Did each plantlet have a good root system? Did you put a plastic bag over each baby to give extra humidity against the shock of being transplanted?

Were the plantlets well watered?

Most often babies die because their roots are not well developed enough to be separated.

Nancy

I have some problems with some of Rob's plants. I have had a few that did not want to bloom and a couple that just quit and died. I don't know the problem. Good thing your mama plant is healthy..
Joanne

Nancy - you've stumped me. I'm (obviously) very new to growing babies, but any time before when I've separated off a baby it hasn't had any roots at all. Then when I do the plastic bag trick for a little while it develops roots.

So no, the plantlets didn't have good roots systems. Most of them didn't have any roots at all. Damn.

Joanne - I've been very happy with the plants that I ordered from Rob(there were 7 or so). They're all in the midst of their first blooms right now, in fact. :0)

Does anyone else have any thoughts? I don't know why these babies died when others are doing fine, but I'd like to do what I can to make sure I don't repeat whatever I did wrong with future babies.

All I can say is all plants are different. Maybe there was too much moisture in the bag? Even without roots, some should have rooted like suckers will root. If they had no roots maybe they were just too small. If you had luck with the other ones and you did the same thing, it's either the type of plant or too much moisture and they rotted,...I can't think of anything else. I don't separate mine until they have roots and are a good size.

Too much moisture makes some sense... thank you! I'll be more careful in the future.

I'll also be waiting MUCH longer to separate babies in the future. I'm so mad at myself! I'd been so excited about how many babies I had.

Thanks everyone!

Violetta (very pretty name); when you plant babies or leaves into soil mix, it should be *just damp*, like a wrung out sponge; they take surprisingly little water to root. Also, make sure your baggies are out of direct sunlight at all times or they'll cook.

It's always better to leave the babies on the leaf until they're a size you're comfortable handling. They could stay on there indefinitely, but they'd get tangled and messy-looking. I'd leave them on until they have three or four sets of leaves, longer if you like. Really, there's no rush.

Good luck, and remember it's all learning experiences.

Korina

Mal: Say that to my face.
Lund: I said, you're a coward, and a pisspot. Now what are you gonna do about it?
Mal: Nothin'. I just wanted you to face me so she could get behind ya.
[Lund turns to find Zoë, who clobbers him with her rifle.]
Mal: Drunks are so cute.

Thank you Korina. Yes, I've definitely learned a lot.

There were only two sets of leaves on each baby.

The soil was far too wet.

The baggies were in direct sunlight.

Basically, I did everything wrong, and now I know. It's a huge disappointment - there were so many of them, and they looked so healthy! I'll do my best to think of it as a learning experience, though, and I'll just have to try again.