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!

Lots of stalks but no seeds?

Hi everybody,

I have two pots of D. spatulatas (Frasier Island & "normal") that have been sending up multitudes of flower stalks, but none of the flowers seem to be making seeds as they close up. All I get are shriveled flowers and dried up stalks, which forces me to cut them off. I've read they're self-fertile but what can I do to help the process along? I never seem to catch them opening. Thanks very much.

Johnny
 
If the pods have turned brown, cut the scapes and put them in a paper envelope where they can dry out. The seed isn't released until the pods dry and they are VERY small. If you really didn't get seed, then probably you aren't providing sufficient light and nutrition to the plants. D. spatulata is normally very self fertile and produces abundant seed.
 
Tamlin is definitely more of a 'dew expert than I am, but he may have understated. D. spatulata seed isn't just VERY small, it's like dust. They're easily mistaken for crumbled-up parts of the flower stalk.
...Is it possible that your plant is not D. spatuala, but rather a sundew of similar appearance? I don't know if any of the spatuala look-alikes aren't self-fertile, but that could explain things.
As for catching the flowers in bloom - good luck. Sundews open their flowers for a day or so in general, if I remember right, and spatulata is one of the fastest. Mine usually open and close in a single morning, often before I wake up. If you see your spatuala in bloom, go buy yourself a lotto ticket.
Best luck,
~Joe
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (SpyCspider @ July 28 2006,10:55)]Hi everybody,

I have two pots of D. spatulatas (Frasier Island & "normal") that have been sending up multitudes of flower stalks, but none of the flowers seem to be making seeds as they close up.  All I get are shriveled flowers and dried up stalks, which forces me to cut them off.  I've read they're self-fertile but what can I do to help the process along?  I never seem to catch them opening.  Thanks very much.

Johnny
My D.spatulata have also been doing this for several months now even though they get plenty of light and water. I think Jimscott also told me that some of his have done this recently.
dewy
 
Yup. mine are barren. Strange, very strange, considering the plants are reddened.
 
hehehe...no they're growing quite well...very red, lots of dew. I bought them from Sarracenia Northwest a few months back and they've clumped up very nicely, producing lots of stalks, just no seeds as far as I can tell. I'm comparing the flower/seed pods to my D. intermedia side by side and the latter has very bulbous seed pods where you can definitely see the seeds.

If there are seeds in the spatulata stalks, I better fish them out of the garbage can, cuz that's where they are right now.

Oh and I stayed home today so I managed to pollinate at least 3 flowers while they were in bloom. We'll see if that makes a difference. Thanks.
smile.gif
 
D. spatulata flowers and seed aren't too comparable to intermedia, in my experience at least. My spatulata make much smaller pods than my temperate 'dews; I think in part because spatulata is just a naturally smaller plant. Similarly, their seeds seem to be smaller as well. The next time you get a dry stalk, mash it up and throw the whole thing into a prepared pot, and then give it a few weeks (or as much as a month or so I suppose.) If you're getting seed, then at least a few should germinate for you.
~Joe
 
Earlier in the season, though, I harvested seedpods and sent a packet to one hobbyist and that batch just germinated this past week. All that was to say that I know what a ripened pod looks like and I know the difference between seeds and plant parts. Just kinda strange that some had seeds and some don't. Same conditions.
 
Back
Top