Alternate reasons for propagation - plantlet bank

[Joseph Clemens]

My success and appreciation of leaf-pulling as a propagation method for Mexican and other tropical Pinguicula species and their hybrids has gradually improved as I spend more time and gain more experience working with the technique and modifying my methods to discover nuances to its implementation. I have discovered that my favorite way to implement leaf-pulling propagation, also has the secondary benefit of creating a, sort-of, short-term bank of small propagules. Many of these small plantlets, in my impromptu test, had survived well beyond twelve months, some more than twenty-four months, just waiting for suitable habitat insertion for them to become established plants.

[These are the plants I harvested leaves from to produce the plantlets shown in the image below.] For me even the humblest CP look more impressive when they are together in a group -->


Curious how they look like they are jostling each other to get more light.


Here is a photo, illustrating a group of plantlets, formed on leaf-pullings taken from Pinguicula agnata plants (shown above) -->





The leaves were pulled in May 2007, and these plantlets had formed by June 2007, this photo was taken in November 2007, almost six months later. These leaf-pullings were generated by folding several layers of paper towels and placing them, as a liner, into clear clam-shell containers, recycled from ones used to market certain produce. They have vent holes in their tops and bottom sections.

[Instead of the method mentioned above, leaf-pulling propagation works equally well by just dropping the severed leaves into small plastic or styrofoam cups, with the added benefit of being able to write their names directly onto the cups, then discarding the cups, or reusing them after the plantlets are planted-up. Good lighting helps (as long as it doesn't over heat them), cool temperatures and moderate humidity are good, but moisture will quickly destroy leaf-pullings.]

The majority of these plantlets persisted until near December 2008, more than a year beyond the date this photo was taken. It is amazing how rapidly these plantlets establish and grow to adult blooming size. It can happen in just a few months, when these plantlets are planted in suitable conditions.

^*^*^*
Leaf-pulling can also provide a batch of plantlets, waiting and ready to use to replace those that are lost to pests and disease, or to provide material for trades. Happy growing.

I like to be efficient so I've also taken leaf-pullings from these plantlets as I am potting them up, producing a second group of leaf-pullings/plantlets from the first group of plantlets. A type of win-win situation.

[eric]

So, correct me if i'm wrong, you just take pullings and put them in a styrofoam cup, no water and they grow roots? I assume you have to keep them covered so humidity stays high?

The parents look incredible...fine growing.

[Joseph Clemens]

I take the leaf-pullings, put them in styrofoam or plastic cups, no water, nothing but the leaves and air. They grow plantlets and the plantlets grow roots. They are kept in the same room with the parents and other actively growing plants, but away from the lights so they just get ambient incidental light, so I need to keep them uncovered or excess moisture will cause them to rot.

Curious enough though, once plantlets form I can keep them in the cups, place them as close to the lights as the parent plants, then add water and even grow them as semi-aquatics, as long as I add nutrition (weak fertilizer solution or dried insect powder). With my normal growing conditions, I'm already doing just that with the actively growing plants.

[eric]

Thats really amazing. I don't have any pings so I don't know much about them. What would you suggest for a good starter ping? I see you like them. I really like the colorful pings but have been hesitant to buy any because I don't want to kill it.

[Dave Evans]

Dear Joseph,

I suppose it depends on the grower's weather. Here in New Jersey, I place the leaf pulling directly on the soil surface, usually shaded by the mother plant. If I tried your method, most leaves would dry out; or pehaps I'll modify your technique so that after drying for a couple of days, placing something over the top top keep in the humidity. Place a little perlite in the bottom and if excess moisture were to form, the perlite could disperse it without causing rot.

I do keep the ends of the leaves, petioles--the pointy section that used to attach to the mother plant, off the soil surface but just so. The baby plants grow from this area so once the roots are a few mm, they make contact with the soil and start growing faster, while still attached to the mother leaf.

If the wounded petioles touch the soil or I scratch the leaf--it will likely rot

[Joseph Clemens]

Dave Evans,
I believe you are on track with your assessment.

When I began growing and propagating Mexican Pinguicula, in earnest, almost fifteen years ago, I did not use this technique. I used ziploc bags and lightly moistened LFS and a few other variations. It wasn't uncommon for my leaf-pullings to dry out so quickly that it would kill them. Pinguicula gypsicola seemed to do well when I laid the leaf-pullings on the surface of a shallow bed of perlite in sealed plastic trays - they did well. My conditions were likely too hot and too dry at that time for the technique described in this thread. Since then I installed an evaporative cooler, blowing into my plant-room window. Then and now, I keep its pads wet all year long. In the winter I rarely have it actively blowing in chilled and humidified air, though having the window open into the carcass of the cooler does help to keep that room cooler and more humid than it would be otherwise.

To make a long story short, it seems to take a little bit of art with the science. A feel for the existing conditions and what needs to be done to move the environment towards one more favorable to the plants.

[Cincinnati Kid]

Can you do this with Pinguicula lutea? I'm trying now. I made 6 leaf pullings.

[jeff]

for me I think no , but may be I'm wrong.

with the mexican , the leaves in dormancy have a succulent stade , very interessant from the leaf cutting , the US subtropical no , like the temperate ( except some time with the leaves forming the hibernaculae ).

some subtropical US can make , like primuliflora and may be planifolia some marcote plantlets , but the leaves should not be separated from the plant it is a marcote.

tell us your results nevertheless

jeff

[brokken]

So the method of taking cuttings and putting them in the plastic container... Does that too involve keeping the leaves dry or do you moisten the paper towel?

[jeff]

I use for the leaves cutting , a damp vermiculite ( or damp perlite ) in a closed plastic container .

but for the germination to the rare seeds species I use this method with a damp blotting paper in a 'petri' box .

jeff

[Dave Evans]

You can use this method on most Pinguicula, but you'll have to modify the technique to match the kind of Pinguicula you are making a leaf cutting from.

Most Mexican species are very easy to propagate this way, the leaves don't even need special treatment half the time--they propagate themselves naturally in this manner and are "pre-adapted" to this form of asexual reproduction.

USA southeastern perennial species can naturally bud from the leaves. Some do it on their own, others need a little help like some manual damage to the leaf or perhaps some hormonal treatment either while still on the mother plant or removed... The leaves of this group are really delicate and easy to rot so it is a balancing act between too bright vs. too dark and too dry vs. too moist; not easy but leaf cuttings do work. Also root cuttings will work on species in this group as well.

The scale-like leaves of winter bud forming species can also be used as leaf-cuttings, but these species seem even more sensitive to poor conditions and are even more challenging to me--never mind the leaf-cuttings, but just keeping the plants alive is difficult for me!

[jeff]

DAVE

I am very very interested by the leaves cutting or root cutting with the subtropical US have you others infos?

here or by my e-mail

merci

jeff