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Pyro

N=R* fs fp ne fl fi fc L
Moderator
Okay, long set up but bear with me.

My fiance's brother lives with us. He picked up the CP hobby from me and has his own mini-bog on our patio. One of his plants if a large (7" winter rosette diameter) VFT. It has just broken dormancy and is sending up 2 flower scapes.

Now, he has always envied all the trading/swapping I do and all the CP friends I have and he wants to get in on the action. I have told him many times that the first thing he should do is become active here but he is resistant because he says he first wants to actually have something to offer should a trade opportunity come up. He really wants to let his VFTs flower so he can get seeds but he is afraid he will lose his plant because of what it written in 'Savage Garden.'

So, to the point. What I would like is any pointer/help on keeping VFTs strong and healthy if you let them flower. I would like to give him the opportunity to come into this community and if he feels this is the only way I don't want him to lose his plant while trying.

Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance

Pyro
 
I let mine flower last year (without knowing it harms the plant) and it is still alive. It was still growing fine when it was flowering, i think it will grow a little faster if you cut off the flowers though. If you keep it in good conditions it will not die while its flowering. It won't grow so many traps, that all.
 
He'll have to 5 years before he'll have something to trade if he uses seeds. Instead, propogate through leaf cutting.
 
Alvin,

He wants to trade the seeds. Sorry I wasn't too clear about that.

Pyro
 
Alvin - How is your royal red leaf propogation coming along ? I'm thinking about doing the same to mine.
 
Pyro,
I have always allowed my vft to flower and seed and as long as the conditions stay good I have never lost a plant. From what I have been told it will slow down the rate of growth and can cause some deformities of the traps growing during the flowering but the plant will survive and do fine.

Cheers,
 
Maybe he should cut off one of the of the scapes and leave the other on.
 
Maybe he should cut off one of the of the scapes and leave the other on.
 
Well I can't see anything happening yet, but it's only been 6 days so far. It's under a propagator in my greenhouse and the trap is just starting to turn a bit wrinkly as it dies.
 
  • #10
Let my know how you get on with the cutting plz alvin, i'm thinking of doing the same with my Royal Red but it is relativly small and i do not want to waste a leaf.
 
  • #11
Ok, I'll keep you up to date. I hope it works
smile.gif
 
  • #12
There is nothing wrong with flowering, i enjoy growing the seeds, even though it takes 5 years for a mature blooming plant, i always always let my vft flower, along with all the rest of my cp's, all it does is drain the energy away from the plant making its traps, making the plant look smaller, but still with the rigth care, you can till keep your plant from looking to dainty, and also a quicker way but less fun way to make faster maturing vft's is to take cuttings. if you want to know how to take cutting just ask me and i will tell you, but i bet you do since you are reffering your question to your bro-inlaw
wink.gif


hope i helped
 
  • #13
If the plant is growing strongly there is no reason not to allow it to flower. Some energy will be spent, sure, but the plant will recover these reserves that are spent within the growing season with good culture. There will always be a chance of losing the plant though, but really, this is not an absolute. The only time I remove scapes is if the plant appears weak, or very small. Even though it takes years to get mature plants, the process of growing from seed yields stronger, better adjusted plants. Also it is like watching the whole movie instead of the last half of it. You get more of a feeling for the story line, and it teaches you what the plants really like or dislike. If the unfortunate and occasional loss ocurrs, the plant is not too hard to replace, and every failure only teaches something to the grower.
 
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