Richard Bunn Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Sad to report that my experiments so far weren't a great success. I took some snippings from a VFT and left them in deionised water, but they have gone black and mouldy. I have some D.binata and D.capensis snippings that look OK, so there is still hope. Also, I just received some test tubes, so am going to have another go. Spurred on by an idea mentioned here, I may put the test tubes in the fish or turtle tank, as that will keep them warmer than just sitting in the house. The turtle tank has a UV tube over it as well, so they should get some good light. Are you aware that you cannot snip Dionaeas? You have to pull to include the base of the leaf and the white of the rhizome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 Are you aware that you cannot snip Dionaeas? You have to Paul to include the base of the leaf and the white of the rhizome. I'm aware now! No, I didn't realise that. I thought you could just snip them off, like you seem to be able to do with some other plants. I'm sure I read somewhere that you could do with with VFTs as well, but maybe I was wrong. I'm very new at this and still learning. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bunn Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 The word 'Paul' appeared in my reply where it should have read 'pull'. I've edited it now. Don't want to confuse you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 The word 'Paul' appeared in my reply where it should have read 'pull'. I've edited it now. Don't want to confuse you. I'm easily confused! I did wonder what you meant, but didn't think about it too closely. Thanks for the clarification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted August 27, 2015 Report Share Posted August 27, 2015 In case it's of interest to anyone, I tried putting some drosera stalk cuttings in deionised water a couple of months ago, and left them on my office windowsill, where not a lot happened. Two of the d. capensis cuttings showed teeny tiny planlets growing from the cut stalk, but nothing big enough to get excited about. Following gricey's suggestion, I bought some test tubes (found someone selling 25 of them on Amazon for £2.78 inc P+P!), and put the cuttings in those. As someone mentioned warmth and light, I decided to place them on top of our turtle tank, as they would get both there... The lamp just to the left of the tubes is a basking lamp, which gives the turtles an artificial sun, so they bask in the warmth. Between that the warmth from the heated water below, the tubes are warmer than they would be on my windowsill. Not hot, but pleasantly warm. Since I put them there on Sunday, one of the two plantlets has doubled in size! Not bad for a few days of growth... It's still only about 1cm long, so not big enough to plant out yet, but definitely moving in the right direction. I took some more cuttings yesterday, and placed the test tubes right next to the UVB light tube that's over the tank. I will be interested to see if this shows any better results, or if it's too much light. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gricey Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Yossu, good to hear of progress! don't know if my musings above caused confusion between VFT and Droseras so appologies there mate. The cuttings of the drosera are indeed just some of the current leaf and in warm and light to progress nicely as you are now seeing. The VFT cutting as clarified already by Richard is the leaf and the rhizome and not just the leaf as with the drosera, sorry if that wasn't too clear. Still not time and effort wasted but a learning process. Do go again with the VFT and believe me it does work. I have not had time to update the blog with pics and info for a while as life has taken over somewhat. I will do soon. the vft leaf/stalk/rhizome cuttings that were developing are still going nicely and are out of the tubes and in a clear plastic container (take away jobs) lid on for a while, then when almost at the top lid off. Now sitting in same bottom part of food container with zip lock bag to maintain humidity. in the not too distant the great unveil to the real outside world should happen... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) The VFT cutting as clarified already by Richard is the leaf and the rhizome and not just the leaf as with the drosera, sorry if that wasn't too clear. Still not time and effort wasted but a learning process. Do go again with the VFT and believe me it does work. I have some more plants on their way, so when they arrive, I may try taking a cutting from the VFTs and see if I can get them to work. Just to be clear, did you take the entire leaf, right down to where it attaches to the base of the plant? Did you leave the trap on, or take that off? If I'm going to try again, I might as well do it right this time! Yossu, good to hear of progress! don't know if my musings above caused confusion between VFT and Droseras so appologies there mate. No problem, like you say, it's all a learning process. Always interesting to see what works and what doesn't. I would imagine that many great inventions came about because people did things they didn't know weren't supposed to work! the vft leaf/stalk/rhizome cuttings that were developing are still going nicely and are out of the tubes and in a clear plastic container (take away jobs) lid on for a while, then when almost at the top lid off. Now sitting in same bottom part of food container with zip lock bag to maintain humidity. in the not too distant the great unveil to the real outside world should happen... At what stage did you take them out of the tubes? My two successes are still small enough to stay in the tubes, but not for much longer. Sad to say, I think the four that I put right under the UVB light got too warm, as they went brown (in various degrees from a bit at each end to completely). I've moved them further away from the tube, so they get the light but not the heat and we'll see if they work. Please keep us posted on your results. Also, if you don't mind clarifying what you did with the VFTs, I'll have a go when the new ones arrive and report back. Thanks Edited September 3, 2015 by Yossu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted September 17, 2015 Report Share Posted September 17, 2015 (edited) Well, I had some success with this! I tried putting the cuttings in test tubes filled with deionised water, and placing them on top of our turtle tank, where they get warmth and light. It took a few months, but we have tiny plantlets growing... As you can see, these have several plants growing from each cutting. All of these pictures show drosera cuttings, either capensis or binata. I numbered the test tubes and noted down what was in what, but haven't got the paper here right now. They all look the same at this stage anyway! And here is one that's getting too big for the tube! For reference, the tubes are 1cm diameter. So, what do I do now? At what stage do I take them out of the tubes? Should I keep them underwater while they are still small? How do I know when they are big enough to plant? Why am I asking so many questions? Any and all suggestions welcome. I'm pretty chuffed at this. For a rank beginner, I've had a very high success rate. Out of about 20 tubes, I think only 2 haven't done anything yet, and they may still grow. Thanks Edited September 17, 2015 by Yossu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gricey Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 patience dear boy! All in all, so far, a great strike rate. However as you are now thinking little uns to plants isn't quite so easy. I learned that one. The sad way........ I removed a filliformis too early and went black and died sharpish. A VFT was somehow forgotten and left in corner of garden and didn't last. Guttted by that one. First step (April) place cuttings in test tube filled with RO water and leave in warm, sunny location. Second step (July -- +/-3 months) I have taken was to use the RO water and half fill a coffee jar. Same principle but more room to grow unhindered. Might even be a better place to start rather than the test tube. However I had success with tubes so went with it. Put the vft in one, Filiformisin another, rotundifolia in another.. left them in there checking on progress until they looked a decent enough size that I felt was strong enough to grow on. - Fly Trap +/- 1 inch, Filiformis +/-1 inch with 3-4 leaves, Rotundifolia +/-0.5 inch with a few growth points. I have now (August -- Month 5) transferred from jar to a plastic food container (think chippy or a couple for a pound in poundland etc..) half filled with peat, some moss on top. Dropped them on top and closed the lid to keep humidity. There is also planting them into their future home and cover with a ziplock food bag. Done this as well. Check them and open lid/lock to allow them to breathe and remain humid. mould could be a biggee at this stage. so, when to remove from the test tube? Trial and error so far for me and as I only started myself in April/May this year prob not the best source of advice. can only pass on what I am seeing/getting/doing. making notes for next year to improve/avoid mistakes. Obviously if the plantlet is getting too big for the test tube it may be an idea to transplant. I know I have said that pics and the blog will be updated but time has been an enemy. will do so today. SO, So far so good Yossu! Good Luck and always remember to make notes and write down what works for you in your conditions.... invaluable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Is there any difference in success if the pullings sink to the bottom vs those that stay floating on the surface ? All my pullings stay floating,even after vigorous shaking and i fear they will go moldy... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 Is there any difference in success if the pullings sink to the bottom vs those that stay floating on the surface ? All my pullings stay floating,even after vigorous shaking and i fear they will go moldy... Im even less experienced than gricey at this, but when I started doing this, I had the cuttings in a plastic cup of deinised water, and also noticed that some floated and some sank.I've not noticed any difference in what happened to them, so am tempted to suggest that as long as they are in the water, floating isn't a problem. Admittedly, I moved them to test tubes after a couple of months, which effectively forced them to submerge, so it could be that this removed any difference. I would recommend test tubes, as it makes it easy to store and move them, without worrying about evaporation or spills. As I said, I got 25 of them for just a few Pounds on Amazon. Like gricey said, you need to be patient. I know, easier said than done. I found myself checking them every day, sonetimes twice a day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted September 18, 2015 Report Share Posted September 18, 2015 patience dear boy! All in all, so far, a great strike rate. However as you are now thinking little uns to plants isn't quite so easy. I learned that one. The sad way........ SO, So far so good Yossu! Good Luck and always remember to make notes and write down what works for you in your conditions.... invaluable. thanks for the great reply! I'm trying to be patient, but I'm just a little boy at heart, and want it all to happen NOW!Anyway, I'll probably move the bigger ones into a jar, and leave the tweeny ones in the test tube for a see while longer. The tubes have the advantage thst I can sit them on top of the turtle tank, where they get warmth and UVB light. In a jar, they would likely float, and move further away from the light. Given that I have a few, I may experiment with when I move them out of eater. I don't have enough to do a rigorous test, but I may try planting half when they reach the sizes you mentioned, and leave the other half in water for longer, see if it makes any difference. I've kept a note of what's in each tube, and the date it went in. That's all that's relevant so far, but will keep notes of anything else that seems relevant as I go along. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gricey Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Is there any difference in success if the pullings sink to the bottom vs those that stay floating on the surface ? All my pullings stay floating,even after vigorous shaking and i fear they will go moldy... Nick, I certainly haven't seen/noticed any difference. even shook (gently) the jar to level them out. Some float, some sit in suspension, some float. all struck like weeds and are now being transplanted from the jar with RO to a peat medium. Some did take longer than others, some a lot longer but they are getting there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 all struck like weeds and are now being transplanted from the jar with RO to a peat medium. Some did take longer than others, some a lot longer but they are getting there Did you have any roots grow on yours when they were still in the water? None of mine do, and I'm a bit nervous about trying to plant them without roots.Did you actually plant yours, or just lay them on top of the moss? Thanks for the reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gricey Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 plonked em on moss just. lay em on surface and covered some of the stalk but kept the plantlet on top Food bag over with corner snipped then just lightly spray to keep warm and humid-ish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yossu Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 plonked em on moss just. lay em on surface and covered some of the stalk but kept the plantlet on top Food bag over with corner snipped then just lightly spray to keep warm and humid-ish OK, thanks. Maybe I'll move some onto moss and see what happens. I've got quite a few growing, so can afford to experiment!Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deltatango301 Posted October 9, 2016 Report Share Posted October 9, 2016 And Yossu what's the update nearly a year later... my cuttings went in test tubes 31 August 2016 all showing some sign of growth all Drosera waiting for more tubes to come from China to start my VFT's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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