Hey guys, for my birthday this past july i recieved a 3 pack of vft's. One typical, one dente, and one red dragon. upon receiving them, they were all in terrible shape (from being shipped) I quickly repotted them in perlite/peatmoss/lfs mix and got them in the sunlight. The first sets of new growth on all of them seemed to fall victim to the sunlight, but now the tyical plant has 3 small traps that are almost open, the dente has one large still growing, but healthy, with one tiny sprout in the ground, and the red dragon doesnt seem to be doing anything. It hasnt lost it's color, and there is a shoot, but it hasnt grown at all. i don't see any new shoots and i'm beginning to wonder if the plant thinks it's dormant, or possibly something else? They are potted in 50/50 peat moss/lfs, with some perlite sprinkled in there, and kept outside, in an area that is shaded after 3 oclock. my other plants, Drosera Intermedia and a Sarracenia are growing beautifully in this weather. In fact, a pitcher opened in front of my eyes yesterday, it was awesome! and my D. Intermedia is producing flowers! Also i water with bottled distilled water from the local grocery store. Any thoughts guys? Thanks In advance!
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Red Dragon a slow grower?
- Thread starter EvoWake
- Start date
It sometimes takes VFTs a while to adjust to new conditions, particularly after transplanting. You say they were in terrible shape when you received them. The 'Red Dragon' may have been more damaged than the others. Also, 'Red Dragon' generally needs more light than the greener plants because the red anthocyanin in the leaves tends to reduce photosynthesis. Give your plants a bit more time to recover. A month is not very long for a damaged and shocked plant.
BobZ wrote:
I thought the same thing (that the anthocyanines inhibited photosynthesis), because among the varieties of VFT I grow its the red ones that seem to grow slowest. But, come to think of it, the Royal Red seems vigorous, but the Pink Venus seems slow. The Clayton's Red Sunset is extremely slow-growing, although it is finally building up a little momentum after a year and a half.
Anyway, interesting discussion. If the red VFTs photosynthesize as readily as other varieties, why do some of them grow so slowly, and why don't any of the green ones (that I know of) grow slowly? I wonder what genetic or evolutionary purpose the slow growth has. In addition, I wonder if the slow-growing VFTs can stand not going dormant better than other VFTs, whether they can grow continuously for a longer time without adverse effect.
[b said:
I thought the same thing (that the anthocyanines inhibited photosynthesis), because among the varieties of VFT I grow its the red ones that seem to grow slowest. But, come to think of it, the Royal Red seems vigorous, but the Pink Venus seems slow. The Clayton's Red Sunset is extremely slow-growing, although it is finally building up a little momentum after a year and a half.
Anyway, interesting discussion. If the red VFTs photosynthesize as readily as other varieties, why do some of them grow so slowly, and why don't any of the green ones (that I know of) grow slowly? I wonder what genetic or evolutionary purpose the slow growth has. In addition, I wonder if the slow-growing VFTs can stand not going dormant better than other VFTs, whether they can grow continuously for a longer time without adverse effect.
