I was looking for a post to link to Neohenricia sibbettii for my last entry and as I saw an almost a year old picture of my plant I was pretty surprised to see how it has grown. Check this out:
Now
I tried to cut one branch off and implant it separately but it didn't take. Even though the parts hanging over the border have some sort of roots they are rather dry and don't soak in water. Anything I should be aware of when making them take root?
Wonderful looking Neohenricia. Now you make me want to grow these again! One trick to try in rooting cuttings of succulents or get small plants with few roots to establish is to provide higher humidity around the plant. I know this goes against most recommendations for succulents but it can work. Pot the cutting, or offset, in a small pot, in slightly moist potting media. Cut an empty and clean, clear plastic soft drink bottle in half and use the bottom as a tiny greenhouse. Place the plastic bottle greenhouse over the cutting or offset and place in a bright location but not direct sunlight. I put mine under fluorescent lights. This prevents the cutting or offset from drying out too fast and gives the roots time to form or begin growing. Most succulents don't need this because they store enough water in their bodies to prevent drying out, but for very small cuttings or plants there is insufficient water storage tissue and this gives them more time. Make sure the rooting media is not wet, just slightly moist, because bacterial rotting is always a threat. This is an unusual procedure for succulents but can help with those difficult to root plants.
ReplyDeleteAre you using any time of rooting hormone? That can also help.
Yes, now I want Neohenricia again. These plants are such an addiction! Nice pictures as always. Your ability to grow such great plants on a windowsill is quite amazing.
That's a very unusual approach indeed but I'll try it. Thank you! I guess it'd be best for these plants to grow in a shallow but large trays or something similar, they do spread out. If those parts hanging over the edge had been on the ground they would have developed normal roots allowing the plant to "crawl". I'll have to repot or cut it at some point.
DeleteThanks! I wished I had more than the windowsill :)
Bob, you wouldn't believe what I've just discovered! Or you probably would... :) I took your advice about rooting. I still had a branch of the neohenricia that wouldn't take for a month or so, not even a sign of roots. On May 26th, when you explained your method to me, I've put it in a small container with pumuce and made an effort to keep the soil (and the plant in a whole) moist. It's May 31st: I tried to poke it - it stayed in place. So I've moved some soil around it with a needle and there were thick white roots going down! In only 5 days! Thank you so much for the advice :D
DeleteHi Rika,
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm late getting back to you on this. I'm happy the procedure worked and you got new roots on the neohenricia branch. I don't think I've mentioned it but I often graft cacti seedlings to speed up their growth. Once they gain some size I remove the scion and then I have to get it to form roots, not so easy on some cacti. The increased humidity trick has helped me get roots started on these pieces of cacti removed from the graft. I use another procedure in which is suspend the piece of plant I am trying to root over a container of water. The bottom of the piece of plant rests about 2cm above the water. The piece is never in direct contact with the water but it is in a high humidity environment and this encourages root development. I'll try to take a photo of this procedure next time I remove one of my grafted cacti. Growing cacti from seed is slow, and when you get older you want to speed things up - hence grafting. :-)