Will root cuttings from tropical sundews work?

[Cindy]

Anyone tried root cuttings for D.intermedia, D.burmanni, D.spatulata, D.sessifolia and the likes? Successes?

 

[PiranhaPlant]

I'm trying for D.binata multifida extrema, Im trying both, water and soil progation and it's been about 2 weeks or 3 weeks for the water and 3 or 4 weeks for the soil and so far, nothing yet
I don't think you can do cuttings on D.burmannii, no point really

 

[Cindy]

Hmm...I have decided to go ahead and have taken some root cuttings from D.spatulata and D.intermedia.

Will update about the outcome.

 

[RL7836]

Quote[/b] (PiranhaPlant @ Oct. 13 2005,7:07)]I'm trying for D.binata multifida extrema, Im trying both, water and soil progation and it's been about 2 weeks or 3 weeks for the water and 3 or 4 weeks for the soil and so far, nothing yet

While it's not completely clear that you're using root cutting for D. binata - if so - you should consider leaf cuttings in water. Check out this thread: D. binata propagation

A while back, I wanted to back up one of my D. binata plants so I took 2 leaves (from a small plant) and stuck them in distilled water and put the glass on a windowsill. My leaves now look very much like the ones in the photos - lots & lots of babies....

 

[Jason Wong]

D. binata spread readily from leaves and roots. I remember someone saying that spats can do it from roots, but don't know about intermedia.

 

[RL7836]

Quote[/b] (Jason Wong @ Oct. 15 2005,9:29)]D. binata spread readily from leaves and roots. I remember someone saying that spats can do it from roots, but don't know about intermedia.

You're correct on the D. binata. I've done it both ways. For simplicity, strike rate and the number of plants produced with each method - the leaves in distilled water wins easily. If you haven't followed the link in my upper post - do it and be amazed. That number of plants is not an exception.

 

[JanW]

D.intermedia - I tried & it does not work well
D.spatulata - I chopped some plants down when there were aphids and most came back from roots

It works great with:
D. binata, D. capensis, D. regia (South African species)
D. adelae, D. prolifera, D. schizandra (trop. Australian species)
All of those have thicker roots and use this way of propagation in habitat or to survive bad weather, bushfires and animals bite.

D. burmanni, sessifolia - I would not try, those are annual plants and will not propagate from roots very well. They have very fragile roots and do not like to be disturbed (similar to the pygmy Drosera species).

Cheers,
Jan

P.S. Ok perhaps it will work with the latter two but only experiment if you have enough plants. After all I got leaf cuttings from species "you can not propagate by leaf cuttings" like many books say: D. regia & D. roseana, a pygmy Drosera. But for some species some methods do not work as good. Like I said above D. burmanni and sessifolia are annuals and will not propagate regularly through their roots in habitat. So it is not impossible but you will have bad strike rates probably.

 

[Cindy]

There are plantlets from the D.spatulata root cutting!!!

 

[jimscott]

Cindy, the 6 pots to the left all came from one clump from a $3 purchase. Within a few months of purchase, and spooning plantslets from the perimeter, I was able to gain 5 more pots of them, while the original pot hasn't changed its girth.

 

[PiranhaPlant]

My root cuttings for my multifida extrema still haven't produced any plantlets. Is it the same as leaf cuttings, just lay them on the soil horzontially or do I have to bury them and will water propagation work. I think the roots were healthy, they were white on the inside and I curt them into 1-2 inch segments.

 

[jimscott]

I have had success by laying them flat, dew side up, on wet soil media (covered) as well as putting leaves in capped 50 ml centrifuge tubes, filled with DI water. I haven't cut them into segments, but others do.

 

[Capslock]

Personally, for one reason or another, the water method hasn't worked for me. I get better results putting leaf cuttings on top of wet soil media and covering the ends only. I have D. madagascariensis, D. admiriabilis, D. slackii, D. rotundifolia, and D. spatulata x capensis currenlty successfully rooting this way.

Capslock

 

[PiranhaPlant]

I never got any results from leaf cuttings with drosera, only with pings. Even though I only have one ping techinally . My drosera leaf cuttings always seem to turn brown and i put little bits of lfs or perlite rocks to hold it down.