Re: CPN

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry@as.arizona.edu)
Sun, 29 Aug 93 09:45:05 MST

Phil:

>I inquired about a week ago about the best way to buy Nepenthes.
>They are offered as cuttings and, more expensive, rooted
>cuttings. Are they difficult to root? In fact, if cuttings

Sorry you haven't gotten responses about this. I'm sure it's a case
where everyone in the know assumes someone else will answer. Growing
_Nepenthes_ from cuttings is an easy enough procedure. Take the cutting,
cut all the leaves to 1/3---1/2 length, wrap the plant in live _Sphagnum_,
stick it in a pot, and forget about it. I put this pot in a 100% humidity
terrarium under lights, but in a plastic bag might be fine too. As Perry
mentioned, be careful to avoid overheating if you place it in direct
sunlight (I'm not too confident of his black-bag method, but if it works...)

Hybrids take to cuttings more consistently and quickly than species,
developing the first roots in a month or so. In contrast, I find that
my clone of _N.ampullaria_ can take more than 6 months to start (Don
Burden asked me for a rooted cutting of this plant a few years back.
After several months of waiting, I finally just sent him the cutting
unrooted!). I've heard a rumour that _N.khasiana_ is very difficult or
impossible to root, which I find interesting. Depending on the quality
of the cutting and plant, you can expect between a 50---100% success
rate. I don't use rooting hormones or fungicides.

To make your own cuttings, remove a node or two from the tip of the plant
and root that. On the remaining plant, dormant buds will activate in the
leaf axils. As they get larger cut off a node at a time, and soon you will
have more _Nepenthes_ cuttings than you want. I do this to my plants whenever
they get so big I must cut them back. I read about this method in CPN some
years ago, and it has been very good for me. I can explain it more fully
if you desire.

>I have is unidentified. Someone on the list suggested that
>it might be a seedling because it is so small. I think it

I was at least one of those people. The reason I said this is you
quoted such tiny sizes for the plant's leaves. Could you remeasure them?
I'd like to know the width of the leaf-blade, the length of the leaf blade,
and the length of a pitcher, from about the point of tendril attachment
to the pitcher lid. Just approximate values.

Barry