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Genlisea troubles

Alrighty,
I'm quite the newbie with genlisea. I had a small patch sent to me a year ago, and it didn't last long as a bit of hot weather did it in in one day.

This time, copper was kind enough to send me a small patch of g. lobata and a tiny bit of g.violacea. Both arrived in good condition the other day. This time, I put them in 60/40 peat/ sand, and stood the container in a small amount of RO water. Same as my utrics and drosera. 24 hours later, all but one tiny leaf has rotted. The plants are in an eastern facing window. Today was cloudy, so they got about 3 hours of very filtered light. Temps 75 degrees, 70% humidity. Have I done something wrong? Any chance there is TOO much water? And is there any chance they'll regrow from roots, like utrics seem to?

Thanks in advance,
Michelle
 
Awwww! I hate it when the come and go in an eyeblink. I suggest you try to bring the "roots" to the surface since the traps can be used to start new plants.
 
try growing in shredded Sphagnum, they love it!
 
I have been having great success using very shallow trays vs deeper (4 inch) pots. The trays are undrained, and I flood them until the rosettes are submerged. Within 2 days the surface is moist only. The trays are only an inch deep, and I think this assists the growth, as the traps are forced back up to the surface and then become new rosettes. The mix is a bed of milled LFS with some peat and sand, and there are various carpet mosses mixed in with the sphagnum at the surface. It is mounded and sculpted vs being totally flat, making gullies and hills.

Since transplanting some of the feeble little rosettes I have been growing (pencil eraser sized) the rosettes have grown to half dollar sized in half a year and are flowering with vigor. I also wonder if there isn't some sort of mycorhizal exchange happening in the tray since everything seems to thrive and grow more rapidly here than anywhere else in my collection. I think this method may have merit, and hope others will experiment along these lines.

Some of my conditions: surface about 3 inches from the (2) 4 foot 40 watt flourescents (one Growlux one cool white). Water every 3 days to a week, pure water only. Daylength 14 hrs. Humidity 40% and above. Temps. ambient room, cooler in winter with at least a 5-10 degree nightime drop.

Hope this helps. I have just taken leaf cuttings for you Michelle, of a couple of species. If they prosper I'll replace your lost plants.
 
wickedthistle,
I've been using superthrive on new plants that I recieve to help with shock. Seems to help.
 
My genlisea did the same thing, until I put it in my lowland tank with nepenthes. Now they recovered some, but not all the way.
 
Wickedthistle I grown mine in low pots in a water tray. I keep water in the try, but will let it get as low as a half inch. I grow them with my utics and they are doing very well. Do not worry, if they do not make it I will send more (if the mail plays nice)

Why does it take the mail so much longer to travel west than east?
 
Thanks all for the advice! Just 12 hours later, my one surviving leaf is already starting to wilt. I think the roots might be going first. The g.violacea was mostly on shredded lfs, with the mix below that. But no luck there either. For the g.lobata, I was able to dig up two wilty-looking roots. I'll add some diluted superthrive to the mix and put it in my tank. The container is only 2" deep.

And thanks for the offers of more plants. I might have to pull in that favor in the next few days ;)

As for the mail, California has really cracked down in general. Larry sent me some sunflower seeds in a padded envelope, and all I got was grease spots. And, I send two packages of three drosophyllum seeds to two different people, 2 months apart. The first pack made it fine. The next pack (apparently after they cracked down) was ground in to powder like black pepper. And if you've ever seen those seeds, you'd know they're very tough! Bah!
 
For 12 additional cents stamp you can mark "Hand Cancel". That seems a good deal.
 
  • #10
my seeds didn't work
smile_h_32.gif
but they were the pack that came fine. Thank you for the seed though.


matt
 
  • #11
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Tamlin Dawnstar @ May 30 2004,9:00)]I have been having great success using very shallow trays vs deeper (4 inch) pots.  The trays are undrained, and I flood them until the rosettes are submerged.  Within 2 days the surface is moist only.  The trays are only an inch deep, and I think this assists the growth, as the traps are forced back up to the surface and then become new rosettes.   The mix is a bed of milled LFS with some peat and sand, and there are various carpet mosses mixed in with the sphagnum at the surface.  It is mounded and sculpted vs being totally flat, making gullies and hills.

Since transplanting some of the feeble little rosettes I have been growing (pencil eraser sized) the rosettes have grown to half dollar sized in half a year and are flowering with vigor.  I also wonder if there isn't some sort of mycorhizal exchange happening in the tray since everything seems to thrive and grow more rapidly here than anywhere else in my collection.  I think this method may have merit, and hope others will experiment along these lines.

Some of my conditions: surface about 3 inches from the (2) 4 foot 40 watt flourescents (one Growlux one cool white).  Water every 3 days to a week, pure water only.   Daylength 14 hrs.  Humidity 40% and above.  Temps. ambient room, cooler in winter with at least a 5-10 degree nightime drop.

Hope this helps.  I have just taken leaf cuttings for you Michelle, of a couple of species.  If they prosper I'll replace your lost plants.
I know I seem to be Tamlin's #2 fan (#1 is PAK) especially in regard to the pinned topics, but this looks like valuable cultivation material to me for one of the more gourmet CP's. Whaddya think, mods?
 
  • #12
Droseradude, I HOPE you haven't given up on that seed. It takes about 3 months. Some of mine took 6. At that point, you can dry out the seeds for a few days and try again. It's like trying to pop the unpopped kernels of popcorn, but sometimes it works. CP2K or Ivan might be able to give you better advice at the next meeting.

Well, in genlisea news, they are deader than a doornail. Dang, I've never seen such a fast decline of healthy cps! I had them 3" under my Growlux as well. Same conditions as Tamlin, but with a 15 degree nighttime drop. I'm wondering, is it possible that they were in shock from the change in growing conditions from copper's home to mine? They were in a box for around 5 days (I think). I didn't bring them into full sun, but still...perhaps I should have put them in the bathroom drawer for awhile to get acclimated?
confused.gif


Jimscott, we all just need to stick some futuristic electrodes to Tamlin's head so that we can broadcast all of the cp information there. It would be like watching the Discovery Channel!
 
  • #13
Actually, I am writing a book. I save all this stuff and hopefully someday will become an honest to goodness author.
Thanks for the kind words and appreciation.
 
  • #14
Hey Michelle...I like that idea! "WTAM...broadcasting CP News and Notes nightly at 8 p.m. EST." hehe Hmmmmm...CP radio....now that's an interesting idea. Talk radio with CP "luminaries" to answer questions. We have websites and discussion forums...why not radio? Or even better...TV!!
 
  • #16
Maybe we can turn it into a Roddenberry thing - CP Trek... these are the voyages of a CP bog....
 
  • #17
It costs extra for hand cancel? That's why they've been rejecting my mail and telling me that it is not enough stamps...???
confused.gif
confused.gif
confused.gif
 
  • #18
This is Tamlin masquerading as the charming and talented Lavenderdawn.........


Yes. It costs 12 cents extra for a hand stamp only request. Add 12 cents and write HAND CANCEL ONLY in big old letters and its no worries mate.
 
  • #19
[b said:
Quote[/b] (wickedthistle @ May 30 2004,4:01)]Thanks all for the advice! Just 12 hours later, my one surviving leaf is already starting to wilt. I think the roots might be going first. The g.violacea was mostly on shredded lfs, with the mix below that. But no luck there either. For the g.lobata, I was able to dig up two wilty-looking roots. I'll add some diluted superthrive to the mix and put it in my tank. The container is only 2" deep.

And thanks for the offers of more plants. I might have to pull in that favor in the next few days ;)

As for the mail, California has really cracked down in general. Larry sent me some sunflower seeds in a padded envelope, and all I got was grease spots. And, I send two packages of three drosophyllum seeds to two different people, 2 months apart. The first pack made it fine. The next pack (apparently after they cracked down) was ground in to powder like black pepper. And if you've ever seen those seeds, you'd know they're very tough! Bah!
And don`t forget the aquatic plant incident. Grrrr.....BAD POST OFFICE!
mad.gif
 
  • #20
[b said:
Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ June 01 2004,2:44)]Hey Michelle...I like that idea!  "WTAM...broadcasting CP News and Notes nightly at 8 p.m. EST."   hehe   Hmmmmm...CP radio....now that's an interesting idea.  Talk radio with CP "luminaries" to answer questions.  We have websites and discussion forums...why not radio?  Or even better...TV!!
Yeah and they could have people call in with problems\questions to be answered! And they could have experts discuss through the phone on like 3way talk or something and brodcast that!
 
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