Dividing Lagenandra thwaitesii
Lagenandra have three general growth patterns when it comes to vegetative propagation:
1) They produce runners with daughter plants on the ends. L. narii is an example of that.
2) They have a thick rhizome that creeps at ground level, with daughter plants growing off the rhizome. L. meeboldi, L. thwaitesii are examples of this growth pattern.
3) Daughter plants grow as a cluster around the mother plant on short rhizome extensions, like L. bogneri.
My Lagenandra thwaitesii plant has gotten rather large, and it’s time to divide it up.
You can clearly see the horizontal rhizome, and off the rhizome, several areas where daughter plants are coming off of.
Using a sharp razor blade, sections of the rhizome were cut to divide the plant into 4 separate sections. You can see, each section has significant root mass to ensure that it will grow just fine by itself after division. its important that you use a clean blade that’s sharp. Irregular cuts have a higher chance of getting infected with bacteria that may induce rot.
Once the cuts have been made, the root mass can be reduced to 2″ lengths to allow for easier planting. It also promoted new root growth which will help the plant get established quickly.
Plants can take several weeks to get established. If the plant has significant sized leaves, you can remove the older ones, leaving only 2-3 of the newest leaves on the plant. This makes the plant easier to keep upright in the pot and reduces transpiration while the roots get established.
Wow Ghazanfar, that’s a really nice looking L. thwaitesii! How long did it take to grow that large? Also, it looks like the mother plant is growing out only one side of the pot and all the daughter plants are roughly growing out in the same direction (i.e. not rosette like Cryptocorynes…); Is that “directionality” common for the formation of daughter plants off the (mother) rhizome? Finally, is this the L. thwaitesii that bloomed for you in the May 15, 2009 entry? It looks like a different plant but I thought I’d ask while I’m here…
BTW.. Love the blog! Your photography and collection of Crypts is really impressive.
Ghazanfar, good timing! The L. thwaitesii I bought from you at Aquafest has been growing really well, and I was just thinking it had grown enough that it may be ready to divide soon, and now I know how! Thanks!
Wow, what a cool plant, and a nice explanation of your propagation technique. I hope that I can get a hold of an L. thwaitesii someday. I wonder what the leaves are like(?). Does this plant have those fine, fleshy leaves like most crypts that need to remain in very high humidity all of the time.
Have you ever considered using Physan 20 to disinfect plants when propagating? Many orchid growers use it. I have never had any trouble with crypts succumbing to rot, but I have many times had Anubias become rapidly infected and perish after transplanting or propagation. I might try some Physan the next time that I work with them.