|
Post by mmlr38 on Aug 28, 2007 11:11:32 GMT
Aidan,
That plant is amazingly gorgeous. I would really like to have one like that in my collection one day.
When you repotted it, did you bare root it?
Also, I was wondering what kind of facilities you have to grow your plants in. I see you are from Hampshire, UK. It is pretty cloudy there most of the year, right? Do you grow your plants outside all year? If not, what kind of set up do you have?
|
|
|
Post by Aidan on Aug 28, 2007 11:41:02 GMT
Yes and with Dionaea it is hard to do otherwise. The plant has very little in the way of a root system and so media simply falls away when removed from the pot. I live in the south of England, approx. 40 miles SW of London and believe it or not the sun has been known to shine at times. My plants are grown in a large polytunnel and here you can see some photos taken taken by visitors at my recent open-day: www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21592
|
|
|
Post by mmlr38 on Aug 28, 2007 11:47:22 GMT
I don't believe it! The sun does shine there? Who knew? ;D
Thanks for pointing me to those pics. That is a really nice set up you have there. What type of fabric is it that creates that polytunnel? I guess I am a little surprised that it lets enough light in for the plants. I figured that direct sunlight was best.
|
|
|
Post by Aidan on Aug 28, 2007 13:35:51 GMT
As the name suggests, clear polythene/polyethylene and the reduction in strength of sunlight is minimal. In our climate most plants grow best under glass (or plastic!).
|
|
|
Post by mmlr38 on Aug 29, 2007 15:23:24 GMT
Well, I repotted three plants last night. It was stressful (for me), but I think that they will be fine. Nearly all of their traps closed when I was trying to take them out of the pots and then replant them. I know that stresses the plant out even more...hopefully it's not too much for them.
|
|
|
Post by Aidan on Aug 29, 2007 16:44:17 GMT
The plants will look rough for a few weeks and will probably lose some leaves, but given time they should recover. Most traps accidentally sprung during re-potting will reopen after a day or two.
It's getting late in the growing season now and so you may not see a great deal of new growth before plants slow down for winter.
|
|
|
Post by mmlr38 on Aug 29, 2007 17:36:27 GMT
Would it be a good idea to repot again in the spring right before they come out of dormancy? Or would that not be necessary? Could I wait until the following spring or winter (winter 2008 or spring 2009)?
|
|
|
Post by Aidan on Aug 29, 2007 18:02:08 GMT
Not necessary. They should be happy for a minimum of a year. Dionaea appear to benefit from regular repotting - every year or two, but in general terms and to be seen at their best, plants are best left undisturbed.
|
|
|
Post by mmlr38 on Aug 29, 2007 18:05:13 GMT
Aidan,
Thank you so much for taking the time to teach a beginner like me the ropes of growing CPs. I sincerely appreciate it. As I branch into other types of CPs (next spring I hope to get a few sarracenia as well), it is good to know that there are people out there willing to help.
|
|
|
Post by Aidan on Aug 29, 2007 21:49:24 GMT
You're welcome.
|
|
matti
Full Member
Posts: 216
|
Post by matti on Aug 30, 2007 7:30:24 GMT
I didn't know VFT's repot themselfs every year in the wild?.
|
|
|
Post by Pingman on Aug 30, 2007 13:28:39 GMT
They don't. But since we artificially cultivate vft's in pots, the medium can get old, collect salts, breakdown fast, etc. that we need to repot with fresh medium. this helps to invigorate the plant. We are a poor substitute for Mother Nature!! Peter.
|
|
|
Post by Alexis on Aug 30, 2007 22:25:50 GMT
Plants in cultivation actually often look better than their element-affected wild counterparts!
The problem is that plants in collections are on somewhat of a knife edge and can die suddenly and unexpectedly, usually due to to fungal infections in winter.
|
|
|
Post by mmlr38 on Sept 8, 2007 0:34:45 GMT
So it has been a week and a half or so since I repotted my Dionaea. They are doing excellent. It doesn't seem like the repotting set them back at all. In fact, they all seem to be growing much better than they were before the repotting. I took some pics. Notice the new growth on the couple of plants here. Nearly all of the plants have tons of new leaves coming out or nearing maturity since the transplant. You can see that some of the leaves look yellowish. That is because I didn't acclimate the plants to the sun, but rather just stuck them out in it. It burned some of the leaves, but all of the new leaves coming out are very green and healthy looking.
|
|
|
Post by Hikenyura on Sept 8, 2007 3:34:18 GMT
I remember when i didnt accumilate to the sun, first reddened(more like burned) and then dried, all the new leaves are great though. The reason your plants grow better is because of airtion, which promotes root growth so the whole plant gets a good boost.
|
|