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Just made 8 cuttings

One of my N. coccinea (the solid-pitchered one) had a very leggy vine with no pitchers, so I cut it way back.

I got 8 good cuttings out of it, all currently potted in LFS, awaiting root growth.

I also have 4 eight-month old cuttings of N. coccinea (speckled-pitcher form) which are all producing (or about to produce) pitchers.

There is also one N. miranda cutting; that one grows more slowly, so I haven't been able to make as many cuttings from it.

I would make more now, but it is starting to produce a cluster of pitchers, and i don't want to cut off pitchering leaves.

I should have some nice plants for trading soon!
 
I have a N.gracilis that is pitchering profusely from its lower leaves, but has a 2' long vine with leaves that just aren't doing anything......sounds similar to your story.

I'm just afraid to cut it as a) I've never done nep cuttings before and b) I'm not sure what it'll do to the plant.

I'll check the boards for any info and Savage Garden to get started...but any personal tips/tricks you have for improving cutting survival, etc?  

Thanks.

PS: Thanks for the D.binata propagation info.....very helpful indeed.
 
Here's what you do.
step 1: Take out your machete (Cane Knife)

step 2: Pick up your machete

step 3: Clear the room

step 4: Clear your mind for a minute

step 5: Recall the movie "Halloween _"


N. gracilis is a very foregiving plant. Even very short single node cuttings will take root and before you know it, you'll be doing it again times ten!

Michael
 
Hey chloroplast!

Somebody posted a link to a pictorial tutorial on making cuttings, but i can't find it now.  Maybe somebody else can provide it.

You need:
* sharp knife
* sharp scissors
* Long-fiber sphagnum (I go through it to break up the clumps, remove all twiggy pieces, etc), pre-moistened with rain or distilled water
* Some sort of rooting gel; I use Olivia's Cloning Gel.
* Small pots; I like the round 3" ones.

Decide in advance how far down you will cut, and how many cuttings it will yield.  If the vine is leggy (lots of space between nodes, then you can get 1 cutting per node; otherwise, you may need 2 per cutting.  Prepare that many pots filled with LFS; I pack them fairly tightly.

Notice where the dark spot on the stem is above each leaf; this is where a new growth point will emerge.  Make stem cuts about 1 cm above this point.  I use the scissors to cut the vine from the rest of the plant, and then trim about 2/3 off of each leaf.

Using the sharp knife, separate your first cutting from the rest of the stem; I like to work from the bottom up.  I make my cuts diagonally (about 45 deg), and then I make 4 small, shallow slits at the base of the stem, where it will root.  You only need to go in about 1 mm, and make then starting 1 cm from the base, and cut straight to the base.  The roots will emerge from these slits.  Dip the stem up to the leaf node in the rooting gel, poke a hole deep enough for the stem in the LFS, place the stem in the hole up to the base of the leaf, and pack the LFS gently around the stem so it doesn't move too easily.

Each cutting should be a few cm below the leaf to 1 cm above the point where the new growth point will emerge from the stem.  If there isn't enough internode distance, you will need to carefully cut every other leaf off completely, clear to the stem.

When you have all your cuttings, place them in a greenhouse tray, water them from overhead, and place them in your grow chamber.  They need very high humidity and bright light for the next few months.  I keep them watered on the tray method, adding 1 cm of water to the tray, and letting it dry (the tray, not the LFS in the pots) before watering again.  They are very slow at first.  There is no visible growth for some time, as the plant spends its energy developing roots.  Finally, after 6-8 weeks, you should see the growth node swell.  The first couple of leaves will be small and spindly, and won't pitcher.  Usually, the 3rd leaf or so is a full leaf that is capable of pitchering.  When I see them developing their 3rd new leaf, I repot them into a larger pot, typically a square 5" pot, with a 50/50 mix of orchid bark and LFS.  I fill the new pot around the old pot, so that there will be a depression in the soil exactly the size and shape of the original medium.  I unpot the new Nepenthes, being careful not to disturb the root ball.  I plop it into the hole, and water.  This will probably be 4-6 months after you made the original cutting.

There's a faster method, called air layering.

You make shallow notches on the vine where you want roots.  You prop the notches open with moistend LFS coated in rooting gel.  You wrap that section in damp LFS, cover securely with Saran Wrap and wait.  Every so often, add water so the LFS stays moist.  After a month or two, the LFS should be penetrated through with Nep roots.  Cut just below this point and pot in a 5" pot.  Since you've already developed the roots on the vine, you don't need to cut back the leaves.  This produces good cuttings, shaving a few months off the time until they are full pitcher-producing plants.  Here is a pictorial guide to air layering.
 
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