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Help!
Jul 11, 2010 17:12:27 GMT
Post by kimbruun on Jul 11, 2010 17:12:27 GMT
I have an outdoor bog here in Denmark, and I have successfully grown darlingtonia, sarracenia (flava and leucophylla), Venus fly trap, and thread-leaved sundew among others. I bought some drosophyllum seeds, which I planted in a peat block at the edge of the bog around May 10th. I drilled a few small holes in the bog, filled them with sand, and placed a scarrified seed in each. Three seeds have now germinated! In general, I have watered around the peat block, allowing it to absorb water from the bog, but the block has been soaked by rain. June/July has been characterised by several days of dry, blistering heat interspaced unevenly with 1-2 day rain showers. For now, the seedlings look pretty healthy. Is there anything I can do to increase the seedlings' chances of survival? Are they done for? I tried them in a drier location as well, but so far, there are no sgns of life. Attachments:
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Help!
Jul 14, 2010 16:45:41 GMT
Post by jdallas on Jul 14, 2010 16:45:41 GMT
Kimbruun,
Your problem here is that you have placed your Drosophyllum in a bog garden. Drosophyllum isn't a bog plant. They grow in drier areas of Spain and Portugal. You'll probably be able to enjoy them over the summer, but it's unlikely that they'll survive a Danish winter. They also detest being transplanted. They are best grown in large terracotta pots. They're fine outdoors during the summer, but should be in a very sunny window or a greenhouse during the winter.
Jeff
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Jul 14, 2010 22:09:52 GMT
Post by kimbruun on Jul 14, 2010 22:09:52 GMT
Thank you for your reply, Jeff. Like I said, I have tried the seeds in several locations. Needless to say, I was surprised that they have germinated so far only in the location that retains the most amount of water. But I do make a point of not watering their peat block, but only the earth around it.
I realise that the Danish winter will probably prove too harsh, but I had a few seeds, so I tried a few diffenent locations. I have had no success indoors so far.
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Aug 4, 2010 13:25:56 GMT
Post by kimbruun on Aug 4, 2010 13:25:56 GMT
Nearly one month later, the drosophyllums have increased dramatically in size, though they are still quite small (the largest of the three is perhaps two inches tall). They seem quite happy, despite extended periods of rain. When it rains, I put a clear plastic box with holes in it over them. However, the peat block wherein they grow still gets soggy, and I have forgotten to cover them a couple of times. Like I said, I don't water the peat block, though, but rather let it absorb water from the surrounding bog. I wonder if this is why the plants are growing well (for now)? The peat is usually moist, rarely soggy, and never really dry. Attachments:
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