cuttings could be taken. Perhaps there are other any anti fungal solutions that could be used that would not harm the cutting through absorption so that less than half an inch would need to be cut off. Do you think wettable sulfur could work well or do you have any other suggestions? I want something that is low toxicity and is safe for my skin. Some people suggest rooting hormones. However, I have not used these for years and found cuttings still strike without them. For a root hormone that also kill fungi and bacteria I not sure how toxic they are if they are on your skin for a while. Could that be a problem? Also a fair volume would be needed to dip all the part of the cutting that grows underground and it would be easier if it is a liquid or wettable powder. I read that honey is a powerful germ or bacteria killer and is good for a rooting hormone for cuttings. However, I am not sure how well it would help for Nepenthes cuttings. Please let me know of any trials of this.

Previously I have cut along the thick dark brown lines as shown in the diagram.

The upper cut that forms the bottom end of the upper cutting is just below the ridge on the stem formed by the petiole. I am not sure if it would be all right to make this cut higher perhaps where the base of the petiole joins or even above the join. This could be an advantage where the leaves are very close together as it may mean not having to waste a node. How close to the node could I cut?

I cut the petiole (at the base of the cutting) off where it joins the stem so the cut also removes the outer layer of tissue on the stem to expose the meristematic tissue. Just below, (near the bottom end of the cutting) I have been cutting the ridges off along with the outer layer of the stem underneath these ridges to expose the meristematic tissue. I could make these cuts after the cutting is washed and soaked in water after being dipped in the methylated spirits or anti fungal solution. If an antifungal solution can be found that is not harmful if absorbed by the cutting, washing afterwards may not be needed although the cutting may be best washed before the cuts are made in this case. Would it be better to dip the cuttings in the antifungal solution (if it is not harmful if absorbed) or rooting hormone after the final cuts are made and not washing it off? Could the same container of antifungal solution be used for the cuttings from a number of different plants or would it be necessary to make up a new batch for each plant to avoid any contamination?

I grow the cuttings in pure sphagnum moss in a greenhouse under white Solarweave plastic that reduces the sunlight by 50%. Foggers mist the foliage so it does not dry out for long if the humidity drops below 80%.

I am wondering if people have had as much success with cuttings that are not buried far into the potting mix? If the nodes are close together several shorter cuttings are possible which would mean more cuttings. However, only about an inch may be in the potting mix if this is the case. What is the minimum depth that has been found to work well?

Also, would it be much of an advantage to strike cuttings on an overcast or wet day when the plants may be less heat stressed than they could be on a warm sunny day with 30 degree heat and 50% humidity?

I grow a number of different carnivorous plants and am interested in swapping them with growers. Most of my plants have a simple self watering wick system to enable easy care. It reduces the risk of the plant drying out. Please see http://www.advantagein.com/cp/ .

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Your help would be appreciated,

Regards Richard

Edited November 24, 2011 by Richard Hole

[mobile]

If you are creating cuttings from your own plants then you might want to consider air-layering: http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8130&st=0

[marcello catalano]

Hi Richard,

- to me, the upper cut and the lower cut are too far, in that case for sure I would cut right in the middle of them, leaving more room to the base of the upper cut and more room at the top of the lower cut.

- I rarely used fungicides for the base of the cutting, but I noticed no difference in using them or not. When I had fungi, they always appeared AFTER the cutting was germinated, they appeared as a little mould at the TOP cut of the cutting but they were clearly trying to infect the whole thing from inside. The following times I killed the mould on the top in time and the cuttings were then fine. But this kind of problem only happened in 1-2 every 20-30 cuttings.

- I had a much bigger problem - that can't be solved - with the actual "strenght" of the new shoot that emerged from the cutting, which depends from the position on the plant that the cutting was taken from: cuttings taken from the lowermost part and the uppermost part will give more problems that those taken in the middle, because of the very different consistency and "inner biology" of the stem.

- I used hormones with my last cuttings, the root system developed was impressive, instead of 1-2 roots, the whole cut was covered with roots, but the above problems were not solved, and I didn't notice any change in the amount of cuttings that rooted.

- I try not to use organic composts anymore with cuttings, I always use coarse sand and perlite in equal parts, I find it the best thing to root anything: never waterlogged even in high humidity, always totally open but still damp, stable pH, less life inside (fungi, bacteria etc), buffered. Any plant will love it, until a serious amount of nutrients is needed.

- I stick the cutting in the soil until the base of the leaf.

- With 100% humidity and neon/sodium lamps (a LOT of light, but never direct sun) I never had problems.

- Of course you also have to cut the leaf blade for one third of its lenght.

Edited November 24, 2011 by marcello catalano

[Dicon]

Sounds like a complicated version of a very simple process.

As Cello has said, cut the node midway, I personally then split the stem up though the middle a half inch or more and pinch a bit of live sphagnum between the split.

I then wrap loosely in sphag or just pop in to the top of the moss growing in the mother plant.

I don't do masses of cuttings, but strike a couple of dozen per year with >95% success.

Fresh cutting and good humidity levels are the key I think.

Never had fungal problems with cuttings and live sphag keeps them at bay.

I dont see any logic in dipping in meths, just keep your blade clean......dip that in your meths and wipe dry!

Air layering is good for difficult plants, and bigger cuttings seem to be easier too (more than 1 node)

Be patient and don't fuss

[Richard Hole]

Hi

Thanks for your replies. I think air layering would be an extra step as when the roots on the stem are produced the plant would soon have to be potted. However, for a cutting it can go straight in a pot and may not need to be potted again before it is sold.

Below are some questions for Marcello.

Are you suggesting that I make the upper cut further away from the nodes so that there is a longer length of stem between the nodes and the ends of the cuttings?

Do you grow your plants in a sealed terrarium under lights like I used to do? I had trouble with fungi in the tips as well a in sealed or almost sealed terrarium. I did not have that trouble last time as I grew them in a fish tank sitting on its side so that the side was not covered. It sits in a ventilated greenhouse with 50% Solaweave plastic on the roof. In the fish tank and in the greenhouse I have foggers that dampen the foliage when the humidity drops below about 80%

Sphagnum moss would hold the water for longer than perlite and coarse sand. I only have to water it about every 5 days in average summer weather conditions. Wouldn’t perlite and sand dry out fast when you take your cuttings out of the terrarium and harden them off in a greenhouse? How often do you water then?

What is the name of the rooting hormone product you used?

Your help is appreciated,

Regards Richard.

[marcello catalano]

Hi,

- about the nodes, exactely.

- about fungi: I've been growing adult plants in every condition, but of course I grew cuttings always in high humidity conditions, so fungi can happen, but no big issue. When I use 100% humidity, I use plastic boxes or mini-greenhouses, so there's not much to do, you open the sides and lose humidity or keep everything closed but with less ventilation. The problems I had in the second case were almost none, so I went for the second option.

- when cuttings or seedlings are at 100% humidity, I don't water them at all, or maybe once every 1-2 months, depending on the season. That's the condition they get while they are cuttings/seedlings, so at least 1-2 years. The passage between that stage and the harsher conditions where I keep the adults is another matter, it can be done in many ways but will only last a couple of weeks, and it's all about making them go from one habitat to another gradually. Of course eventually the soil is changed into peat and perlite. But I live in Milan, not in Australia :) I know that over there you're forced to use sphagnum or your plants will dry in 3 hours. Here they might rot in sphagnum, and in a greenhouse they won't need water for 10 days even in hot weather with such compost. In case, don't forget that especially in your conditions and using an inorganic soil as sand and perlite, you can leave the water in the tray, in case you need the compost to remain damp during that passage.

- for the hormones, just go in any nursery and ask for rooting hormone, they will give you what they have, they are all the same.

Today I'm trying to stop growing plants at home, I only keep seedlings for sale right now, but these are indochinese species, so they grow fine with 40% humidity. I use sodium and neon lamps. You can see some of my old plants here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38202599@N05/

[Richard Hole]

Hello

Based on your and other people’s advice, I updated the diagram I did.

.

Also, what I described as the ridge before is actually called the wing.

I plan to make the cut along the dark brown line.

Some growers suggested using Clonex rooting hormone gel. Do you think that would significantly help increase the strike rate and root growth rate and mean that the cutting would be ready for sale quicker?

Does anyone know if honey would work as well for Nepenthes?

One concern with Clonex is that the label does state "harmful . . . if absorbed through the skin" However, I am not sure if it could be a problem if some is on your skin which could happen when you are painting it on or pressing the cuttings down into the pot. Have you had any problems with this and do you wear gloves?

Your help is appreciated,

Regards Richard.

Edited November 30, 2011 by Richard Hole

[marcello catalano]

I don't know about the other guys here, I can only just repeat what I said in my previous messages. I can add that no difference was noted not even in the speed of growth of the cuttings, when hormones were used. It was just really a matter of root mass, quite impressive compared to normal. Growth rate and percentage of cuttings that rooted was the same. I would use hormones with difficult species or with cuttings that risk not to root for some reason. Instead - again - pay attention to where on the plant you take the cutting, as many of them (too high, too low) could result in crap plants.

About the skin problem though, that's in the labels of all hormones, if you use them for hundreds of cuttings and you would have your fingers all the time in the powder/gel, you're definately better use gloves. When I planted about 20 cuttings, I just washed my hands.

[Dicon]

Just try not to get any on ya Richard Hole

I'll get me coat

[manders]

One concern with Clonex is that the label does state "harmful . . . if absorbed through the skin" However, I am not sure if it could be a problem if some is on your skin which could happen when you are painting it on or pressing the cuttings down into the pot. Have you had any problems with this and do you wear gloves?

Your help is appreciated,

Regards Richard.

You should allways avoid any industrial chemical getting on you skin, especially things like growth hormones, nobody knows what the long term effect is so wear gloves and wash hands.

[Richard Hole]

Hello

I just found out that there is another rooting hormone which is cheaper and possibly more user friendly than Clonex and it has the same active ingredient. Rootex also contains Indole Butyric Acid at a concentration of 4 grams per liter and they suggest to mix a few milliliters of it with the same amount of water. Clonex contains 3 grams per liter of Indole Butyric Acid.

Do you think Rootex should be as good as Clonex for Nepenthes cuttings?

Rootex is in a powder form and a gel form but the “Rootex L” is a liquid form and may be more user friendly as you could just dip the cuttings in the solution without having to worry about spreading a gel.

See http://www.heinigerhg.com.au/MSDS/Rootex%20G.pdf

Also, do I only need to apply it to the areas of the cutting that are cut or do you suggest also applying it to other parts of the stem that go below the potting mix?

Your help is appreciated,

Regards Richard.

[Dave Evans]

Hello Richard,

I don't use rooting hormones on Nepenthes, but I have had trouble propagating N. tobaica and N. glabrata.

All others I've tried have been easy to root.

[rsivertsen]

This is a perennial thread in a lot of forums; there have been times when I've had to make a desperado attempt to salvage a plant that has been diseased for one reason or another, and almost every time, when I've had to snap off a growing lateral growth point from a diseased cutting, the ONLY ones that actually to root were ones that were placed upon live sphagnum in a controlled terrarium, regardless if hormones were used.

[Richard Hole]

Hi

Thanks for the letters.

Do you dip the cutting blade in methylated spirits or something else to sterilize it each time you are about to start a new cutting? If so, do you wash it off or wipe the blade dry before you cut? I thought it may be possible that the methylated spirits may get on the Nepenthes cutting and react with the rooting hormone and possibly have an adverse affect on the cuttings. What I could do is dip the blade in methylated spirits and then a container of water to wash methylated spirits off. Would that be necessary?

Your help is appreciated,

Regards Richard.

[Dicon]

Hi

Thanks for the letters.

Do you dip the cutting blade in methylated spirits or something else to sterilize it each time you are about to start a new cutting? If so, do you wash it off or wipe the blade dry before you cut? I thought it may be possible that the methylated spirits may get on the Nepenthes cutting and react with the rooting hormone and possibly have an adverse affect on the cuttings. What I could do is dip the blade in methylated spirits and then a container of water to wash methylated spirits off. Would that be necessary?

Your help is appreciated,

Regards Richard.

Richard,

I covered this in my first reply.

Everyone has said in their replies to you that rooting hormones appear to offer little if any advantage when striking Nepenthes cuttings, and as you are clearly worried by any side effects or complications that may be encountered, I suggest maybe you take the advice tendered and don't bother using them.

[Dave Evans]

Do you dip the cutting blade in methylated spirits or something else to sterilize it each time you are about to start a new cutting? If so, do you wash it off or wipe the blade dry before you cut? I thought it may be possible that the methylated spirits may get on the Nepenthes cutting and react with the rooting hormone and possibly have an adverse affect on the cuttings. What I could do is dip the blade in methylated spirits and then a container of water to wash methylated spirits off. Would that be necessary?

Nope, you can cut up the plants with scissors.

They aren't orchids.