Baby looks nothing like mama plant?

13 years ago

Hey all

First of all, I am really new to AV's. I am an avid outdoor gardener and have been really successful with orchids and succulents, but this is really a new area for me.

Last fall, after finding success with a couple of rescue plants from the box store clearance rack, I decided to try my hand with some more intersting varieties. I bought a leaf collection and armed with the rooting instructions, went to town. I have been pretty successful with starting the babies (of the 60+ leaves I started I only lost 3) but I was really surprised that a couple of them don't look like the leaf they are growing from.... why are the leaves so withe with light varigation when the parent leaf is seemingly all green?

Wranglers Ragtime Cowboy

Thansk so much for any help or advice!

Alexa

Comments (5)

thominindy
13 years ago
You lost 3 out of 60+? I'd say your doing something right. FC2 describes folaige for Wranglers Ragtime Cowboy as "Variegated dark green and pink". I would say that everything is in order. The babies in your next post look fabulous. Babies do need enough green in the leaves to support themselves after potting.

You may get better response on Monday as this forum seems more active during the week.

Happy growing

Thom
caliloo
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Thom. Hopefully they will green up some more and be able to grow.

I think I have been really lucky with this project. I seem to have light conditions in my west facing window that the AV (and a couple of begonias) really like. As long as I don't forget to water them, they have been pretty easy so far. Here is one of my baby trays. I don't know if I was supposed to put multiple leaves in each cup, but I did, and now I am contemplating "up cupping" them and wondering how much I will damage the roots when I gently try to separate them. I think some cups only have 1 leaf, some have 2, a couple have 3 leaves and one or two of the minis have 4 leaves in there! Talk about beginners luck! LOL!

Anyway, here is a group shot....
{{gwi:359474}}

Thanks again

Alexa
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Christine
13 years ago
You're doing great with those leaves Alexa! Many growers put more than one leaf in a cup. Some think the leaves do better that way, that they're sharing the effect of each other's baby-making hormones.

Whoever sent you the Wranglers Ragtime Cowboy leaf knew to use the greenest leaves of variegated hybrids for propagating. However, like Thom said, let the white babies green up more before separating them from their mommas.

There will probably be some root damage when you separate your leaves and babies, but don't worry. Some may not even have roots. But they'll easily grow new ones!

It looks like you have a nice variety of plants. Please keep us posted on their progress!
caliloo
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks so much Donna!

Good to know that putting multiple leaves in a single cup wasn't detrimental to them... another happy accident on my part. I will also try to get photos of the other tray I have - it is as jammed as that one is with cups, I just didn't snap a photo of it yet.

Thanks again and you have both been very helpful

Alexa
fred_hill
13 years ago
Hi,
Your plantlets look really nice. If you worry about them not greening up you could foliar feed them with some fish emulsion.
Fred in NJ