lol You sure knew what you were in for. I won't judge! :P

Soooooooometimes they start growing something. I suspect it has to do with whether they pulled a little chunk of node with them, as they were pulled off the vine.

Some people will stick a healthy Hoya leaf back in the pot to root, if it gets knocked off the vine and it seems a shame to throw it away. I've done so myself and years later I still have 2 of them sitting around not dying, but not sending out new vines. If you can afford the growing space, you're not out anything for keeping it alive. Just as long as you accept that your odds of it throwing a vine are very slim indeed.

If you get bored you can always buy a very small kerrii cutting, put it in the same pot, and let your friend believe what s/he will⦠:P

Your odds are extremely small, it's not about judgment, really more about experience if not actual fact.

It's most unlikely, such that some years ago I've asked my local supermarket not to sell these. At $12 a leaf for a Valentine's Day gimmick it's a rip off. Not judgment, just hate to see folks being mislead & having their money wasted.

Of course there's no harm in trying, just don't get your hopes up, sorry.

I've got a H. pottsii leaf that's been going just under 2 years now. The only expectation I have for it is to keep alive. Certainly don't expect any vine off of it. And so far it hasn't disappointed.

Sometimes you see people posting when a new stem grows out of these rooted leaves, and sometimes they proudly say, "See! These CAN grow into a plant!"

Truth is, they can only grow into a viable plant if at least a small bit of what's called meristem happens to be attached to the petiole. Meristem contains cells than can turn into stem and other plant parts, with some nudging by hormones and other plant-produced chemicals. These cells are basically stem cells that can start quickly dividing and so lead to the plant growing. If they are not present, no amount or nurturing is going to help, as the plant (the leaf) does not "know" how to grow a new growing stem point and does not have the means for it, so it just sits there growing roots, the only thing it knows how to do.

Come to think of it now, I wonder why those valentine leaf farms do not deliberately include a tiny bit of stem under the ground on the leaf - to surprise future growers with a shoot more likely happening. I guess cutting is two seconds more time-consuming (you're not simply snipping off the leaf anymore), and with larger area of the cut there is a(n insignificantly) higher probability of infection... But if they did that, I might even be ok with them charging $12 for it. Maybe.

Do leaves regrow in the same node if you snip them off, I wonder? If they do, the producers might not be including the stem because they do not want to cut into it and have to wait longer for the new leaves.

Yeah, leaves regrow from the same node. Ha - I think you probably just came to the correct conclusion with your analysis. They probably just farm leaves off some very frustrated kerriis and leave them intact to grow more.

I do agree that if they rooted a 1-node cutting, it would still look like a (pair) of hearts in a pot and be much more generous.

But I would also be the same as alkh86 and try to keep my friend's gift alive as long as possible.

Not much chance of it growing, ALKH86, but if you'd like, contact me through this site and I'd be happy to send you a cutting of kerrii to start and put with your sweet little leaf.

Denise in Omaha

Why...why...do they cut the leaves of these beautiful plants?its as heartless as painting the poor Echeverias with stardust during the holidays..and dont get me started about the little Christmas trees sprayed with foam..snow indeed...rant aside i was one of the lucky ones.I wont say "See! These CAN grow into a plant!" cause i was a cheater in a way.Visiting my nearest nursery i found those gimmicky hearts,but knowing the whole story about where they come from i didnt buy any.Instead i started looking all the plants on the self (you know,just in case) and lo and behold,i was lucky!

GT,

Quoting you above:

"Sometimes you see people posting when a new stem grows out of these rooted leaves, and sometimes they proudly say, "See! These CAN grow into a plant!""

No, sorry, you really don't see folks who say/ have said this. It really doesn't happen. Not in the 10 yrs.+ I've been on here, not from a single leaf it doesn't.

Well, certainly not very often. I've heard of people having some growth, but the chances of it happening are slim. Whenever a leaf pops off a Hoya, I put it back into the soil. Sometimes they root, sometimes they don't. I figure if they do, they serve as ground cover. If not, nothing lost. But every once in awhile, I have one that sprouts a new stem. In a case like that, it is surely that a bit of the meristem came with the leaf, allowing it to grow. Doesn't happen often, though...

Denise in Omaha