Any hope of re-rooting an old Schlumbergera?

[Mrs.Green]

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I have never tried the ziplock bag method before but now I have some cuttings hanging in front of a window. I do hope they will root. I am a bit worried though that they will rot and not root, since the temperature in the room is between 17-20 degrees Celsius.This may be too cold?

Some of my cuttings root during whole winter at similar temps but dry atmosphere. Regarding that Schlumbergera: I'd burry that plant into wet soil in the way younger green segments could touch the soil. The plant is very moist-demanding: I had a segment that did not root until I just deepened it into a small glass with water.

Thank you 7george I took a closer look at the bags yesterday evening, after writing the post. To my amazement some of the cuttings ( not Schlumbergera ) already had small roots with fine roothairs. Just three days after bagging them.

Your suggestion about the Schlumbergera may work but I am afraid that such a method would cause the wooden part of the stem to just rot.. Especially since it’s fall here with lower temperatures ( we have already had frost) and less natural light.

[7george]

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Your suggestion about the Schlumbergera may work but I am afraid that such a method would cause the wooden part of the stem to just rot.. Especially since it’s fall here with lower temperatures ( we have already had frost) and less natural light.

You know better and it's tour plant but that small tree or shrub can not stand stable without some support and the best one will be deeper position in the soil mix. Even the old woody segments rot ( Schlumbergera is not rot-prone) the next segments will take function of main stem. Young segments root easily and old ones die out readily. Good luck anyway.

[Mrs.Green]

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Your suggestion about the Schlumbergera may work but I am afraid that such a method would cause the wooden part of the stem to just rot.. Especially since it’s fall here with lower temperatures ( we have already had frost) and less natural light.

You know better and it's tour plant but that small tree or shrub can not stand stable without some support and the best one will be deeper position in the soil mix. Even the old woody segments rot ( Schlumbergera is not rot-prone) the next segments will take function of main stem. Young segments root easily and old ones die out readily. Good luck anyway.

Thank you 7 george In light of my recent experience with rooting Epipytic cacti in zip-lock bags, I will do an experiment with this plant. I have a see-trough plastic bucket with a lid, which will be the ‘bag’ in this case. I will also add some live moss as a rooting medium. This may not work at all but let’s see

[DaveW]

I have just rooted some cuttings by the translucent sandwich box method I mentioned earlier (= humid atmosphere for epiphytes). No need for moss but that may work too as many simply use a damp kitchen paper towel in the bottom of the container. However I laid my plants on a bit of expanded polystyrene on top of the towel to hold them above contact with the wet paper to prevent rot, but others do not seem to bother and root them OK. Its not then soil or a rooting medium you need it is the damp moss or the paper towel to provide an enclosed humid atmosphere since they will produce air roots without any soil and can be potted later.

[Mrs.Green]

I have just rooted some cuttings by the translucent sandwich box method I mentioned earlier (= humid atmosphere for epiphytes). No need for moss but that may work too as many simply use a damp kitchen paper towel in the bottom of the container. However I laid my plants on a bit of expanded polystyrene on top of the towel to hold them above contact with the wet paper to prevent rot, but others do not seem to bother and root them OK. Its not then soil or a rooting medium you need it is the damp moss or the paper towel to provide an enclosed humid atmosphere since they will produce air roots without any soil and can be potted later.

Thank you DaveW As mentioned in another post, I have tried the zip-lock bag method for the first time. Various epiphytic cacti and all grew roots, with various speed. I added paper too and some of the plants grew roots in the paper. Which I found out is difficult to remove, without damaging the roots.

For some reason the Epiphyllums seems to prefer groving roots from the wrong end.. Not much roots in the ‘bottom’ part but from the tip or the middle of the ‘leaf’. Wonder if this could be an adaption to the plants growing conditions in habitat? Another thought is wether the ‘leafs’ position in the bag has any bearing on were the roots grow from? The leaves was not ‘standing up’ in the bag, they were lying down.

Back to the Schlumbergera in question; It was to big for the plastic box, so I broke it in three pieces. Only the smallest part is now in the box with moss. This ‘moss in the box’I see as an experiment From what I have read , its seen as difficult to root woody parts of Schlumbergeras and other epiphytic cacti? Unfortunately most of this plant is quite woody, if I shall cut back to the softer, green parts it will result in just a lot of cuttings.

[DaveW]

Yes a lot of epiphytes seem to root easily from the aerial roots. As you say that is probably how they root on trees as well as just anchoring to them. With old large plants in habitat maybe the old stem may eventually die behind them, a bit like the "Creeping Devil"?

[Mrs.Green]

Yes a lot of epiphytes seem to root easily from the aerial roots. As you say that is probably how they root on trees as well as just anchoring to them. With old large plants in habitat maybe the old stem may eventually die behind them, a bit like the "Creeping Devil"?

That sounds likely to me . The ‘Creeping Devil’ how do you keep such a plant in cultivation? Seems a bit unpractical to having a plant that ‘crawls’ away , unless you can have it in a garden.

[7george]

Yes a lot of epiphytes seem to root easily from the aerial roots. As you say that is probably how they root on trees as well as just anchoring to them. With old large plants in habitat maybe the old stem may eventually die behind them, a bit like the "Creeping Devil"?

That sounds likely to me . The ‘Creeping Devil’ how do you keep such a plant in cultivation? Seems a bit unpractical to having a plant that ‘crawls’ away , unless you can have it in a garden.

In the long container, moving the plant backwards every year and cutting off dead parts... Our hobby is unpractical all over.
Also in zones 9, 10 just somewhere in the garden/backyard.

[Mrs.Green]

«In the long container, moving the plant backwards every year and cutting off dead parts... Our hobby is unpractical all over.
Also in zones 9, 10 just somewhere in the garden/backyard»

7george; Since my climate isn’t exactly ‘cactifriendly’, hence no growing in the garden, I think I pass on this species..