Re: [Aroid-l] Off topic: Lycopodium in arrangements question

**Steve Marak samarak@gizmoworks.com**

Hi Hermine,

It was S. kirkii var. pulchra, either "Coppertone" or a very similar form
(there are a number). While some of the other sansevierias are pretty vigorous,
for me this one is a fairly slow grower. And since among the longer leaves,
there was one about 75 cm. long that stuck out in an awkward direction, it
became 5 cuttings.

(I'm not an expert on sansevierias - like so many things, unfortunately - but 
I was careful to mark the original bottom end of each cutting and, once they 
were callused, keep that end down.)

These cuttings had quite high humidity because they were bagged, and were kept
on a shelf beneath which were flourescent light fixtures lighting the next
lower shelf 12-16 hours per day. It isn't real bottom heat but does provide 
5 C or so while the lights are on. Bright light but no direct sun ....

After the first rooted relatively quickly, I just assumed the others were
compost. But since they weren't rotting - and I even removed a couple from the
medium to check from time to time during the first year - I didn't throw them
out. After the first year, I never checked them except to toss in a bit of
water every couple of months (the bags were folded over but not sealed, so
there was some air exchange and the medium did eventually dry). I was
completely surprised to see a rosette in one of the bags 2 years later.

Steve

On Sun, 9 Apr 2006, Norma Jean Cream wrote:

> >Harry, I've seen the same thing - cuttings which don't rot but don't root
> >either - from some sansevierias. I took several cuttings from the best
> >looking of the few I have. Although all 5 cuttings were from the same leaf,
> >1 rooted in a few months, 1 took 2 years, 1 took more than 3 years, and the
> >other 2 rotted - but only after about 3.5 years.
> >
> >Steve
> 
> this is INTERESTING. i had a real hard time re-establishing some wild
> collected tropical lycopodiums a very long time ago. However, in rooting leaf
> cuts of Sansevierias, i never had what you describe. I either get dead leaves
> or the usual, rooted leaf with a succession of young ones coming off a piece
> of callus tissue which over time can get pretty baroque and overgrown. If
> there is any trick to rooting them it is bottom heat, after the leaf is well
> callused. best is a very hot humid propagating greenhouse, humidity at the
> max and about 100 degrees during the day. a person can fake this in a
> terrarium.
> 
> what were the species which behaved this way?
> 
> herm

-- Steve Marak
-- samarak@gizmoworks.com
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