What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Sarracenia

  • #21
I'm trying to prove or disprove the peat tea theory, so here's the story so far:

I've always followed the advice that red tubes hate being repotted and it takes a couple of years to get them back on track. I have a couple of red tubes that were very red in the past and look faded this year. Conversely, a red tube I received bare root that was potted up in fresh peat in March has reddened up fantastically. I suspect they like being repotted every year or two, contrary to what's been written, as long as it's done during dormancy.



Here's the test subjects: flava var. atropurpurea with the 'reddish copper top' look and green tubes. This hasn't been repotted for 3 years. Next to it is a flava red tube grown in the same conditions that I received bare rooted in March. It's red from top to bottom.


tea.jpg




Firstly I tried making tannic tea using cold water and peat in a muslin bag left overnight. I filled the tray completely with it to enable the plants to suck up the black water over a week or so. Result: no apparent improvement, despite a lot of sun during this June. Is this due to using cold water or using the tray method of watering?

Now I am trying the boiled method of making peat tea, as per the original instructions. Peat was boiled for 20 minutes, was strained and left to cool overnight. Today I have used this on the atropurpurea (watering from the top only this time). I'll repeat over the next couple of weeks and report the results.
 
  • #22
The results are in.

A few weeks of boiled tannic tea (the pitchers have moved a bit, as they do):

atrojuly.jpg


A difference in my opinion. Nothing spectacular and not as red as I hope a repot in winter will produce, but encouraging.

This pitcher has changed a bit:

atrojuly2.jpg


But this one has reddened considerably:

atrojuly3.jpg


Not the most scientific experiment, but it's good to see the effect.
 
  • #23
Very interesting! Thanks for posting your results. There are a couple of variables, of course, but it looks like the boiled method really does seem to work better. Any guesses as to why?

Did the boilding stir things up in there such that shaking it while cold would have had the same effect? So many questions... Cool to see the comparison, though!
 
  • #24
Can you use this for other CPs? I have a VFT, 2 Sundews, a nepenthes ventricosa "red", and one unknown sarracenia.
 
  • #25
No. Sarracenia are the only plants that seem to respond to this treatment. I do not know if it has been tried on any others, so copy the recipe, and start watering plants to see the final result. Its called observation.
 
  • #26
Well, I don't want to kill my five CPs, so I just wanted to be sure that it is ok to feed them all tea, even if it has no "reddenning" effect.
 
  • #27
Abcat, I see no reason why it would hurt them. It sure does help prevent algae from growing in standing water!!!!!!
 
  • #28
OK, thanks for the help.
 
  • #29
I just read the whole topic, but one thing isn't 100% clear for me.

Is it possible to make tannic tea, just with some Black tea bags and cold brew? Or is it necessary to follow Bob's receipe, and at the end make it stronger with black tea bags?

Cheers!

Ries
 
Back
Top