Roridula rising...

[dvg]

I've had six of these Roridula gorgonias seedlings germinate so far.

Here's a couple of pics of two of them.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_0651-Rgorgonias.jpg

They are all at about the same stage, with none of them quite shedding their seed coats yet.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_0660Rgorgonias.jpg

Once i notice that they have germinated in their communal group pots, i carefully transplant them into their very own pots, in an effort to try and avoid further root disturbance later.


dvg

[mass]

:clap:

[pills23]

What Mass said, and if there's a "jealous" emoticon that too.

[richjam1986]

Would love to try Roridula sometime too. Good luck with them!

[Natalie]

Very cool! Do these CPs survive okay without their symbiotic plant bugs? Do they have to be fertilized?

[dvg]

Thanks for your comments.


Very cool! Do these CPs survive okay without their symbiotic plant bugs? Do they have to be fertilized?

Yes Natalie, these plants can survive quite well without their symbiotic bugs; its the bugs that don't survive without the plants.

And these plants don't have to be fertilized...i've read that they don't do well after being fed with a foliar spray, but maybe it wasn't done with the right formulation and in the correct concentration.

One grower in Canada grows them very easily in his basement under lights and also in a window with a south-westerly exposure.

dvg

[jimscott]

You lucky dog!

[corky]

be good to see these grow

[jpappy789]

Super duper cool!

[dvg]

It seems to take some time for these seedlings to finally be free from their seed casings.

Here is a seedling that appears to be gradually getting itself free...

...notice the slight bulge beneath the seed-coat; that's new growth that wasn't there a day or two ago.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_1235-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

Hopefully this one will be the first to burst forth from its former holding cell.

dvg

[dvg]

These seedlings are glacially slow, at this stage...almost like the world's longest strip-tease in how tantalizingly slowly they remove their coats...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_1499-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

...but i see cleavage! :D

dvg

[Cthulhu138]

Here's a pic of mine. It grew great for about a month then stopped completely. It didn't look unhealthy or anything, just put the breaks on. It just recently started growing a little bit again.

<a href="http://s1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Roridula/?action=view&amp;current=roridula001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h434/Nepenthes138/Roridula/roridula001.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[mass]

I am once again on the search for Roridula. :down:

[dvg]

That's a nice Roridula you have growing there for you Cthulhu138.

Did you start your plant from seed as well?

dvg

[Cthulhu138]

I did. They're super easy.

[mass]

I did. They're super easy.

Got more than one ol' buddy ol' pal?

[Cthulhu138]

Already pm'd ya on that one pal.

[dvg]

Not too much to update on, mainly because these seedcoats seem to stay on a while...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_1680-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

...but it definitely looks like something is trying to get itself out of there... ;)

dvg

[CPBlake]

Congratulations!

I grew this plant for 2 years. I never quite mastered it. I successfully kept it alive through multiple flowerings and I even got a few seeds after a successful self pollination. Ultimately it died to some mismanagement on my part. I kept having to change its home breaking the consistent conditions it was used to.

Good luck! One day I will grow roridula again.

[pills23]

Looking good! How did you germinate these? I may be getting some seeds soon (R dentata).

[dvg]

Congratulations!

I grew this plant for 2 years. I never quite mastered it. I successfully kept it alive through multiple flowerings and I even got a few seeds after a successful self pollination. Ultimately it died to some mismanagement on my part. I kept having to change its home breaking the consistent conditions it was used to.

Good luck! One day I will grow roridula again.

Thanks CPBlake, i'd say that growing Roridula for 2 years is an achievement.

And getting your own seeds from that successful pollination attempt was a nice bonus.


Looking good! How did you germinate these? I may be getting some seeds soon (R dentata).

Thanks, Pills23, i germinated these seedling in damp sand with a bit of peat in the mix.



I am surprised how the seed caps stubbornly cling to these seedlings.

Here's a pic of this seedling taken on Jan. 14...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_1732-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

...and here is a shot from today.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_1976-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

Gotta love this plant's tenacity for working around and through an obstacle.

dvg

[pills23]

Thanks for the tips. Wow, they're taking their sweet time, huh? :)
What kind of temps are you keeping them at?

[dvg]

Pills23, i'm growing these at room temperature on the floor, but there is a cool breeze wafting across them from the root cellar/cool room and that could be contributing to their slowness.

The seed cap is still stubbornly holding on, but the main stem has managed to get out from between the cotyledon leaves and now just has to pull some of its leaves free to continue growing onward and upward.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_2113-R-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

dvg

[dvg]

It doesn't look like this seedling will be completely shedding its seed casing.

The main growing point has gotten itself free and is moving on...

A look at the seedling from Feb. 11.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_2147-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

And another shot of it from today.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_2218-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

dvg

[Tony Paroubek]

Woot looking great!! Trying my hand with Roridula now also. Did you do anything special to the seed prior to planting?
I just planted some R. dentata seed in a sandy peat mix with a little chunky perlite and tiny bit of vermiculite. I have the pot sitting in a little tray of water and one of my 23w cfl spotlights about 6" from the pot to give them strong light and heat during the day when the light is on.

[dvg]

Woot looking great!! Trying my hand with Roridula now also. Did you do anything special to the seed prior to planting?


Thanks Tony,

Some growers will scarify the seeds, soak the seeds in GA3, and some will soak their seeds with a smoke disk.

I've even heard of some that placed bits of dried grass or dead leaves on top of the soil media and set it ablaze with a match.

When i sowed my seeds, i did none of the above, but i did make sure that the seedling flat got down to at least 8-10C during the night.

Good luck with your seeds!

dvg

[pills23]

Looking good! Forgive my ignorance, but couldn't you just remove the seed cap at this point?

I got my R. dentata seeds and planted them in a medium similar to Tony's. I did a light scarification on them, then placed them on the surface of the pot. I put some dried papyrus leaves I had lying around on top and burned them. I'm keeping the soil slightly damp, and it's on my growrack under lights, more or less at room temperature (75-80 day, 60-65 night). It's only been about 5 days, but I'll update if I get any germination.

[Tony Paroubek]

I have enough seeds so I decided I am going to try a couple different methods with 4 seeds in each.
One pot untouched other than simply sowing in the mix. One pot with scarified seed then soaked in water over night and sown, once sown I will make some smokewater and water pour a little over the seeds.

Guess we will see what happens!

Any idea on when I might start to see germination of all goes well?

[dvg]

Looking good! Forgive my ignorance, but couldn't you just remove the seed cap at this point?

Pills23, i tried to dislodge that seed case using a toothpick on a few occasions, but decided to just leave it in place, to avoid damaging the seedling.


Any idea on when I might start to see germination of all goes well?

Tony, i sowed the R. gorgonias seeds on Nov. 14 and germination started to take place about three weeks later.

Here is another seedling, showing some progress, but still taking its time to shed another one of those very reluctant seedcaps.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_2237-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

And another update on the previous seedling, coming along now, but still not willing to release its seed cap.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_2224-Roridula-gorgonias-seedling.jpg

dvg

[zlookup]

great thread and great pics. inspiring me to perhaps try my luck at them someday :)

[dvg]

Here's an update on my African bug plant.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_3215-R-gorgonias-July-7-2012.jpg

And a bit of a close-up to hopefully show some of the resin on this plant.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_3205-R-gorgonias-July-7-2012.jpg

It's nowhere as dewy as a well grown sundew, but what it lacks in dewiness, it more than makes up for with the sheer adhesive strength of its resin. :)

dvg

[dvg]

It has grown a bit since i last updated in July.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_0488-Roridula-gorgonias-August-28-2012-1.jpg

Tried fertilizing this plant a few days ago, so will have to see how that turns out.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt156/misos7/IMG_0517-Roridula-gorgonias-August-28-2012.jpg


dvg

[n bicalcarata]

I read that you need to use 20-0-20 fertilizer anyone know where to get some less than 15 pounds or $20 wichever is less

[n bicalcarata]

how long did it take to germinate mine took 4 weeks
i was using r. dentata
it was the easiest to grow seeds ive ever grown just burn them trow them down and watch

[amphirion]

time for some assassin bug hosts!

[corky]

looking really nice dvg,would you say if african dews are growing well for me my temps and light would be good for roridula?

[dvg]

time for some assassin bug hosts!

I will definitely be looking into that once i have larger more established plants for them to dwell on.


looking really nice dvg,would you say if african dews are growing well for me my temps and light would be good for roridula?

Hi Corky,

If you can grow other African dews, you can probably grow these South African Bug Plants as well.

I grow this plant under under a single CFL and it is growing steadily for me. :)


dvg

[corky]

Just want to pick your brain a bit more,i saw you germinated the seeds in damp sand and peat,when you transplanted what was the mix you used ,also how wet do you keep them,thanks dvg

[dvg]

Just want to pick your brain a bit more,i saw you germinated the seeds in damp sand and peat,when you transplanted what was the mix you used ,also how wet do you keep them,thanks dvg

Yes, i did germinate the seeds with mostly quartz sand mixed with a wee bit of peat, which was a bit of a mistake on my part, because that mix tended to dry out much too quickly.

If i was to do it again i would use a lot more peat to help ensure more moisture, especially at the critical seedling stage.

The seedling was then transplanted to a mostly peaty mix with a bit of perlite and lava rock for aeration and drainage.

This plant is kept on the drier side and is bottom watered with a sprayer once a day.

I still need to transplant this plant into a larger container and then i'll aim to keep it just slightly moist.


dvg

[corky]

Thanks alot for the information,i really would like to get some seed and have a go at growing these,i think they would like my windowcill,

[dvg]

Thanks alot for the information,i really would like to get some seed and have a go at growing these,i think they would like my windowcill,

Have a look at Best Carnivorous Plants website - they usually sell seed for R. gorgonias.


dvg

[corky]

thanks dvg they do ,think i will it untill spring when i have some warmth and sun to germinate

[corky]

any updates dvg

[Maiden]

Well done
Any new pictures ?

[cp777]

One day i'm going to have to get one of those...! CPs are a real addiction...:lol: