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Drosera schizandra

Joseph Clemens

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Here are before and after photos of my solitary Drosera schizandra plant.

Before was just a few weeks ago; after is today. Difference is I started spritzing its leaves with the same fertilizer solution I use on most of my other CP and I took it out of its dim corner and put it into the same ziploc (sealed plastic bag) that its new companion plant (a Drosera falconeri) has been enjoying all along. Very high light levels too (within about 2 inches (5 cm) of multiple 40 watt fluorescent lights). What a difference.

Before:
i-wP7NrXq-L.jpg

After:
i-m8wv62F-XL.jpg

Companion plant:
i-D52rHwq-M.jpg
 
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Joseph,

Thanks for your observations on your experiments regarding this species, which very much contradict "established" advice for growing this species.

I feel compelled to add my own experiences. I have found that any drops of water sitting on the leaves of my plants have invariably rotted the leaves, and I was wondering how you would account for this?

Also you mention foliar fertilizing, but you haven't stated what fertilizer you have used, or the dilution which you employ. Could you provide us with these details (and bear in mind most growers do not use a TDS meter so stating dilutions based on PPM would not be communicative to most.)

Since this is a fairly rare and expensive plant in collections, I would hate to see anyone lose their plants as a result of failing to duplicate your success with your experimental protocol.

What works for one set of growing conditions may not work in a different set.

As you know, the success or failure of a cultivated plant depends on balancing all the factors found in cultivation, so please give your speculations.
 
Well, this is it:

Once called Peters All Purpose Fertilizer with trace elements, it is now called, Jack's Classic 20-20-20

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I feel compelled to add my own experiences. *I have found that any drops of water sitting on the leaves of my plants have invariably rotted the leaves, and I was wondering how you would account for this?

My guess would be that it is possibly some organism, either in the water or on the leaf surface acting in conjunction with the O2 level or temperature to attack the leaf tissues. -----Possibly the water is leaching out the minute amounts of nutrients that are supporting the health of the leaf and it is not pathological at all, just environmental nutrient difficiency.

I spread it out on a white sheet of paper (it is blue with dye). I then take the amount that would cover the eraser on the end of a regular wooden pencil (about 1/4 inch or 8 mm in diameter). A little less would be a safer choice. This would be a single layer of the crystals only, not a mound. Dissolve this in a 1/2 liter (about 1 pint) of very pure distilled water. This should make a solution that is about 60-80ppm of the fertilizer minerals only.

I use a one or two ounce, tiny atomizer, to lightly (very lightly) mist the leaves of nearly all of my CP once or twice per day while they are in active growth. If I miss a day or two sometimes, and I do. Then I don't worry about it. For the Drosera schizandra I have been giving it the fertilizer only about once every 3-4 days.

I am also keeping the plant in a sealed ziploc plastic bag with just enough moisture to keep the Sphagnum growing well. They are very close to cool white fluorescent lights on for about 15 hours/day. It is planted in a tiny 2 inch square plastic pot, with a layer of redwood bark covering the drainage holes, then is a layer of small white pumice pieces, and then the plant is planted in a layer of living Sphagnum.
 
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I guess we'll see what happens after some more time. If this keeps working, I will put all my lowland plants outside(single didgits today in F temp) and put all dormancy plants into full growth and try to put all tropicals dormant, lol.
So the D. falconeri is that deep red, because it's within two inches of 40W cool whites?

Joe
 
I think the clonal variety has a lot to do with the color in D. falconeri.  I grow 2 clones, including the one Pinguiculaman shows in the photo, but only this one attains this deep red coloration.  Mine gets this color some distance from the light tubes, which is surprising to me, since my other clone is close under the 1000 watt HID lamps but is far less red.

Griffin, Errr, don't be giving Joseph any more ideas! Besides, I think he has already broken most of these rules as well. LOL.

Thanks for defining your methods better Joseph, and keep up the good work. Seriously, experimentation should be made regarding much of the cherished dogma of growing CP.

A partial list of my friends accomplishments:

Growing Mexican Pinguicula and tuberous Drosera wet year round and without regard for dormancy.

Growing Sarracenia without any concerns for dormancy.

Propagation of D. falconeri and D. regia from leaf cuttings.

Taking root cuttings, rhizome cuttings and making transplants any time without regard for season.

Propagation of Sarracenia from 1/8 inch rhizome slices.

Aquatic storage of Sarracenia rhizomes and pygmy Drosera rosettes.

Reproduction of Drosera leaf cuttings in pure water.

Growing and storing Dionaea muscipula as aquatics.

Reproduction of Ping leaf cuttings with no need of substrate.

You won't find this info. in the Savage Bible! Experimentation is it's own reward ;-)
 
Well, I changed the conditions my schizandra have been growing in:  higher water level, weekly top watering (while avoiding getting the leaves wet).  New leaves on the parent plant are growing nicely, but more interesting is the fact that some plantlets are growing from roots and leaves that are in contact with the soil.  All this activity never happened until I started giving it more water.  Just some food for thought...

-Homer
 
This seems to be the case with my plants as well. I wonder though if more dryness might encourage the plant to concentrate less on offsetting, and more into adding to its bulk size? Since I sent Joseph his plant, I am sure that we have the same clone. I will experiment a little I think with a smaller plant. Although I have not noticed any root compromise using my wet protocol, I may have missed something. I have a lot of speculations to account for the waxing and sudden waneing that I have had so many other growers mention to me. I think that the roots are intended to begin active growth during the wet season in habitat, but that as the season progresses, the substrate there becomes progressively drier. This is when the roots would toughen, and cease to elongate. If the substrate is too wet at this time the new roots might be affected. SO, it is likely to be a seasonal cycle of wet/dry that will prevent the plant from losing the gains it has made. I just have to find out how to easily check which mode the plant is in. I doesn't like being knocked about so I cant just pop out the root ball like I can with most other species. I just have to pay more attention to the plants growth. Its hard to keep track of all the minutae of these details in my collection, but I will try to concentrate on this species in the coming weeks.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ] SO, it is likely to be a seasonal cycle of wet/dry that will prevent the plant from losing the gains it has made.

I would have never thought of that.  I assumed that since the plants grow naturally in the rain forest that there would be no wet/dry season.  But, sure enough, I researched the weather patterns of Cairns, Australia (relatively close to Mt. Bartle Frere) and there is a distinct wet/dry period.  Of course the rainfall patterns, etc will vary between these two places.  The summers are the wet season and the winters dry.  So... my question is how I should apply this to my cultivation method.  

Currently, the photoperiod ranges from 16 hours summer to 12 winter.  Right now, its at 12.5, thus close to winter and therefore putting it at the start of the dry season.  I, however, have been giving it more water the past few weeks with good results.  The "good results" is what matters.

My plan is:  continue to keep the water level high and top water until next fall (to recover from the dew-less leaves episode), then I will start to lessen the water level at slow increments to coincide with lower photoperiod.

At the moment, I should be happy I didn't lose the plant when the leaves lost all their dew (and never came back), and kept moving the plant around.

-Homer
 
Homer,

Just remember that this is speculation on my part, but it seems it would account for the growth pattern of this species.  I encourage the experiment.  The golden rule of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" might not always apply: what is needed is close attention to growth patterns, and the second that a chosen method or protocol fails a willingness to consider alternatives despite established opinions.

Joseph's experiment is laudable, but even more important is his reporting of it.  With new data comes the possibility of deeper insight, so please keep us posted as to your results.
 
  • #10
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>Since reading the other posts on this thread, it has got me to thinking. If Drosera schizandra is a "forest floor" species, what must be in the "rain" that reaches it after it has filtered over the surface of countless leaves and stems, etc. on its way to the forest floor. My understanding would be that no real "rain" water ever reaches them, just the rinse water from countless tree surfaces. Just imagine what could be in the "water" that reaches our precious Drosera schizandra. Are there any birds living in this habitat? Any rabbits? Any insects? My understanding is that they all deficate. Ha ha. Possibly TDS in the 100's of PPM. Just logical speculation unless someone were to test the hypothesis by collecting some "rain" water falling in the vicinity of the actual plants in situ.</span>
 
  • #11
That would be an interesting bit of data for sure, and I'd bet you're right in that speculation. There's always another piece to the puzzle isn't there?
 
  • #12
Here's an updated pic of my schizandra since changing the conditions last month.  Much better results!  You can see in the picture the young ones growing in the pot.  Just wanted to let you all know that my new growing methods are working fine.  

schizandraupdate.jpg


-Homer  
cool.gif
 
  • #13
even though this plant is tropical, it seems to appreciate some cool, humid conditions. is it possible it would respond to the way Joe grows D. regia and tamlin grows D. graminifolia?

Regards,

Joe
 
  • #14
Schizandra is an easy plant if you don't fuss with it. Just let it sit there and do its thing, without worrying about it and if your temperature and lighting are good, it will thrive.
 
  • #15
CP Angel,

Are you growing this species? Can you post some photo's of your plants? What conditions do you have yours in?
 
  • #16
I spoke too soon (of course) on my last reply.  The 2 newest leaves that have formed on this plant are turning brown, even before they fully develop... and it spreads throughout the leaf.  Looks like rot of some sort.  
sad.gif
 

Any ideas on ways to combat this?  The good news is that its producing offshoots that I place in other pots nearby in case the worst happens.

-Homer
 
  • #17
Just a thought on rainforest. Assuming this plant is from a TRUE rainforest and not a tropical wet/dry forest the rain water will have 1 of several methoids of reaching the plant.

A) multi layer raining. Aka, it rains up high and evaporates before it hits the ground, but then starts raining again on a lower level.

B) rain does not reach it and it lives off of the high humidty levels surounding it.

C) rain somehow makes it to the plant via runoff which contains almost 0 nutrients because all the plants that it passed by on it's way down sucked the nutrients out of the water as it passed them because nutrient compitition is fearce in the rainforest.

If it is actually a seasonally wet/dry tropical forest THEN you could expect high nutrient levels in run-off.

smile.gif
just adding to the pool ecological data since I took that class last semester and it's still fresh in my mind.

Experimenting is fun isn't it? I wonder if the reson my VFTs don't self propigate but have gigantic root systems is because I grow them in dry conditions (dry in conparison to most growers, average for the wild plants in the sandy areas) like it seems to be with this sundew. I'll have to switch some to high water levels and see what happens.
 
  • #18
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>Homer,

Sounds like your plants may be experiencing a nutrient/micronutrient deficiency, perhaps iron and/or magnesium/manganese -- even nitrogen? How do you feed your Drosera schizandra?

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]SYMPTOMS OF MICRONUTRIENT SHORTAGES IN PLANTS
By Cleo Palmer

The following symptoms are for plants in general and not for irises specifically. It is likely, however, that they would be similar in irises in most cases.

Many of the micronutrients are carried over in the organic matter in the soil, and many soils are becoming deficient in organic matter, resulting in micronutrient deficiencies. Minor plant growth element shortages are the greatest in sand and sand-loam soils, but outright deficiencies are showing up in some clay soils as well.

Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are the recognized primary plant growth nutrients.

Calcium, magnesium and sulphur are the identified secondary nutrients. This does not mean that they play a secondary role in growth. They are as important to plant nutrition as are the recognized primary nutrients.

Many plants contain as much sulphur as phosphorous and sometimes more. Secondary nutrient deficiencies can depress plant growth as much as the major nutrient deficiencies.

Calcium in plants stimulates root and leaf development. It forms compounds which are part of cell walls. Poor root growth is one common symptom of calcium deficiency.

Magnesium is a mineral constituent of plant chlorophyll. It is actively involved in photosynthesis. An atom of magnesium, as one example, is at the heart of every chlorophyll molecule. Magnesium also aids in phosphate metabolism, plant respiration and the activation of several enzyme systems within the plant. Magnesium deficiency symptoms usually appear on lower older leaves. It shows as a yellowish-reddish color, while the leaf veins remain green.

Sulphur is essential in forming plant proteins because it is a part of certain amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Sulphur is fairly well distributed throughout the tissues of the plant. Sulphur deficiency shows up as a pale green color in plants, generally appearing first on younger leaves. Leaves tend to shrivel as the deficiency progresses. Leaves die only in extreme cases, although plants can die in the seedling stage. Sulphur deficiency shows up most often in sandy soils low in organic matter in areas of moderate to heavy rainfall.

Organic matter decomposing in the soil influences how much sulphur is available to the living plant. The reduction of some pollutants in the atmosphere has reduced the amount of sulphur once available to plant growth.

Aside from the three secondary plant growth elements (calcium, magnesium, and sulphur) there are seven recognized micro-nutrients needed for plant growth. These are boron, copper, chlorine, iron, magnesium, zinc, and molybdenum. It is widely held that acid soil conditions will reduce the availability of iron, magnesium, boron, copper and zinc.

A key to plant deficiency is the color change in the lower leaves as follows:

Nitrogen: Plants light green -- lower leaves yellow.

Phosphate: Plants dark green -- leaves and plants small.

Potassium: Brown discoloration and scorching along outer margin of lower leaves.

Manganese: Lower leaves have a yellow discoloration between veins. Finally, reddish- purple from edge inward.

Zinc: Pronounced interveinal chlorosis and bronzing of leaves.

Calcium: Emergence of primary leaves delayed. Terminal buds deteriorate. Color change in upper leaves. Terminal bud dies.

Boron: Leaves near growing point yellowed. Growth bud appears as white or light

brown dead tissue. Terminal bud remains alive.

Sulphur: Leaves, including veins, turn pale green to yellow--young leaves first.

Iron: Leaves yellow to almost white; interveinal chlorosis to leaf tip.

Magnesium: Leaves yellowish-gray or reddish-gray with green veins.

Copper: Young leaves uniformly pale yellow--may wilt and wither without chlorosis.

Chlorine: Wilting of upper leaves--then chlorosis.

Molybdenum: Young leaves wilt and die along margins.

From:Iris Society nutrient deficiencies page

Other links about plant macro and micro nutrients:

Micronutrients</span>
 
  • #19
I don't feed the plant.  It just gets light and distilled water.  Some of the dew-less lower leaves turn brown and die (sometimes getting gray mold on the leaves before I prune them).  Maybe this mold decided to infest the new leaves?  That was my initial thought, but why then didn't it infest the existing leaves you see in my recent post?  


PinguiculaMan, any suggestions for a simple method to feed this plant?  Any particular bug or fertilizer you suggest??

I just noticed that a young offshoot has a leaf that is brown along the edges...  it seems this problem develops on one side of a newly forming leaf and spreads from there...

-Homer
 
  • #20
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>Homer,

I would get a small container of "Freeze-dried bloodworms", tropical fish food. I take a very small pinch between thumb and forefinger and holding it a few inches obove the plant, then rub your fingers together to crush them to powder and let a little of the powder drift down so a little of it falls on a single leaf. Bloodworms are the larvae of certain species of mosquito and are 50% protein (nitrogen). Doing this I have noticed marked improvement in just a few weeks. Sometimes under very high humidity the bloodworm particles can develop mold, however, so far this has not caused any problems. When they do I just wash them off with a spritz of water. I only feed one leaf at a time and wait until several new leaves form before I repeat the feeding with a new leaf.

I do augment my bloodworm feeding with a very dilute spritz with a trace element solution. One called Peters S.T.E.M. (Soluble Trace Element Mixture) should suffice. Remember, very dilute.</span>
 
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