Ben, you bring up some interesting points, all I can judge the two
methods by is personal comparisons. So far I'm 2 for 2 with the water
method, although this might only be beginner's luck. I've lost many
cuttings using media, I think the presence of soil or other solid media
makes infection more likely unless the cutting is in a perfectly sterile
environment. From anecdotes other growers have given me it seems the
new leaf growth (visible without having to disturb the cutting) and root
growth (those who are brave enough and have used a media like live
sphagnum that easily peels away from a cutting to inspect them) is a lot
quicker using water, maybe because water is easier for the roots to move
through and gain a much more direct and constant moisture flow.
Time might vary widely from species to species or individual clone to
individual clone, but observed growth that has taken months using the
old method has taken only weeks using the new one, including using
cuttings from the same individual plant. I'm just at the beginnings of
this experiment, and it may prove that there are species that can't be
rooted this way, it's too early for me to tell.
I find some other added benefits, it is a lot simpler to use water, there's
hardly any maintenance required, and the ability to observe the growth of
roots without disturbing the plants is a real kick! I only pot them up when
they have a healthy root system, I no longer have to wonder whether or not a
potted cutting might decide to shrivel up and die or slowly rot away because
it didn't take, I know the potted plant has roots which to me is a welcome
relief.
>I haven't started Nepenthes cuttings in water for many years
>because I found them to be very brittle compared to roots started
>in a soil mixture. Roots started in water tended to break when
>potted up where that isn't a problem with cuttings already in the
>proper compost.
Hi Chuck,
I've only potted one plant so far, the N. ventricosa, and knock on wood
the plant is thriving. Like Joe Mazrimas I found the roots to be
substantive, they were a lot less brittle than Heliamphora for example,
but of course I urge a lot of caution when potting one up. Whatever
method works best for you is what's important, so far for me this one
has been the most rewarding.
Regards,
Demetrios