Please help, lost most of this plant to the cold in the greenhouse(heater too small). The plant is at least 30 years old, older I think, belonged to my Mom. Only two leaves left, no roots at all. How do I propogate these? Plantfiles says it can be done via leaf cutting but no instructions. I've only done leaf prop on african violets before.
Thanks!
Lana
www.daisypatchrabbits.homestead.com
I may be wrong but I think you must have some roots to propagate. I hope others will chime in with advice for you, I know you dont want to loose it.
Christine
Finally found my answer here http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/folnotes/sansevie.htm
Just had to find the right forum :) Thanks, Jasminesmom!
Propagation by Cuttage
Some nurseries grow small plants from leaf cuttings in either ground beds or raised benches. Leaf cuttings of nonvariegated cultivars are usually stuck in early spring and yield small plants in autumn under shadehouse conditions.
Cutting size is determined by plant growth habit and propagator preference. Propagators of dwarf types such as S. trifasciata `Hahnii' utilize entire leaves 3 to 4 inches long, while leaves of taller types are cut into 4- to 8-inch sections. Shorter sections yield fewer plantlets per cutting and require more time in propagation.
There is little if any benefit from use of rooting hormones on sansevieria. Cuttings must be stuck with their basal ends down approximately 1 to 1.5 inches into a well drained but moist medium. Since the upper and basal end of cuttings taken from the mid-section of taller types is difficult to determine visually, it is often desirable to mark or notch one end of the cuttings consistently to aid in sticking. Cuttings stuck upside down will not develop roots. A mixture of sphagnum peat and coarse sand (3 to 1 by volume) or a similar mixture is satisfactory for rooting in raised benches. Cuttings can also be rooted in trays 3 to 4 inches deep. Roots initiate and begin to develop within 4 to 6 weeks if the medium is kept warm - between 70 to 75øF - and one or more leaves emerge from the propagation medium surface within another 3 to 4 months. The propagation medium should not be kept wet, or cuttings may become infected with bacterial soft rot. Root and shoot development occurs more slowly at lower temperatures; temperatures below 60øF should be avoided. Depending on cultivar, cutting size, section of leaf used, and its physiological conditions, leaf cuttings will usually produce 1 to 5 plantlets. Plantlets should be broken or cut from the leaf cutting when they reach the desired sized. Variegated cultivars such as `Laurentii', `Futura', `Golden Hahnii' and `Bantel's Sensation' must be propagated by rhizome division rather than leaf cuttings to retain desired variegation.
Since several sansevieria cultivars are periclinal chimeras, they do not propagate true to type from leaf cuttings. Types which should be propagated from crown division only and those which may be produced from either crown division or leaf cutting are indicated in Table 1. The first few leaves to develop on sansevieria propagated from cuttings are juvenile and lack the typical foliage shape characteristic of mature plants. Juvenile leaves on many sansevierias are shorter and more reflexed than mature leaves. Plants from rhizome divisions usually produce leaves typical of mature plants.
Just FYI, since you're down to two leaves, best to use sand as your medium,if at all possible, and bottom heat would help a lot.
Sorry to hear about the loss for you...what a shame!
Also...are you sure there are no roots?
I once had a neglected Sansevieria (with no leaves whatsoever)on my unheated front porch during one of the coldest Wisconsin winters on record.....I left the pot on the porch, basically just storing it there for the winter.
Lo and behold, in the spring that plant sprouted new growth!!
That is great! I have even more respect for this plant after reading that!
I completly agree on the sand and the bottom heat. Does the top of your fridge have enough room for them and a light?
lol...it totally amazed me, too.
I had figured the plant to be dead and just set the pot out there to 'get it out of the house'....the soil would have been completely and totally dry...that was probably the only reason it did come back.
Completely true story, though...I swear!
I believe it. My SO has one he's had since college, which was...a long time ago. It's bloomed twice, which I had never seen one do before. It's in a little pot with no drainage holes. He waters it by rinsing out a beer bottle and giving it half a bottle of water. Seriously, if he can't kill it, nothing can!
Sandy
Wvdaisy- thanks for adding all the details about propagation. Helpful! Good luck!!
Thanks, y'all. I have hope. Top of the fridge is full of stuff; breadmaker, blender, Cuisineart(sp?), etc. But, I have some nest box heaters I use for the rabbits. I'll try using one of those for bottom heat. Thanks!
By the way....where've you been? (Ü)
Nan, I had surgery in Dec, have had a long recovery and was doing a lot more reading than being on the computer. Plus, been taking care of bunnies, goats, chickens, etc. I'm back though :) Enjoying the Hyacinth and Daffs blooming and waiting for the rest of spring to get here! You can see my critters here www.daisypatchrabbits.homestead.com
I'm going to make a page on my website for my gardens, when I get a chance.
How are you doing?
I once started a snake plant from a leaf cutting. I just stuck it in some moist soil - don't remember what kind of soil, but could have been cactus mix or just topsoil. No heat, nothing fancy. I just stuck it on a shelf (out of the sun) and it grew. As I'm not terribly good with house plants, I'd call starting this one from leaf cuttings easy.
Thanks, perenniallyme. Love your name :) And welcome to Dave's Garden, don't think I've "run into" you on DG before. But then I have a terrible memory ;)
Another daff blooming now.
Thanks Wvdaisy. I've been around for close to a year, but rarely go to the houseplant forum, as I'm not that great with houseplants - mostly an outdoor perennial gardener, though occasionally I get tempted and buy a houseplant and hope I won't kill it. These snake plants seem to thrive on neglect, so they're still around my house. But I've recently been tempted by rex begonias, so I've occasionally been lurking to see if anybody talks about them - or anything else that might tempt me as I wait for spring. We haven't seen enough of it yet here up north!
You should know that if you propagate Sans laurentii trifasciata by leaf cuttings you will lose the yellow margin on the leaves as it will revert to plain green.
Is it true though, Knifphofia, that if you then propagate from one of those leaves, you might get a plant with the margin? Or does that only apply to certain hybrids?
Lana...doing OK...could be better, could be worse!
Sorry to hear about your surgery...that's never fun.
Hope it wasn't serious, and that your recovery was swift and uneventful!
Beautiful daffodils....LOVE the second one!
I had a hysterectomy in Dec at which time they took my appendics(sp?)and cleaned my abdomen of endometrial adhesions. Afterwards the surgeon said "You were a mess". It's been a long recovery but I sure do feel better! Now if I can get these hot flashes under control LOL, preferably BEFORE I freeze dh to death :) Doc doesn't want me taking hormones for 9 months because of the endometreitis so he has me taking Black Cohosh for the hot flashes. Just been on it a week and it has helped though still have some flashes.
That's my fav daff, too. Got it in trade and he thought it was 'Pink Charm'.
Have Hyacinths blooming now, too. Smells delish! This is 'Peter Stuyvasant'.
I had a large snake plant that was several years old. I take it outside in summer with the rest of my plants. My new puppu found it and tore it all apart. I found the empty pot and a partial crown and several leaves. I was so upset! I am, however, the optimist and took every piece that I found and stuck them all in a pot of MG and set it under a tree. Everything rooted and I now have a pot full of different plants. I actually like it better than the plant that was all the same. Your cuttings will do fine.
I did this a few years back and have a nice plant from it now, same variety as yours it looks like...I just cut sections about 4" and popped them into a pot of my regular soil mix, commercial mix with some extra orchid bark and perlite mixed in. I set the pot on a bench outside in a shady spot where it got morning light, and by the end of the summer, the cuttings grew little plants.
Good luck!
