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Is my P. primuliflora melting??

TheFury

Oh, the humanity!!
It seems like every other post of mine is "Help! My _____(insert CP name here)_____ is dying!!!" Well, add this one to the list.

Ever since I got my P. Primuliflora it's been slowly turning brown. When it arrived in the mail it was all upset - it had been dislodged from its pot and it was looking a little smooshed. So I packed it back in there and hoped for the best.

The good news is that it just sent up another flower (I had pruned the last scape because it was crimped upon arrival in the mail) and there seems to be some new growth. But are my conditions causing this plant to decline?

I have it in a grow rack about 8" below 4x 48" T5 bulbs at 32 watts each: 2x Flora Sun grow bulbs and 2x GE Cool White bulbs. Temperatures seem to hover between 70 and 85 in my rack as the indoor temperatures begin to cool and I wait for my landlord to turn on the heat. Humidity stays around 55% during the day and rises to 80-90% overnight.

EDIT: I've also got it in a tray of water that I keep around 1/2" deep.

SO - am I killing my plant, or is it just a little sad at the moment? Should I throw all hands on deck and take leaf cuttings while I still can?

1000000233.JPG


Thanks!

PS. - Also, if it matters, a spider seems to have made its home in this ping while it was still at the nursery and was packed and shipped with the plant. I keep finding cobwebs around the base of the plant which I clear off regularly. I spot the little spider from time to time. Are the cobwebs doing damage? If so, let's hope he becomes dinner before too long. :jester:
 
I think you might be watering them too much, maybe get rid of the tray? I keep mine on the drier side, with a little moisture left in the media. I water them slightly, because when I water them too much they start losing leaves.

So try cutting back on the water.
 
The plot thickens! Hmm - so since all my pings (primuliflora, moctezumae, sethos, esseriana) are in the same tray, it would be advisable to move the primuliflora to a tray where I can maintain a higher water level, correct? Don't the other three need less water?
 
The plot thickens! Hmm - so since all my pings (primuliflora, moctezumae, sethos, esseriana) are in the same tray, it would be advisable to move the primuliflora to a tray where I can maintain a higher water level, correct? Don't the other three need less water?

Yeah, those Pinguicula you have there are Mexican/Tropical, they like a bit drier than Warm-Temperate Pinguicula like P. primuliflora, planifolia, ionatha, ect. I'd say they are too dry.
 
OK! So I've separated my three Mexican butterworts from my Primuliflora. Now my Primuliflora is in the same tray with my S. Purpurea and my VFT (skipping dormancy for these new additions this year), with the water level about half way up the pot. I just can't believe this method is effective considering how prone to rot butterworts are. But I suppose people's experiences speak for themselves!

My Mexicans are now in a dry tray along with my Nep and my Utrics which I plan to top-water with a nice generous misting every day. Or should I allow the media to dry between waterings for the Mexicans?
 
I generally keep the Mexicans in less water than most CP's. P. primuliflora did well for me with overhead watering, a few times a week, at a southern exposure sill.
 
Cheers, Jim! So you let your mexicans stand in water too? Well now I'm just confused!

It seems like there are a million different opinions on how best to grow a Primuliflora. Some keep them dry, some flood them... HUH?? I guess this IS a tough plant to grow! The odds seem to be stacked against me ???
 
They stand in less than 1/4" of water and when the tray evaporates, I add more water. That's during the growing season. From fall through winter they are kep almost totally dry.
 
  • #10
Thanks! I'll let my Mexicans dry out then. Maybe that's why my Moctezumae isn't looking so hot--too wet for the season??


You can see the water level on my Primuliflora on this pic below. Is this healthy??

DSC03556.JPG
 
  • #11
Looks fine. Older leaves will die out. Not a problem. You will still need to get the purpurea & VFT oustide, somehow, and make a friend with someone who has a garage or attic, for dormancy.
 
  • #12
I know, I wish I had outdoor space. I do have a very cool unheated vestibule in my front entrance hall where temperatures must reach down to the low 30s at times during the winter, so perhaps that will be a nice spot once the plants on my windowsill go dormant (I'm going to skip dormancy for this VFT. and S. Purp because they're so fresh out of their death cubes).

Not to be a pill about it, but I see this guy has VFTs and S. Purps in his grow rack, and they look beautiful! What's his story? I know it's a very old thread but... I'll have what he's having :drool:!
 
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