Propagating pygmy Drosera

[TheFury]

SO - I have a nice set of four pygmy Drosera that I got in the mail about two weeks ago. I'm reducing the photoperiod in my grow rack down to about 9 hours a day to coax these things into producing their gemmae around November. Here's my question:

If I leave the gemmae alone and don't touch them, will they fall off of their mother plants and sprout themselves naturally, or do I need to collect them and work with them a bit to get them to sprout properly? I'd like to let my colonies fill out in their pots a bit, but I don't want to lose those gemmae by doing the wrong thing!

 

[UnstuckinTime]

What works for me is to take the pot and turn it roughly 135 degrees from vertical (As in, almost upside down) over a 8.5" x 11" piece of creased white paper, and hit pick at it with a tooth-pick until all the ripe ones fall.

Hope this helps!

 

[geffcardo]

i wish there was a video showing this whole process from start to finish

 

[Zhilin]

You have to kick off these gemmae, otherwise the gemmaed plantlets will destroy the crown of the mother plant.

Here are some helpful info:

http://www.carnivorousplants.org/seedbank/seedgermguide.htm
http://rci.rutgers.edu/~dpevans/Drosera/Gemmae_Vacuum.htm

 

[TheFury]

Thanks for those helpful links.

Can I sprout the gemmae I've collected in the same pots as the mother plants or should I do that in separate pots? Are gemmae like seeds in that they should probably be covered with baggies while sprouting?

 

[SDCPs]

You there: forget about the baggies!

 

[TheFury]

GAH

You got me. I'm all about the baggies. Must have been something I picked up in college...

Anyway, so you don't need to make special humidity considerations for the gemmae when sprouting them?

 

[jimscott]

Generally, I cover the gemmae until they sprout but I have had them sprout without any help from me. You can start them with the parent plants or in a separate pot. Whatever works for you. I prefer to start a new generation in a new pot.

 

[TheFury]

Awesome. Yeah, i'd kinda like to fill out my colony a little more this year since they're a little sparse (fresh out of the mail box, basically). Next year I'll definitely start fresh.

 

[jimscott]

You can even be fancy and make a pattern or spell out a name!

 

[TheFury]

Wasn't there someone here that did that?

Why not go for the gold and make a Tibetan mandala in pygmy Drosera??

 

[boxofrain]

an old thread but....

Just how many pygmy Drosera gemmae should you add to what size pot?