P. primuliflora dying

[spdskr]

spdskr, yea, it got a bit nippy with our subzero temps, Im glad you got your plant moved somewhere safe in time...and that its still doing well.

Best of luck with round two. I'll keep you posted on mine. I moved it back into the garage yesterday, but looks like it's going to the basement for the weekend with below 0 temps in the forecast again.

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

...These observations have led my to believe that the unfiltered Colorado sun is perhaps too intense for this Ping.

The UV level is higher here in Colorado for sure. I've notice the same thing with my pings. Only with mine, they grew smaller as the season progressed. What once were three and four inch plants became 2 inch or smaller. Once they were brought inside and placed in a south window on a shelf under other plants, where they got bright indirect or dappled sunlight, they began to grow larger again. What's strange is that the first two seasons I grew them outside, this didn't happen. It wasn't until after Jimscott told me about his "melting" pings in the third season that this started happening. I think they may have been reading my PMs when I wasn't looking and decided they could do this too! Anyhow, I have since kept them inside where they get direct light through my window or filtered light on a lower shelf of my plant rack.

 

[jimscott]

What seems to be the best results is artificial lighting. But when inside they don't get much of a day/night temp differential and I think they normally get that in their native mountainous setting.

 

[jimscott]

This is a quote from Joseph Clemens I just read:

Mexican Pinguicula do not have a "dormancy". Dormancy is like hibernation, and is without active growth or development. These plants simply change their leaf form when their environment changes. In cultivation they do not always do this, nor is it essential for their health. A few of these species retreat beneath the soil when they are in their Winter leaf form - most of these prove they aren't "dormant" by flowering from beneath the soil.

For more than four years I grew all of my large variety of Mexican and other tropical Pinguicula continuously floating in trays of water under "cool white" fluorescent lights with varying periods of light and dark. All thrived very well, those that received the highest levels of illumination, duration and intensity, without generating high temperatures, responded best. For various reasons my entire collection has gone without water (other than fluctuating humidity levels) since the late Summer of 2007. I did maintain my usual lighting, and those that have done best have been under illumination continuously during this entire period.

I will soon post a more detailed description, and include photographs.

One environmental factor that I believe to be of importance is the natural intensity of UV light in the regions where these plants originate. In the vicinity of the equator, natural UV intensity is some of the most intense on the planet. Then consider that they often grow at high elevations in this region, which subjects them to even higher levels of UV light than they would experience at lower elevations. One of the few ways to provide high UV levels in cultivation is by use of fluorescent lighting which leaks excess UV while in normal operation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joseph Clemens
Tucson, Arizona, U S A

 

[Brokken]

My primuliflora was originally planted in my bog garden where it was dug out by raccoons. I then put it in a pot containing heliamphora and expected that it wouldn't make it, but much to my surprise, it not only made it, but grew - putting out multiple daughter plantlets and a number of pink/violet flowers. I kept it thus for about a year before I had established a highland terrarium. When I moved it to the highland terrarium, the plant started drying out and was dead within two days as well as all it's daughter plants. Fortunately I had taken one of the daughter plants and re-planted it back in my bog garden where it is currently thriving outside in California weather. I believe that while living in my lowland terrarium, the plant became accustomed to the high temperature, high humidity and the shock of going to the unheated and presumably dryer terrarium may have killed it.