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Post by Fred P on Sept 16, 2010 4:04:49 GMT
Greg,
Have you had any luck fertilizing yours at all? I was thinking about it but don't have the guts to try it. I'm not sure if it would respond to it or kill it.
We get very little rain here. We haven't had a drop since April and I don't expect to get any until maybe Dec-Jan timeframe. Even during the winter, the rain storms are few and far between which is why I think the plant will continue to do well here.
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Post by Dave Evans on Sept 17, 2010 6:30:23 GMT
(July ’10) After transplanting them in July they really started to take off!! I think all the hype about them disliking to be transplanted has been blown out of proportion IMO. Absolutely not. It is well known Drosophyllum seedlings are easy to transplant. Adult plants are still not transplantable; unless you move the entire root ball without disturbing the soil around it. Which is what it appears you did as the three plants are still in the exact same orientation to each as they were in the germination pics...
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sundewman
Full Member
Happy Growing!
Posts: 235
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Post by sundewman on Sept 17, 2010 20:01:09 GMT
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Post by Dave Evans on Sept 17, 2010 22:52:29 GMT
I think the main issue for the root sensitive is related to the type of soil they grow in. It supports a completely different set of microbes and is composed of minerals not usually associated with carnivorous plants. It also has a lot less water, with the soil surface baking dry on a daily basis for much of the year.
The roots of Drosophyllum are highly attuned to making the most out this soil and the conditions, but are easily overwhelmed if soil conditions favor the growth too many bacteria, they simply no longer have a robust immune system in their roots and rely more on the dry-ish soil conditions to maintain a low microbe count.
Basically, I think the plant is permanently susceptible to damp off-like infections. Damage to the roots: An open door for any damp off causing microbes that happen to be present. If there is some damage to the roots and conditions are good, there might be no problem for the plant as long as nothing comes along to interfere with healing, but it is probably an inherent reduced capacity for healing to start with.
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Post by Fred P on Sept 22, 2010 4:36:04 GMT
Adult plants are still not transplantable; unless you move the entire root ball without disturbing the soil around it. Which is what it appears you did as the three plants are still in the exact same orientation to each as they were in the germination pics... Dave - As I mentioned above, when I was transplanting them, most of the soil fell away because it was so porous. I held the plants in their original position with my hands to keep them from separating any further. That's the only reason they are in the same orientation to each other as they were in the germination pics. Trust me, the root ball was disturbed but they still seemed to do better after the transplant.
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Post by brokken on Nov 20, 2010 21:33:59 GMT
Here's one nice update. First time for me:
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Post by Joseph Clemens on Nov 21, 2010 5:49:09 GMT
Almost thirty years ago, when I was living in La Mesa, California (just South of San Diego, CA) I bought some seed from a company called World Insectivorous Plants (proprietor-Robert Hanrahan).
I planted five of the seeds in a pot of peat/sand/perlite media and kept them on a wrought-iron plant stand on my patio, immediately adjacent to my greenhouse. I kept the pot moist and waited. They were exposed everyday to direct sun from sunrise until just after noon. I checked them every day, sometimes several times per day. I remember I had planted them in mid-Summer (late July or early August). After the first month or two, I seriously considered aborting the pot. I did let it go almost dry a few times.
When November arrived, and the first rains of Winter, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a Drosophyllum seedling pop up. I was very glad then, that I hadn't cleaned out that pot. It was the only seed to germinate, but it grew quickly and by late January or early February it had produced a flower stalk and over several days three flowers bloomed. I self-pollinated them and soon afterwards the plant gradually died. Seed had formed in the flowers (but I didn't expect they had time to fully mature). Since then I have kept them in a sealed glass vial. I still have most of those seed - about a decade or so after my growing experience, I did try germinating some of them, but had no success. I still keep the remaining seed as a momento of the experience. I often think how I will likely someday try my hand at growing this species again.
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Post by brokken on Nov 22, 2010 1:42:32 GMT
I certainly hope that the same doesn't happen to mine. I've read that in the wild, the plant can grow quite large and flower many seasons. Maybe I'll get lucky - but just in case... how did you pollinate your flowers? I've never pollinated anything drosera-like before.
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Post by Joseph Clemens on Nov 22, 2010 3:40:18 GMT
I just watched for release of pollen, then made sure to place some pollen onto the stigma. I also collected a little of the pollen from open flowers, then used it to place on stigma as soon as the other flowers opened.
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Post by gregallan on Nov 27, 2010 22:29:28 GMT
Drosophyllum will produce seeds without intervention, but I tend to tease the flower with a small twig or some other similar implement to ensure a good seed set. Make sure that you don't over-water it after it flowers. During spring and summer in England, I give just a little water once a week. The sustrate looks and feels dry most of the time. I suppose your plant may need a little more water if your climate is warmer and drier than Britain. See icps.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=photos&thread=4419&page=1 for pictures of Drosophyllum flowering and then a few months later. Greg
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Post by Fred P on Nov 28, 2010 3:19:14 GMT
Nice pic Brokken. Is your plant still outside or have you moved it to your GH?
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Post by brokken on Nov 30, 2010 16:39:04 GMT
Hi Fred, It's still living outside. Nice pic Brokken. Is your plant still outside or have you moved it to your GH?
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Post by Fred P on Dec 6, 2010 4:13:41 GMT
Hi Fred, It's still living outside. Hey B, Is it protected from the rain or are you letting nature take its course?
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Post by brokken on Dec 6, 2010 8:41:48 GMT
Rain right now has been sporadic, so I've made no effort to shield it from it.
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Post by Fred P on Jul 22, 2011 3:57:06 GMT
Hey Brokken,
Any updates on your plant?
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