First cutting

[Nepenthes Nut]

This is the first time I have taken a cutting from my nep. I cut the basal shoot off, diped it in rooting hormone and put it in a pot of lfs. It is currently indoors in a propagator with an artificial light supplement and the vents sealed. Am i doing it right or is there anything else i need to do?

[Guest Marc.Katzer]

Hi

Try to hold the air humidity high and the pot very wet .

Am i doing it right

It would have to function.

Good luck!

Marc

[Nepenthes Nut]

Ok so keep the vents closed and keep the sphagnum well wattered. How long does it take for roots to appear?

[Neil Cornish]

I'd personally give the cutting a small amount of ventilation as warm damp still condition are also ideal growing conditons for mould. Many growers root cuttings in sealed zip-lock bags so the choice is yours really. I've rooted 90% of my cuttings just placed in very damp sphagnum and left on a sunny window ledge. I think Nepenthes cuttings root much easier than people imagine (at least the common garden centre hybrids) although some species are particularly difficult to take cuttings from.

I'd resist the urge to pull the cutting up to look for new roots as this can detach any that have grown.If the cutting fails then it will soon start wilting and go brown. If the cutting is staying green then assume everything is ok and after a period of settling in the cutting should start growing. This can take anywhere from a month to half a year so be patient. Keep it well watered and try and forget about it.

Let us know how you get on and good luck.

Regards Neil

[Nepenthes Nut]

Ok i think i will open the vents half way. I will do, thank you Neil

[Paul O'Keeffe]

I have four ventrata cuttings on the go on my windowsill. Don't have the room for a propagator so I leave them sitting with my other neps.

So far they are all doing very well.

[Capslock]

When I make nep cuttings, I just put them in a pot next to the parent plants. I figure they'll root better in conditions for which they are already accustomed. No bags, no chambers, no nothing.

I get about 90% success this way. When I change the conditions of a nep, it usually takes a while to recover, so why change the conditions for a cutting?

Capslock

[Nepenthes Nut]

The nep cutting is still residing in the propagator (vents closed) and has begun to grow again ( leaf growing + opening up now). I have resisted the temptation to pull it out and look but im geussing that this grown is a good sign. How much longer should i leave it before potting it into a more permanent pot?

[Guest Sheila]

I would give it a few weeks to grow a couple more leaves and pitchers then it should be ok to pot up properly, just be very careful not to damage the new roots.

[Nepenthes Nut]

So once it produces some pitchers?

[Guest Sheila]

Once it produces pitchers and is obviously growing well. when you have a few new pitchers and leaves on it then you can be reasonably sure it has at last rooted. Just because you have one new leaf opening it does not necessarily mean you have roots yet, but it is well on its way to recovery.

[Nepenthes Nut]

Ok, thank you, will wait these next few weeks for the sign of pitcher development.

[jimscott]

I have one friend who has success by placing the cutting in a vase of water, as one would a single rose.

Some people also "notch" the stem, by slitting it with a paring knife. This is to help induce roots.

[Nepenthes Nut]

Disaster strikes . .??? I gave into my urge to look for root development *hits himself* but only found a blackened end that had small split up the side and had (fruit?) fly larva inside that split. Could this larva be eating the plant, just the dead bits or was it just a coincidence? I cut away the black end to where the middle was cream again and put a notch in it and re burryed it in the same sphagnum. I have also placed a plastic bag over it so no more flys can lay eggs and so I can kill all the new emerging flys. Have I done anything wrong? What, if any thing, should I do now, or should I have just left it as it was?

[Sallinger]

Disaster strikes . .??? I gave into my urge to look for root development *hits himself* but only found a blackened end that had small split up the side and had (fruit?) fly larva inside that split. Could this larva be eating the plant, just the dead bits or was it just a coincidence?

I doubt it is fruit fly larva. It's more likely to be fungus gnat larva. I would have done the same thing on finding them except I would have either sterilized the sphagnum moss (microwaved it) before re-using it to kill any fungus or eggs that might have been left in the moss, or replaced it entirely with fresh moss.

[Nepenthes Nut]

OK, as it is not too late, how long should i put it in the microwave for (900W)?

[Nepenthes Nut]

Should I be worried about the blackede end? Could it be caused by the larva or is it the high (100%) humidity? Should I poke holes in the top of the bag to allow for ventilation + reduce the humidity to around 70%?

[Guest Sheila]

Now you have uprooted it you may as well clean up the blackened end and replant it. If you keep pulling it up to check for roots though I would not expect your cutting to strike. It won't hurt to make a couple of ventilation holes in the bag.

[Guest Aidan]

OK, as it is not too late, how long should i put it in the microwave for (900W)?

The one time that I sterilised media it turned into an absolute disaster and I lost some expensive seed. What I didn't consider was that sterilisation turns media into the ideal growth medium for every bacterium and fungal spore that floats by. Based on that experience, I don't recommend the practice.

[Nepenthes Nut]

Ok ill make many small (pin sized) holes to allow ventilation and preventing any more fungus flys getting in. Dont worry, i will try alot harder not to check on it. Although 2 months is abou as long as I can last if there are no signs of growth/ pitcher development.*hopes it will have struck by then*

Aidan, I wouldnt have thought that microwaving the medium would create a better environment for bacteria or fungus. I geuss i will just kill all the emerging flys I see and make sure that no more can lay eggs.

[Guest Aidan]

Sterilisation creates an aseptic growing media rather like an agar plate. Believe me, you can virtually watch bacterial and fungal colonies spreading before your eyes.

Microwaving Sphagnum will also destroy the cell structure which is what gives the plant its unique water retaining properties.

I'm not preventing you trying it... Let us know how it goes.

[Nepenthes Nut]

As some of the sphagnum is green, I will let it live and just dispose of the remaining larva when they become airborne.

Is 24 hr artificial lighting good for a cutting or can it have detrimental effects?

[Nepenthes Nut]

Is the cut end supposed to go black again or is there something wrong? I have made enough holes in the bag so that condensaion is no longer forming in the masses inside it. The larva are still there, despite my best efforts of killing them and stopping the flys from relaying. Should I be worried about them?

[Guest Aidan]

The end will discolour something like a cut apple does.

I'd change the moss for fresh if possible.

[Nepenthes Nut]

I should be able to Change the sphagnum (500g compressed block, only a small corner used). If I leave the used lfs out to dry will it be fine to use again (killing all the larva)? The end was more of a black colour (well completly black), not the browny color of a cut apple, is that bad?