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So with a slow day at work, I thought I'd do a random bit of research about Cobra Lilies. I wouldn't mind picking one up to grow alongside my Sarracenias, someday, anyway.

While it's not really possible to find one right now for sale (so out of season it's not even funny), I can find plenty of Darlingtonia seed for sale.

While I'm hesitant to try growing a CP from seed (I've never done so intentionally), I did notice a few things when searching the forums:

Is this really a 10 year project I'm getting myself into?

I just sprinkle them on top of the LFS, right? Do I need to put a humidity dome on top, too? It seems pretty self explanatory. For the most part, anyway...

They need stratification, so should I just plop them in my planned growing container (with dead LFS) and put them in the fridge for a month? I imagine putting them outside (40F days, 20F-ish nights) is probably too cold?

After I get them sprouted, I should use normal water and not "baby" them, so they'll grow up used to less than ideal conditions? Because apparently there are 2 forms of Darlingtonia, one of which is the infamously temperamental one, the other grows about as easily as a Sarracenia -- and which one you get depends on how they're treated when seedlings?

Assuming I do get them growing, I should probably expect to keep them outside, as they do require a dormancy... But there's a chance I could just ignore that, if the seedlings are used to it?

So if I was planning on growing them outside year round, should I get seed now and stratify immediately, or should I wait till spring to germinate them?
 
I find cobra seeds amzingly easy to germinate - exactly like sarracenia seed. They grow slower than sarracenia, but germinating's no problem. No - it's only 3 or 4 years later when the plants big and wants cool roots that you get into trouble, if you have that sort of variety. Some variety's go easier on the cool roots demand than others. But if you have easy access to seeds - I'd say go for it.
Nearly half of my total collection is either seed or seed that I germinated - and I've only been growing for 3 years. If I can do it you can!

Oh-and it has nothing to do with how they're treated as seedlings, although that can help a little bit - depends which form you get. I think it's the high altitude location one swhich are finicky - could be wrong though.

Good luck.
 

Yes, Darlingtonia are notorious slow growers from seed to flowering plant.


Most seeds germinate more readily in high humidity, covering or bagging your containers and seeds also keep out fungus gnats. The larvae can eat your seedlings.

They need stratification, so should I just plop them in my planned growing container (with dead LFS) and put them in the fridge for a month? I imagine putting them outside (40F days, 20F-ish nights) is probably too cold?

Those temperatures are probably fine - if you'll still have them for at least 4 weeks.

Many people will tell you that stratification is not necessary. To test this I sowed two batches of freshly collected seeds. One group was stratified, the other not. Seeds were collected from a plant that I hand pollinated with pollen from another plant. The seeds were never cold stored - like I said freshly collected.

I sowed the batches at the end of August. The stratified (4 weeks in the fridge) group germinated in 8 days. 17 out of 20 (85%) have germinated. Still nothing from the unstratified group.

I just have sown another test group a week ago. This time the unstratified seeds had been cold stored (dry storage in the refrigerator) for at least 6 weeks. I want to see if dry cold storage is sufficient to stratify the seeds thus leading to the conclusion reported by others of stratification not needed.

After I get them sprouted, I should use normal water and not "baby" them, so they'll grow up used to less than ideal conditions? Because apparently there are 2 forms of Darlingtonia, one of which is the infamously temperamental one, the other grows about as easily as a Sarracenia -- and which one you get depends on how they're treated when seedlings?

I'd like to see some empirical data on this claim, not just anecdotal stories or "I heard that...". Do not use tap water unless the mineral content is low enough to use on CPs. Rainwater, distilled water, or water filtered through Reverse Osmosis is what you should use.

There are basically two populations of Darlingtonia - the coastal populations and the mountain ones. The coastal populations grow in more temperate conditions (milder winters). The mountain populations grow above the snowline and overwinter buried under snow. The mountain populations are reputed to be more vigorous growers but their long time survivability with out freezing winters is still in question. Both populations seem to appreciate day/night temperature drops and or roots kept cool.

The coastal varieties are more common - probably because it is easier to obtain plants or seeds from a roadside than having to hike up to remote mountain sites. They are also probably easier to cultivate not needing very cold winters.
Assuming I do get them growing, I should probably expect to keep them outside, as they do require a dormancy... But there's a chance I could just ignore that, if the seedlings are used to it?

Wouldni't it be nice to get rid of dormancy requirements by merely growing from seeds in tropical conditions. I don't believe it. Perhaps with some Drosera which grow in semi-tropical conditions to begin with. And even so when given the chance they still go dormant. You can try it if you like.

So if I was planning on growing them outside year round, should I get seed now and stratify immediately, or should I wait till spring to germinate them?

Do it now. Give them as much growing time as possible. If left outdoors the seeds will not germinate until conditions are right. If you cover them make sure they will not bake in the sun. Otherwise leave the pots uncovered but not exposed to rain. You might skip dormancy for one year max.
 
My problem right now is that my winter here -- which might be colder than normal for the area -- is staying mostly below freezing 24x7. I keep being teased by WeatherUnderground with promises of 40 degree days, but they're only happening about once a week.

When I said "use normal water" I meant use standard distilled water, not water that I keep in the fridge especially for my Darlingtonias. (Which I had heard suggested someplace.)


So presumably, I get seed, I put the packet in the fridge or I put it in a growing container outside (or in the fridge) to stratify. 4-8 weeks later, I either put them in a container if I left the packet in the fridge, or I just make sure the container is someplace where the seedlings will live.

I probably wouldn't want to put the seedlings outside in my current temperatures though, I mean, currently it's 27F out and the low last night was in the mid teens. So, windowsill time?
 
darlingtonia....slow? lol i guess its just my area then...Ron West grew the current plants i have from seed a little over a year and a half ago...and they are a pretty good size considering that. and when they are awake, are the fastest growing CP in my collection. by far faster than any nep, ping, dew, sarra, or even utrics i have. remember you need to poor coold water over their roots to keep them cool, when it gets above 90ºF here, i add ice cubes to the top of the media to keep them cool.
 
I have had trouble with the TC plants from the "Lowes Cube of Death" but as soon as I got a plant from hobbyist from the West Coast, all of a sudden I look like a competent grower. After dormanct from a co-worker's garage, the plant flowered. In spite of my terrible inexperience with intentional pollinating, the flower parts I sent to Notanumber combined to produce seeds. Some seeds were sent back to me and I attempted germination. I can't remember, now, if I did a cold stratification or not, but putting the seeds in a plastic container of mostly live LFS, under a light, along with other assorted temperate seeds and leaves, produced several germinations. Getting back to the original plant, it sent a stolon(?) about 15" away and that plant grew pretty quickly. Those plants, and others in the planter, are currently in my co-worker's garage again, awaiting a return in the spring. Below are few pictures:

IMG_0396.jpg
The planter, after dormancy

IMG_0468.jpg
Sarrlingtonia

IMG_0787.jpg
Summer

IMG_0724.jpg
The momma

DSCF1714-1.jpg
The stolon to the right

DSCF1741.jpg
Seedlings, a half year old

Picture156.jpg
Seedlings
 
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. :) And I doooo have those nice foam insulated planters for protecting Darlingtonia roots...

So, seedlings probably need more protection then an adult plant, so putting them out in sub-freezing temperatures would be a waste of seed. About what time of year do they normally start germinating in nature? Savage garden says to start stratifying in Febuary, I imagine doing so early would be ok, right?

And about how long does it take to germinate from seed?

Hey, I could probably try growing one in pure Soilmoist as an experiment too!
 
You can stratify them now, just to get them started, and put them outside in like May. I didn't record how long it took to germinate but it was ~3 weeks.
 
For stratification, do they need humidity as well as cold? Cause my plan was to just throw the packets of seeds in the fridge (or freezer!) until sometime around March then put them in my LFS-regeneration project directly -- I've given Alpine Strawberry seeds that treatment to decent success.

Plans will change a bit if they need humidity at the same time -- I don't think I could put my live LFS project outside in sub-freezing temperatures or inside the fridge with no light, so I'd probably fold them inside a paper towel and soak that in Distilled Water, putting the whole mess in a ziplock bag. I've had decent success with that, too.
 
  • #10
darlingtonia....slow? lol i guess its just my area then...Ron West grew the current plants i have from seed a little over a year and a half ago...and they are a pretty good size considering that. and when they are awake, are the fastest growing CP in my collection. by far faster than any nep, ping, dew, sarra, or even utrics i have. remember you need to poor coold water over their roots to keep them cool, when it gets above 90ºF here, i add ice cubes to the top of the media to keep them cool.

A year and a half? Are you sure? I have seedlings that are going on five down here, where I'm pretty sure it's much milder, and they just reached adult appearance (not quite there on the size) last year or the year before that. Once you get flowers, send me some of that seed. :D
In any case, Darlingtonia may be kind of slow (though no slower than any other pitcher plant as far as I can tell) but it definitely isn't hard if you have the proper seasonal temperatures. Starting them from seeds is probably a much better way to get them into your collection as a beginner - they're both cheaper and will grow up hardier that way. If you're worried about freezing temperatures, you may be able to overwinter them indoors - I've heard from several growers that swear by putting their Darlingtonia in with their highland Neps. You can think of it as a ten year project, but that's only if you're concerned about seeds. (And kind of pessimistic, to boot.) You'll be able to enjoy the seedlings by Spring.
~Joe
 
  • #11
I just put them in plastic gumball containers with water in the butter keeper of th fridge. They need cold and wet.
 
  • #12
I just put them in plastic gumball containers with water in the butter keeper of th fridge. They need cold and wet.

Do you submerge them in water? I mean, do you mix the seeds in with peat moss and keep that damp in the containers or just seeds floating in water?


Edit: And how cold hardy is Darlingtonia? I'm in zone 5-6 or so, will I need to consider winterizing them, or might they survive outside without work? I'm reading some absolutely crazy claims that they can survive to -20C, which makes no sense at all.
 
  • #13
They're just in water and -20 C is way too cold. I wouldn't get them below 30 F.
 
  • #14
Well, I'm going to probably put 1 out in an insulated pot for outside, and keep 1 in a pot in the windowsill. I have 70 seeds coming, so I should hopefully have some good germination rates -- might just keep half that in the fridge for now though, 35-70 seedlings is way past what I need.

How hard would seedlings be to ship, if I have spares?

Hopefully the lower temperatures and lesser light in the windowsill during winter will be enough for dormancy, if the outside ones don't make it...
 
  • #15
I once received a bunch of seedlings and the ydid fine... until I changed their growing conditions and subsequently killed them all.
 
  • #16
Seeds arrived today, along with a free piece of "Atomic Fireball" bubblegum.

... I'm as confused as you are, but hey, free gum! I guess it was to protect the seeds from being crushed in the mail system.

2 packets of 35ish seeds, going to empty one of them out right on top of a nice square of paper towel in a ziplock bag, the towel will act as a sponge, so... yeah. :) Thought is to put them in today and take them out either at the end of Feb or on the first day of Spring (Mar 20th).

Edit: Some escaped the paper's fold and ended up on top, but should be fine. As long as they're damp and cold, eh? Now, into the crisper w/ya!

The other packet I was just going to put straight up into the fridge for the time being until I had a better idea of what to do with it. Is "dry and cold" good conditions for saving seed?
 
  • #17
Dry and cold is for storage, while wet and cold is for stratification.
 
  • #18
A certain California-based nursery has these in stock, but I'm not giving up on the seeds just yet. ;)

They've been in the fridge for a month now, no mold yet, I was planning to wait another 2-4 weeks before planting.

When I do plant, what's my best plan of action? I was thinking one of 3 plans:

1. Chinese food container that I'm growing live LFS in, just throwing the seeds in there.
Problem: The D. Filiformis seeds I put in there have vanished and are completely gone, I think it's too airy a mixture to keep seeds from falling down.

2. Chinese food container that I'm sprouting some cuttings.
Problem: It's peat/perlite, not LFS. I heard that for Cobra Lily seeds, you REALLY want pure LFS.

3. A standalone pot with diced dead LFS.
Problem: No humidity dome, worried about the seeds falling between the LFS.


You don't bury Darlingtonia seeds, right? Just right on top of the media and go from there?
 
  • #19
Well THAT arrived quick:

Darlingtonia.jpg

Darlingtonia2.jpg


The grey pot is the one I'm putting the Darlingtonia in, the second it stays over 32 F at night. It is an insulated pot, so it should be ok. The plant is currently as close to the windowsill as I can humanly get it.
 
  • #20
Cool, just watch how wet you keep it right now. They might rot during this time of year if kept too wet.
 
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