Ludisia discolor: propagating from leafless-stem?
 

I have just repotted/re-configured an exuberant Ludisia discolor. The various branches readily snap off at the junction to the next piece of stem. Stick that in dirt, and it will grow roots. Have done that before, works like a charm.

After snapping off all the terminal branches with leaves on them, I was left with one leaf-less portion of stem, about 8 inches long. I stuck it in the pot anyway, but am wondering whether this is an exercise in futility. Anybody having experience with that?

:bump:

I just stick my cuttings in water and let the root, I've not had much luck with starting then in soil.

Yup - I've got 3 little pots of little leafless ludisia bits (somehow I tried to rot my ludisia, and this is what seemed possibly salvageable). So, after 2 years (you read that right) :p one of the nubs has new growth (started a few months ago). One nub has eeked out a small leaf or two, and looks like it's thinking about some new growth; and the other is still just sitting there (not dead, tho!) I don't know if my experience is comparable - I was starting with very small bits, so perhaps it may go faster for you ... if you care to try ... ;)

Hi Sonya,

Quite the persistence! OK, I let it sit and see what will be happening ... in 2017 ;-)

Leafless cuttings should work a well as tip cuttings with leaves, but they will be slower (although 2 years seems a bit much). I use perlite and a rooting powder with fungicide such as Rootone. I keep the cuttings warm, low light, and close to 100% humidity.

I've grown in by sticking it in water to root and in orchid mix to root and sphagnum to root. All the methods work. If its place in too cool a place it will take long time to start sending roots and leaves. This is one started in sphagnum. In the background to the right was one started in orchid mix and soil .

Just noted that post from March. The piece produced leaves in about 2 months, and I contributed it to a society sale, made the society $5. Everybody's happy!

The mother plant is going gangbusters in my warm terrarium.

I have enough trouble keeping my plant I bought 2 years ago alive, never mind trying to root a piece of it :rofl: At this point it is alive, but still the same 2 scraggly stems and the leaves lost their stripes a long time ago. Now they are solid color. I have not been able to figure out what the darn thing needs to thrive :blushing:

HI gngrhill,

I can tell you what works for me:
pot: clay.
Medium: potting soil with about 1/4 coarse perlite and medium bark.
Temperature: warm.
Humidity: 60-80%
Light: shade, about 5' from a 6-bank of T5 lights.
Air movement: constant, moderate.
Fertilizer: Klite, 100 ppmN, about once a week. I don't think fertilizer matters too much on this one.

Previously I had trouble with it in pure potting soil, that seems to be too moist and stems start to rot at soil-air interface. It definitely is a shade plant, almost killed one that was about 2' from a 4-bank of T5s.
I have seen it grown on the kitchen counter in San Francisco, so definitely shade, but humidity "normal", temperature without extreme lows or highs, don't recall potting mix, but might have been potting soil.