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[Otorongo]

I've grown many B. caapi cuttings indoors, which I bring from my trips to the tropics.

A common problem I've always had with them is overwatering, which has resulted in many deaths. A balance needs to be struck, as underwatering can kill them too, and sometimes it's hard to tell whether they need more water or less, because the symptoms of both overwatering and underwatering are similar - wilting. They're not exactly the same, as the wilting looks different, with overwatering showing signs more quickly (within a day), the leaves shrivelling more, and brown spots appearing on them. But with small plants in small pots it can be tricky.

I've recently brought a number of rooted cuttings, 6 of which took off, i.e. sent green shoots. Unfortunately, 3 of them died due to overwatering.

Two days ago another one, which I hadn't watered in a while, was looking sad, so I watered it and a few hours later it was looking much worse and a brown spot appeared on a leaf. Duh!
I put it in the heated propagator in the hope it would dry a little bit, but it didn't help. Yesterday I decided to try something else: I watered it with H2O2. I don't know the concentration, it was supposed to be 9%, but had sat in a bottle for a long time and a taste test (after diluting, and without swallowing of course) suggested it wasn't concentrated at all, most likely under 3%, so I thought it would be safe. Anyway, since it was on its way out, I didn't have anything to lose.

Now it's looking much better; the leaves have perked up.

[chronic]

For B. caapi as well as for most tropical plants, humous substrate has proven to be a good choice, to which coarse components have been added for better drainage. These can be expanded clay balls, pumice, perlite and others. The coarse material prevents overwatering because water can flow off easily.

For rooting I use Sphagnum Moss which has optimal properties for most plants. I prefer the fresh moss because it seems to bring a higher success rate. All this of course in a mini greenhouse. For rooting it is enough if the moss is only moist which makes overwatering impossible. Fresh Sphagnum continues to grow under light, which is not a problem for the plants. Be careful with calcium rich water because it kills the moss with time. So better use rainwater or demineralized water if you don't live in an area with "soft" water. Sphagnum can also be fertilized easily. But not with nitrogen and iron.

A good alternative is a bubbler for cloning. But I hardly use it anymore. I also almost completely renounce Clonex and other rooting products because the rooting rate is high enough for me with Sphagnum.

1 Like MorningDew likes this.

[Bach]

What chronic said.

And seconded on adding coarse material for drainage, gotta have some open spaces for oxygenating the roots. If you use straight pumice or perlite or spagnum it's practically impossible to overwater. Using a very light and open substrate is how I got my D. cab to pull through after shipping from Peru.  And D. cab doesn't like to be shipped.

[jbz711]

I'm having serious trouble with my D. Cab cuttings right now, what's a good place to get live spagnum moss?

[chronic]

jbz711 look at the online portal with the bay. Compare prices. Here in Europe there are only a few suppliers who have good fresh goods at fair prices. Mostly they are the it lastingly cultivate. Sphagnum is relatively expensive but it is worth it.  Fresh Sphagnum grows under favourable conditions always further and even the brown and grey Moss can still be used. If it is largely used up and unsightly I mix it into some substrates because it still has good properties. So you can save a part of peat.

[chronic]

The example shows P. alba leaves rooted in sphagnum. I prefer these grid pots which are used for pond plants. Because of their airy structure they fit perfectly to the loose structure of the moss. Of course you can also use normal pots.

[Bach]

Sphagnum moss can be found at any big box store, usually sold under it''s own name or as 'orchid moss' Doesn't have to be live and usually isn't.

What sort of probelm are youhaveig with the D. cab? I would think it's too early to be having any problems.  Hit me up on PMs if you like.
Or post in the D. cab thread.

I'm here to help.