QUESTION ON LEAF ROOTING

How long does everyone cut their stem and how deep do you plant it. My are all well rooted but don't make babies. I think maybe I am cutting stems too long and planting too deep.
Jan...

I cut mine an inch or shorter. Enough to hold it in the mix firmly, but not really long. I stick it in the mix til the bottom edges of the leaf touch the mix.
I have a couple that I left really long - an inch of stem is above the mix (don't have a clue why I did that) and they're rooted well, but no babies.

I like cutting mine an inch or shorter. I stick the leaf in until it touch the soil.

This message was edited May 31, 2006 10:37 AM

Allison taught me how to put down leaves, can you tell? LOL

Ok,
Since most of mine are at least 1.5 in deep, would it help to remove some of the potting mix from the top of the cups?

They will still make babies if they are planted deeply, but it will take a few weeks longer. You could check the roots (just pull the leaf up gently), and if they're just on the end you could repot more shallowly. You don't want to end up with roots from the stem above the level of the soil mix. It's the amount of stem below the surface of the soil mix that matters.... some people plant them sticking up pretty tall with just 1/2 inch or so below the surface, and when the leaf makes babies it can be cut off and reused.

Amy you know how you said some are longer and you don't know how this happens. Well lots of times mine grows ! This happened to one of my nurse I gave a whole bunch of leaves to. But babies still kept on coming'
And when my hubby puts leaves down for me he does not re-cut he just puts them down long or short. But guess what the babies keep on growing...On average it is going to take a good 6-8 weeks or more for babies.
Not roots/but babies and this is an average. As long as the leaf is healthy don;t worry babies will come !

Thanks.
Some have actually been down 3 months.

They will be Ok. Sometimes older one I re-pot, give them food or fish drink, light . I have had ones take 6 or more months. Just depends on the variety and culture. You can take the leaf out make sure not too went see how it's rooting , healthy roots I fount re-potting these ones brought babies ! And sometimes fount a whole bunch of babies under waiting to come up !

That must be what happened to this one. Look how long it is! There's no way I put it down like that. It's one of the first ones you sent me that I put down on 1-13. No babies, but plenty of roots.

Yes I've had this happen many times. lol Is that Buckeye Cherry Topping ? It gives nice pink babies !
You can always take it out check root and re-pot it in new soil, and give it a VF-11 shot drink, put close to light and before you know it you will have babies !
I have so many babies to pot up I don't mind if some take their time.
Rob's has some good info too.
Oh Amy this leaf is healthy and will give you some pretty babies !
http://www.robsviolet.com/faq_page_7.htm#time%20for%20plantlets

Yes, it Buckeye Cherry Topping. (You're amazing to ID them like that!) There's not a speck of rot or brown on it, so I have been trying to be patient. LOL I'll check the roots of it, but when I give it a tug it doesn't budge.

Hey Jan, look! There's hope after all! Look at the roots this leaf has and there's a baby starting there, too! This one was put down January 13, so that's 4 and a half months and this baby isn't poking through the top yet. Check on a couple of yours and see what's there.

Thanks,
I'll check tonight.
Jan...

I'm with everyone. I cut mine a little shorter than an inch and try to get a large diagnal cut. I don't put the leaf straight down in the soil but at an angle with the leaf resting on the side of the solo cup.

Also, I have found (now remember I live in Maryland and in an airconditioned house so humidity is not a problem) placing the solo cups in a tray with a dome cover has increased the production of leaves.

Jan~ I put down my first two batches of leaves before I knew to cut the stem short. I'm still waiting for my babies...but when I repotted them, I saw a strong root system. So I know it will happen eventually. I just have to wait. I am on about week 7, I think, for the oldest one.

I inspect them very closely every morning, though!! It's hard to wait~Lol

Jacki

Since I've read several places about making a cut with as large a cut surface area as possible to maximize production of babies, I thought a suggestion I read from somebody here a while back made lots of sense. I still make a diagonal, upwards-facing cut at the end of the leaf stem, but I also scrape most of the upper surface of the stem (above the cut) with my fingernail, just enough that the surface appears a little "wet." On big leaves, I use my exacto knife to slice off the thinnest little bit from the upper surface of the stem. I figure this basically increases the "cut surface" of the stem all along its length. The first babies to pop up do seem to be ones that come from the scraped part of the stem nearest the leaf (eg, nearest the soil surface), and when I remove the first big babies there are generally more to come if the mother leaf is still healthy... I think the later ones probably come from the deeper part of the stem.

I'm thinking that if you scrape along the upper part of the stem like this, you can use a longer (inch or two) stem on your leaf and just pot it up at as shallow an angle as possible.

Here's is another little bit of information. Once you removed the babies, if the mom leaf is still healths you can put her back in the soil. Because she is already rooted she will start producing babies very soon. I have had good luck with larger leaves doing this.

Gee,
Now I can't wait to get home from work to play.

That's awesome Amy ! When you re-pot give it fresh soil don't put it deep don't cover the little baby. Give it a nice VF-11 drink close light and you'll have lots of babies ! i have done this many times to find a cup full of babies underneath!

Me I cut straight across one inch or much less I fount 3 to 6 oz cups are best . I fill with soil-less mix and leaf goes right into the middle of the cup until leaf touch the soil. Water threw real good place in light.
I have not only grown over a thousand different varietires of babies in the past year and half but times that 3 or more. I get sometimes 6-10 babies from one leaf !
*** And again the ones my husband potted up like all the Strorytella Lorry sent me and hundreds more , he never made another cut just went into soil water and babies grow.
Depending on the leaf, variety, age and so on like Rob's in VB explains is going to make a difference.
Out A/C runs non-stop year round 24/7 excpet for the very few days a year heat is on.
99 percent of the time my babies get so large and Mom dies before I get to them. Other times I have so many babies in the cup Mom is tired she goes bye bye in the bucket.
Once in awhile I do take a few babies off pot them up and if some of the babies with Mom and roots are too small I will then re-pot them in a new cup/pot and new soil. Now cup and soil always gives them a jump !

I have quite a few leaves down, but no sign of any babies yet after almost five weeks, so over the weekend I repotted in a lighter mix to see if it helps any. I had read elsewhere about scraping the stem a little, so I tried that on a few of the leaves to see if it makes a difference. I did notice that most of the leaves have very good roots developed, so I'm hoping to see some babies soon!

I ordered some VF-11, too. I read so many good things about it, that I decided to try it out.

Stephanie

Stephanie it's been a short time still I'm sure you'll have a lot of babies soon !