Question on Darlingtonia California

[zhilin]

I am going to grow a Darlingtonia. I live in San Diego, which seems to be a good place for growing this plant. I have a question. Can I grow this plant as grow a true highland nepenthes (in addition to cool down its roots)?

Thanks
Zhilin

[unstuckintime]

Well, yes, i suppose you could. The important thing to remember is that Darlingtonia is a temperate species, and will need a proper dormancy. If you are growing your highland nepenthes in a terrarium under artificial lights, that may prove difficult to provide.

[zhilin]

Thanks, unstuckintime.

I have another two questions:

(1) My little plant is three-year-old seedling. It is totally red. Will its color change to green when it grows up?

(2) People always say that using chilly water to top-water Darlingtonia. But never mention the water temperature. So, my question is, what's the degree does the "chilly" mean? below 50F? or below 60F?

Thanks

[seedling]

well the most of seedlings of Darlingtonia are red in begging, but while growing they change their color to reddish and in the end to greenish... Some of Darlingtonia will stay red for their entire life (but that's really rare)

water should be about F 70 and not below it. Just like you said it has to be chilly and not hot, because these plants are cold rooted and they need cold water just like they need them on spring serpents where they naturally live...

[fredg]

When I first started with Darlingtonia I too read about the roots needing to be cooled.
That was when I first started.

Now I grow in full sun in shallow trays of live sphagnum.

See this thread.
icps.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=darlingtonia&action=display&thread=2754

[zhilin]

Thank all of you for providing plenty of information. Thanks to this thread, I don't put my plant in a tray with water, instead, put it under a container dripping water.

[jameison]

When i have visited darlingtonia habitats in the summer their water seemed to be m,ore in the forties and fifties range.