cephalotus leaf cuttings/pullings

[James H]

So I have a young cephalotus that has a lot of leaves and has started putting on pitchers again. I would like to try cutting a couple leaves and setting them up to attempt growing more plants. Is there anything that I should do before and after to the leaves and main plant to make sure that I don't do more damage then good with this attempt. I look forward to reading anyones responces on this topic.

 

[richjam1986]

First of all, don't cut the leaves. Pull them so you get some of the white part at the petiole base from the rhizome. Technically, I should say 'push' the leaves. It sounds wierd, but I find that the leaf detaches more easily if you use a pencil eraser or something similar to push down on the base of the petiole until it detaches(don't use the sharp end of a pencil, for obvious reasons). I then stick the base of the petiole into pure live sphagnum, so that the end is maybe half a cm below the surface. Keep them quite wet (but not waterlogged) and bagged for high humidity under florescent lights. I have had success without using a rooting powder, though it may help.