Taking leaf cuttings

[jimscott]

Today I took a bunch of leaf cuttings on the Mexican pings. Some are easy because the leaves are big enough or the leaves are like corn niblets and break off by just rubbing the perimeter. Some are more challenging, like P. gypsicola. So what I did for the more challenging ones is take a teaspoon and scoop out a plug, containing plant and media. I then put the thrid finger underneath the plant / media and my thumb on top. Then I was able to gently pry leaves from the mother plant without butchering the whole plant. When done, I placed the plug back. No harm done!

 

[Mark Wilson]

Wow, great tip Jim !!
Where were you back in December when I butchered my P.reticulata and P.1713
They are recovering nicely now though.
On my gyspicola pullings I faired a bit better. What I ended up doing was putting some of the leaves in one of the plastic containers I had left over from some plants I bought from Lowes.I put them in slightly moist vermiculite and put the lid on tight and set them under the lights in my terrarium. So far I have quite a few that are coming along fine.Can't ever seem to have enough of them !!
Mark

 

[jm82792]

I jsut leave them alone and give them damp conditions they sprout from the older leafs Soenthimes I will destroy the mother plant though

 

[jimscott]

I hate denuding the momma plant, but they are pretty forgiving.

 

[Mark Wilson]

It's quiet around the house tonight so I just went down and took some more pullings from my older gypsicola.It has been growing very well but no summer leaves yet.I setup one of the small containers that CP's from Lowes comes in with vermiculite mixed with Rootshield and setup 32 leaves in it. This time I misted it with my dilute fertilizer mix also.
I have the container about 5" under a 55watt compact flourescent light I had been using for a dartfrog enclosure that now sit over my 20 long tank with my cephalotus and a few other plants.I'll let you know how it all works out in a few weeks.

From the gypsicola pullings I took back in December 07 I have quite a few plantlets now and some are about the size of a Skittle or smaller.I can't seem to have enough of these plants !!!
Mark W.

 

[jimscott]

P. gypsicola is the hardest species for me to actually extricate leaves. BTW, how am I supposed to apply the iron oxide? Be prepared for PM requests for your gypsicola plants!

 

[Mark Wilson]

Jim,
I just mixed the iron oxide in with my silica sand until the sand turned pinkish.It doesn't take much.Basically everything I do with my pings follows Joseph's techniques but I do plan on doing some on windowsills soon.Some of my plants like P.tina get way too big when they are in their summer leaf mode for my smallish ping area.I only have 1 shoplight setup with 3 shoeboxes under it and they are about full with more plantlets coming up.
I want to at least have one shoebox filled with gypsicolas before I try trading any unless some cold temparate pings come along.
Mark W.

 

[Sarraceniashawn]

I dont mean to change the subject or anything but are gypsy cuttings any harder than normal mexican pings? I just got one and want to do some cuttings but dident know how to apporach it. Do I just treat them like normal mexican ping cuttings?

 

[jimscott]

They're a bit more challenging to both extricate from the crown and sprout, but do-able.

 

[Mark Wilson]

Yeah, like Jim said they can be tough. For example,last December I took about 40 total leaf pulling. Approx.20 from a very small (1/2" diameter) plant my Mother plant that is over about 1"diameter.
I got maybe 3 tiny plantlets from the very small plants pullings and approx. 15 from the older plant.

I failed to notice my timer was setup for only 11 hours from the last time we lost power from a ice storm here so I have bumped it up to 15 hours so we will see how the next bunch of pullings do with about 4 more hours of light


Mark W

 

[jimscott]

What I find amazing that a plant that is an inch diameter in rest mode can expand rather nicely with its summer leaves.

 

[Sarraceniashawn]

Ok, thanks! I will see how my cutting fare.