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!

  • #21
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>Here is some additional info about Redwood Bark in a quote from this link: http://www.disas.com/con1999-12.htm  BTW, Disa orchids are terrestrial and sympatric (grow side-by-side in the same environment) with Drosera capensis and other South African CP:

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]4. Redwood bark
Several California orchid growers, and Disa growers specifically, have had great success using shredded redwood bark in their medium for Disa cultivation. Redwood is well known for its excellent resistance to decay, and John Larimer prompted me to find out what constituents were responsible. So I contacted a chemist who specialises in natural products, and this is what he came up with: "It's the oils. Redwoods, cedars and others contain a complex mix of terpenes, propylphenol and propylphenol ethers (lignites). Many have antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant properties." Maybe these oils in the bark help Disa plants by keeping root rotting fungi at bay. The oils are presumably also a major factor in why redwood burns so easily.
That's all for this issue.

Check out this link about the culture of Disa orchids, doesn't it sound familiar?</span>Disa Orchid Culture
 
  • #22
Disa orchids have very similar cultivation requirements to CPs; soil, light, water etc.

I first saw them in the flesh (foliage?
smile.gif
) at Kew Gardens growing together in the same greenhouse as CPs and knew then I had to try some. I've been growing both a red and a yellow-flowered form of D. uniflora for about five months now without problems, I can't wait for them to flower, hopefully this summer. I don't use any bark chips in the compost, just NZ LFS and perlite, with a live sphagnum top.

This is one of the the D. uniflora at Kew that first caught my attention, stunning little orchids.

Disa.jpg


Cheers

Vic
 
  • #23
<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>BTW, Tamlin,

Thanks for sharing about your Drosera graminifolia. I too have now shifted my plant into the same culture I use for the Drosera regia. Sure would be nice to get flowers and some viable seed from this beautiful plant.</span>
 
  • #24
Hi fellow CPers.. I am now back, after some time and surprisingly i find this when i am trying to grow some D.graminifolia seedlings.

Someone here, maybe Tamlin or PinguiculaMan, can tell me of a good replacement for redwood here where i live?? (Colombia)

Kind regards, and i am really happy to be back here.
 
  • #25
[b said:
Quote[/b] ] Congrats! You seem to have found the right way to cultivate these and other CPs from cool mountains seepage habitats, which until now have been a major pain in the *** in most CP collections!!

I have seen excellent specimens of graminifolia grown without the redwood in both wet and drier conditions. I don't think this is such a difficult plant to grow. This seems to be a misconception based on the rarity of plants in cultivation. I have seen it become more available recently so give it a try if you do well with other Drosera. It's not that picky if your conditions are good and you get the right form.

Angel
 
  • #26
Well, my plants are groing but very slowly. They are only 2 cms and with 3-4 leaves. I think i need to change something but dont know what. Other sundews are growing fine (montana,spatulata,biflora,capillaris,burmanii,etc). I use the tray method and LFS as the medium. They get full sun, high humidity and temps around 20C at night and 26C-30C during the day.

Regards,

Sebastian in Colombia
 
  • #27
Dear Sebastian,

These conditions are fine for some of them but not others. You might want to try getting plants from a different location because they will probably grow better for you. For the plants you already have, transplant them in the spring to some fresh sphagnum and see what happens. Or use the other method described here and report back to us to tell us what happens.
 
  • #28
Hi CPangel, the only problem is i will have to wait for spring for the rest of my life
tounge.gif

This is just because i live in Colombia in South America.

Do you think my problem can be i have too high temps??
 
  • #29
Seb,

It's not the high temps that the plants object to, it's the lack of a sufficient night time drop. The plants grow much more quickly in warmer conditions instead of in the icebox like conditions used by some growers. Temps here reach 32C, but the plant is not affected, providing there is at least a 5 degree difference between day and night temps.
 
  • #30
Thanks Tamlin, know any way to emulate that drop artificially?
 
  • #31
I have a friend in Brazil working on the idea of a pelrier cooled terrarium. I have some electronic parts I need to send to him now that I think of it. This might work. I have speculated that an old water cooler with a pump to circulate the cooled water to the roots might work as well, but I haven't experimented. My friend also has difficulties with other Brazillian taxa. Maybe he will find a solution. I can put you in touch with him if you are interested. PM me for an "introduction".
 
Back
Top