Capensis seedlings! yay!

[Spark]

From the seeds sent to me by Darcie (Thankyouthankyouthankyou!! ) just a few weeks ago, I now have about 12 little guys coming up, with more every day, all healthy and green

. I'm just so glad that it's working out for them

. About 4 of them are already sending up another leaf, and it looks like it's a trapping leaf (as opposed to a non trapping leaf

)

Since things are going so well now, and I don't want this to change, are there any precautions I should take now that they are growing? I've heard of damping off and other such things, and I would like to avoid it. Right now I have them in a 6" wide pot with half and half perlite and rehydrated sphagnum, and a clear plastic sheet wrapped loosely over the top. It's lit by a flourescent tube 1" from the pot (It could be lit with sunlight, I just wasn't sure if this would cook the plants considering their size and the plastic sheet over them).

I hear it said all the time that capensis are the easiest carnivorous plants to grow, so I don't want to be one who kills them

.

 

[schloaty]

Hey Spark,
Congrats! I think that you should be able to remove the plastic cover now. They should be able to adjust to your humidity level if they are just sprouting (providing it isn't below 40%). I'm not too sure how to avoid damping off completely, but this should help.

Someone (Tamlin?) please confirm I'm not talking from my nether regions....

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

Schloaty, removing the cover should be fine or he can cut a few holes in it adding wholes each day to slowly adjust the seedlings to dryer conditions.  The trick is to increase air circulation as well as lower the humidity.  Fortunately D. capensis is a pretty tough plant and will handle about anything you throw at them. My seedlings wouldn't have survived my tender loving care otherwise.  I've let them get too dry, frosted, cooked in the sun, and now the cottonwood seeds are flying. Last time I counted I had 21 out of 35 seedlings still going.  That there are any at all is amazing.

 

[Spark]

Thank you for your replies. I took the plastic sheet off and they are still doing okay. Relative humidity around here is 84%, so I'm hoping they'll be fine  

. Just one last question. Will they do okay with full sunlight? Or will that just fry them.

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

You will likely fry them if you move them directly in to sunlight and leave them. They need to be moved into sunlight gradually to give the plant time to adjust to it.

 

[Spark]

I'll make sure to do it gradually, I just wasn't sure if they could tolerate it at all

. Thanks for the help.