Hey Laura,
You should not be using Bob Z's site as the last definitive word on what is or is not currently in cultivation. Just because Fernando doesn't know of anybody growing P. kondoi or it is not pictured on Bob's site doesn't mean that some of us are not growing it. Remember....those of us who have been growing in excess of 30 years have many species in cultivation that we choose not to publicze. So in a nutshell....yes...Pinguicula kondoi is currently in cultivation in the USA.
Recently a friend stopped by the nursery to look over the collections. In the greenhouse he stopped by the Ping. collections and his eyes nearly fell out of his head. Not because the plants looked so nice, which they do, but because of how they were being grown. His comment was..."Why are you growing your pings in such shallow containers (1-1/2 to 2" deep) in pure LFS? Why haven't you added peat, pumice, perlite, vermiculite, sand, coral, clay pellets, kitty litter, dolomite lime, crushed granite, knives, forks, spoons, the kitchen sink, ETC
My reply was merely, why should I? Because everyone else does or because foreign growers say this is how it should be done? Maybe it works for them and like most ALL authors of gardening how-to books or periodicals....they are reporting on what works for them. The premise of all these mix combinations is to aerate the mix. I don't mean to downplay the successes of our members but let's face facts here, many of the members here are measuring their successes on months of culture and not the needed years. Sure...I could add all kinds of ammendments to my mixes and have great results for 3 or 4 months and I could go online and announce this. But what then? After this time frame has elapsed do I post my concerns that my plants are failing and I need help quickly before they all go roots up?
The European growers may have better luck with an all mineral compost because they may have other environmental factors at play. Their growing conditions may be much cooler than ours, which would deter the breakdown of growing mediums thus lessening the chance of mineral leaching, or their water sources may have completely different mineral suspensions than ours do. All these factors make for a success rate for one grower but a failure for others.
Just take the basic information you find relevant here and work with that. An open mix. Experiment, experiment, experiment. Be creative but basic. Trying to copy another growers recipe can spell disastor. If you are just starting out with the genus Pinguicula then for heaven's sake keep it simple. Don't try to feverishly re-invent the wheel. If one grower posts that they grow their pings completely submerged in water....DON'T DO IT!!!!! It only works for them under their conditions and they have spent years perfecting it. Until you are an accomplished grower with several years of experiece under your belt and can detect the slightest problem by eye, stick to the basics. Your plants will be much happier for it.
I received an email a while back from a friend who claimed they were having trouble with their Mexican Pinguicula collection. A few simple questions revealed that they were trying to duplicate an elaborate mix that they had been reading about on these posts. The plants were dying. So making a few changes to the soil mix, by eliminating some of the needless ingredients, and relocating the plants to a cooler location resulted in an immediate recovery of the plants. This person's comments were..."why is everyone trying so hard to create these elaborate recipies whan all you really need to do is...." Yes that's right. Sometimes less....is more.
It's all trial and error friends. On another note I would like to know what the long term effects of using crushed coral is. Isn't coral a salt water product?
Phil