Drosphyllum, this time intentional

[jimscott]

I checked my version of a double pot a few days ago and found this:

This morning it looked like this:

 

[Wolfn]

They grow extremely fast. It should be flowering in a few short months.

Good luck with it!

 

[jimscott]

Flowering? I'd be thrilled if I got it past damp-off stage! I've had one of these things before, a stowaway from a visit with elgecko. I killed it after a few months.

 

[CPlantaholic]

congrats jim!
ya, i think the dewy pine might take a bit longer to flower than 2 months, unless you have some kind of magic power although, maybe you were thinking of Byblis?

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Making progress:>

What kind of light is it getting? They need LOTS of light or they will get very leggy very fast. My mature plant is growing under a 40w (150w equivalent) 5000k CFL in one of those clip on reflectors with the tip of the bulb down among the leaves. It seems to have come through the dull dreary Winter here in the Northeast in good shape. It has stayed nice and compact but the plant and glands even under that amount of light for 16hrs a day are much more pale than when it is out in the full sun during the Summer last year.

 

[Jefforever]

Cool that you got one to sprout. I've always wanted a dewy pine!

Good job.

 

[Capensis]

Looks like a fast grower. Congratulations on the germination!

 

[jimscott]

The oldest two leaves are 3/4" tall and sitting 1" under a Grolite, with 2 bulbs in it. In one day after snapping that picture, the third leaf looks like the other two, with that unfurling look. It really does grow fast. Should I sprinkle some freezed dried bloodworm "dust" on it now or wait a bit?

 

[jimscott]

This is the seedling I killed in 2006:

 

[jimscott]

Not as clear as I'd like it, but the plants sure is growing fast!

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Looks like you have a much looser airy mix this time. I would say the previous one was probably kept too wet and 'boggy'

Guess you can't get much closer with the light than you have! A straight 40w tube or two isn't going to cut it long term though. These guys grow in full blazing sun. Do you have a spot where you can put a 34w cfl in a reflector lamp right on top of it? Or a South window that gets full sun? You might be better off than the 2tube shoplight.

 

[jimscott]

About the best I can do is put it on the 4-tier grow rack, which is about a foot away from the sliding glass windows, southern exposure, under an aquarium fluorescent light. I'm not sure if that will be much of an improvement. I could put it outside in a few months, if that helps (same latitude as you). Can I feed it with pulverized freezed dried bloodworms yet, or is it too soon?

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Mine will be going outside as soon as the air temps reach the mid 40s. Back in at night if it will be dropping under 40. The sooner I can get it back out on the picnic table in the sun the better. My table is blocked from morning sun but otherwise it is full sun from about 1030am until sunset. If you have a spot outside then I would say most deffinately! They love the sun and it will be loaded with insects in no time. I have not tried to feed mine much this Winter. It has caught a few flies, fruit flies etc on it's own. I did put a few dried bloodworms on a leaf a couple weeks ago but they didn't appear to do much. I would let the plant get a couple more leaves yet before you try feeding it.

What are your plans for a pot? The cup it is in looks a little small? Mine is in a 7" x 7" ceramic pot which looks nice but is probably a little small. I will take a few pics later today.

 

[jimscott]

The drinking cup that it is in, 5 or 6 inches tall, nested in a large soda fountain cup. It takes literally 2 seconds from the time I add water before it comes out the bottom. It's like a sieve. It can take that cold? I think we get pretty much the same weather, right? Which town are you from? I'm in East Aurora.

 

[aaddaam]

glad you got one of the seeds to germinate.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Here is the pic. The CFL bulb was longer than the reflector so I put the foil on to help direct as much light down into the plant as possible. The leaves will go up inside the foil and reach the tip of the bulb. It is bright in there but the glands on the plant are still very pale compared to when it was outside in the sun. My main concern though was 1. keeping it alive and 2. keeping it compact. It hasn't shown any signs of etiolation at all which is what I was looking for. When the light is on the plant still exudes a faint honey smell so I take that as a good sign. It is amazing how good these plants are at attracting bugs!

Most deffinately can they handle the chill. Ideally days should be nice and toasty warm with cool nights. As long as you don't keep them sopping wet when it's cold they will be fine. In the Fall I only bring it inside at night when it looks like we will get a frost. Then it goes right back outside during the day until it is just too cold outside even with the sun up.

I haven't done any fancy potting.. just a mix of sand, perlite, a touch of peat and vermiculite. When it's outside I will have to water it in the morning most days and usually by afternoon the water has gone from the pan underneath. I water it from above giving it a good flood. When we have a few days of dreary weather and rain I will go out and dump the pan so it's not sitting in water constantly. During the Winter indoors it's been getting a good soak about twice a week although I have not been soaking it to the point of water in the pan. Mainly just a good soak then let it get almost dry inbetween. Some information I have talks about kind of going into a dormancy in the Winter.. I have not noticed that. Perhaps because the light is on for about 16hours and/or the temperature indoors with the light on is in the mid 70's. So it's been growing just as fast all Winter as it has during the Summer. The leaves are slowly getting paler green which I attribute to the reduced food. I can't imagine the few flies and other things it has caught this Winter indoors are sufficient to sustain it long term with the rate of growth it is capable of. I really get the feeling this plant is anxious to go back outside and just go to town! Have you read the information Kamil posted over at Bestcp? Lots of great photos and information on a trip they took to see these plants in the wild.
For anyone that hasn't read it and interested in Drosophyllum... it is a must read in my book
Bestcp Drosophyllum notes

Anyway.. here is the photo

 

[jimscott]

Thanks for sharing yours and Kamil's experiences. This pretty much sums up the article:

Previously described localities are likely the most eastern ones in regions where Drosophyllum occurs. Drosophyllum grows in acid sand-loamy soil, in the sandstone clefts and cracks, in sandstone-loamy gravel and in pure sand. A sample of the more loamy than sandy soil from the superficial layer at the locality near Ubrique had a pH of 5.3. The plants prefer full sunlight and eroded places without any cover. Growth of the plants in the underbrush of shrubs and grasses is poor. Plants never grow in the shade of the oak woods. The plants can survive high temperatures for a long time (even 45°C) or light frosts (down to –7°C in cultivation) without any damage.

We sow seed and subsequently grow plants on a medium consisting of acidic, fibrous peat moss and mild, nonalkaline sand (1:3). We sometimes add cut dry Sphagnum, perlite, vermiculite or milled charcoal, but this is not necessary. The plants tolerate loamy-sandy planting medium too. Plants grew very well in a sample of this soil we imported from the locality near Ubrique. We always use unglazed ceramic pots 12 cm or more in diameter. Some stems of sphagnum are put through the drainage hole to act as a wick. We fill a pot with the planting medium to 2 cm below the edge and press the substrate down. The filled pot is placed in a tray of water to moisten the substrate. Now we are ready to sow the seed.

The minute black seeds have a hard seed coat. For successful and quick germination, scarification is necessary – you must scratch the seed coat. We recommend the following methods:

A) Before sowing you can soak the seed in water or 0.1% solution of giberellic acid (GA3, stimulator of germination) for 24 hours. Then you carefully cut very thin slices of the soft seed coat using a knife blade. We cut at the peak of the seed, while other authors recommend cutting the side or a wider part of the seed.

B) Dry seeds can be abraded using sandpaper or a rasp. This procedure crushes up the hard seed coat. It is better to use method A).

C) You can sow the seeds without scarification and place them in a heated greenhouse. Seed will naturally germinate in the spring. While method A) allows a more precise timing of germination, method C) unfortunately does not.

Prepared seeds are sown on the moist planting medium in 3 – 5 pits about 1 cm deep (dug by a finger). We put one seed into every pit. The previous recommendation of placing the pot in darkness (Studnička, 1984a) has been found to be unnecessary. In our experience the seeds germinate at the same rate when exposed to light. The statement that only one plant should be left in a pot after germination is also untrue. We always grow several plants (1 – 5) in a single pot without any problems. Their growth is comparable with the plants potted up individually.

Seeds germinate in ambient or slightly higher air humidity conditions within one or several weeks. Too high air humidity leads to death of the germinating seedlings. If seed is treated with giberellic acid (GA3) they will start to germinate after one week. Otherwise, seed germinates within 2 – 3 weeks. As soon as the seed germinates you must decrease air humidity and increase air circulation. Also we add substrate to the germinating plants so that we cover the sowing pits with the substrate and replenish the surface of the pot. High air humidity will certainly kill all the young seedlings. Drosophyllum requires maximum light. About 40% of the germinated plants die during the first 2 – 3 months.

When the plants have grown a few centimeters, we have several possibilities on how to proceed. The first possibility is for growers who have the time to care for their plants. The pot is kept standing in a tray, adding water only when the plants require it. The planting medium on the surface is kept dry or very slightly moist. Watering ensures a moist lower layer of the planting medium in a pot. You must closely watch for signs of wilting of the plant, especially on hot summer days. This is an indication to add water. Intermittent overwatering of the planting medium or temporarily reduced lighting is not a problem for mature plants. Drosophyllum can be grown very easily in trays on windowsills, where the plants are watered from below as needed. The planting medium must be kept moist not water-logged. The construction of so called “double pots” is not necessary. In comparison to the fragility of the young plants, mature ones tolerate waterlogging and dry spells better and seldomnly die from this.

The second possibile method for growing Drosophyllum requires the construction of a so-called “double pot”. This is suitable for growers who do not have the time to observe their plants every day and quickly respond to the need of water. This method is described well in Adrian Slack’s book (Slack, 1988). The pot with germinated seedlings is placed on substrate or sphagnum which has been placed in a second ceramic or plastic pot with larger diameter filled so that two-thirds of the inner pot will be in the larger outer pot. A third of the pot with the plant juts above the edge of the first pot (vide picture). This “double pot” should be placed in a tray, always kept full of water. Watering should be higher in summer and lower in winter. The needed amount of water will penetrate through the bottom of the upper pot. The upper surface of the planting medium may dry up completely. It is necessary to keep the bottom of the inner pot rather high (vide picture) so that it does not sit in the water. If it is too low, the planting medium and roots would be waterlogged permanently.

Drosophyllum lusitanicum loves full sunlight all year round. The plants like high temperatures during the summer and fall and a range of 5-15°C in winter. Permanent high air humidity is bad. This plant may be grown successfully in pots on the windowsill receiving full sunlight (south exposure is ideal). Of course, the greenhouse is an excellent location, especially in winter. We recommend outdoor cultivation of Drosophyllum during the summer, e.g. balconies, gardens or peat bogs. Using these methods, we have been able to grow the plants for several years without any problems or loss. Outdoor plants are brought inside with the first frosts, but will survive temperature falls to 0°C and even light frosts without damage (-7°C). The plants spend their dormant period in a cold and bright room. During the dormant period the planting medium must be drier. Before Drosophyllum are winterized, it beneficial to remove all old dry leaves, which could become a source of rot and rust infection.

It sounds like a drier version of highland Nep to me. Is that right?

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Probably best to heed Tony's advice regarding light....the biggest and best I ever saw was grown outdoors here in NY in warm months although the grower had a greenhouse. I wish you the best with this remarkable plant!

 

[jimscott]

So Tony.... lemme know what day you will put yours out and I'll do the same! Newer pics:

Still trying to get a super clear photo!

 

[jimscott]

I came home and found that my prized Drosophyllum seedling had withered while I was at work. I'm sure it had a reason but I don't what it is. I did nothing to it.