Good morning all,
I have a question. I have lots of leaf babies and was wondering when the appropreate time would be to separate the babies
from the motherleaf? They are potted by the way. :)
I also am attaching an image of one of my leaf babies. This is a Lucien Croteau baby. Just look at the color. It is more lavender/pink & cream than this image shows it. I'd be interested in your thoughts on this one. :)
Thanks in advance and have a great day!
There's a sticky at the top of the forum that might help. I don't have experience with this. I just started growing by leaf. I'm sure someone will come along with some good advice.
Hi tigit. Hope you found the information you were looking for in the stickey. I think the rule of thumb is when you feel comfortable seperating them. Personally I seperate mine when there is at least 4 leaves on the plantlet(s). Some let the plants get really big others like to seperate asap. Another options is to clip all but one of the plants and let that one plant remain in the pot. You can clip the mom when the single baby has at least 4 leaves.
You can also cut the mom in half (right across the center) and more of the energy will go into the plantlets. When you have a whole leaf in the pot it (the leaf) tries to survive and keeps the growing energy to itself.
Your babies look very healthy and well grown.
Hi tigit. I am a firm believe in keeping babies with Mom as long as possible for the healthest plants. My babies are as big , taller than Mom when I separate them. Most leaves give me 4-6 or more nice size babies. If they get to large I take Mom and babies and into larger cup.
It like a Mom carrys a baby 9 months the baby is strong and healthy !
A Mom has the baby pre-mature the baby may make it still be healthy but will need more care and have to struggle to catch up with the others that were with Mom longer.
For healthy babies and give them the best start keep them with Mom as long as you can ! Let them fill those cups up and grow tall !
PS Stickies have been down sense Feb 6 th. :((
Good morning All,
Achoogardner; I did try the stickies and they are down. :) Nab-it! I know there is a lot of good info there though and will keep trying that until they are back up. Thanks anyway! :)
Nannanavarro, Thanks for your advice. I wasn't sure how soon I could, or should, seperate them and thought that maybe the babies were getting nourishment from the mom leaf. I have some that are good sized. I made the mistake early on of cutting the mom leaf away from the babies in a couple of them, thinking I was making the right decision but. . . in one pot, the babies just dwindled away and in the other, the babies are still alive but not showing much growth.
Allison, thanks so much for all of the good advice and after watching how well a lot of my babies are doing now, being still attached to moma, I agree with you. I will just leave them be. Some of my 'mom' leaves are tip-cut and others aren't. I am assuming that it isn't too late to cut the tips off the mom-leaf that already has babies. . . right? I won't do that though until I know for sure it is safe to do so.
I just love this new adventure in AV growing. This is the first time that I have gone to such extremes with the putting down of leaves. lol! It is so much fun checking them all everyday and see the new developments. Its very exciting.
Thanks again for all of the good advice you all have offered me. This AV Forum is the greatest. I love it!
Have a great day!
Elizabeth~
You don't have to cut tops off if you don't want to. Out of thousands of leaves Imight have cut 50 off.
Others have done test and fount the leaf not cut gave babies faster. Each person is different each way will work what ever you want to do.
Warmth, light,air circulation , and food will be most important. When my babies start coming up I either give them a fish drink or a Eleanor's VF-11 drink and then I place them close under lights almost touching . 2-4 inches above they will grow like crazy :))
Happy Growing !
PS don't over water but don't let their roots dry out . I also use warm/hot water have for years they love it !
