Mexican Pinguicula outside

[Morpheus]

This is probably a fairly stupid question but I wanted to know if it were possible to grow Mexican pings, P. cyclosecta in particular, outside over the summer (protected from direct sunlight), then overwinter it under lights. I'm asking this because my growlight setup is very very poor and I don't particularly have the space or funds to upgrade right now. I also have very limited access to good south or west facing windows. I am interesting in growing Mexican pings as I have never done so before, but I want to make sure it's a reasonable feat before I dive headfirst into purchasing a bunch of plants and inevitably kill them because of improper growing requirements. Many thanks!

 

[LuluMegan]

Yes that should be fine. I'm not sure in terms of specifically to cyclosecta but I have all my pings growing year round out side in full sun. I've put a few under lights and they do fine but I think they like it outside better mexican pings are fairly easy to care for

 

[cwatson1414]

Haven't grown them outside before, but one thing I would take into consideration is that they are prone to crown rot. If they are out in the rain and water collects in the crown of the plant this could be an issue you run into. Not sure, just something to think about.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Growing this group of Pinguicula, outside, should depend mostly on your ability to approximate their natural environment, or improve on it. I've often considered trying to do as you mention, but it seems much easier for me to grow them indoors, under lights, for now.

A local nursery, here in Tucson, specializing in arid adapted plants, is doing a wonderful job with Lithops. Lithops are also prone to crown rot. They grow them in a greenhouse, that has a solid top, but with screened sides, this keeps out most natural precipitation, so the only water they get comes from hand watering.

A light dusting of dried insect powder (or freeze-dried blood worms/tubifex worms), applied to the leaves, regularly, and gently washed into the crown, is good to nearly eliminate that crown rot issue. Mixing a little Trichoderma harzianum inoculant, into the insect powder, helps, too.

A word of caution, though: too much insect powder, applied at one time, can cause the problem you're trying to avoid. So, if you're not familiar with feeding in this way, err on the side of too little vs too much.

So, cwatson1414, where in the world do you hail from? Not a requirement to answer, I just try to imagine the climates of others, and how they may possibly be growing their CP.

 

[w03]

I wonder if anyone has tried the same thing with other sources of chitin, perhaps shrimp or crab shells.

On the note of the ping, I imagine it would do quite well outside, especially with the increased air circulation,

 

[Morpheus]

I'm in zone 6b so summer temps are often quite hot and humid. I should be able to keep them out of direct rain. Would I want to protect these guys from direct sunlight, let them get only a couple hours, or leave them in full blazing light?

 

[LuluMegan]

Bright direct sun They're fine without direct sun but when you don't put them in full sun they don't get the pretty pink/red/purple colors they usually show in full sun

 

[theplantman]

I've grown Pings outdoors and it's really difficult. Hard rains shatter the leaves everywhere. Good for propagation, but at the frequency it rains in the south, it ends up just killing the plants. Added to that, full sunlight where I am causes sun scorch. With overhead protection in partial shade, you might have a shot.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

I wonder if anyone has tried the same thing with other sources of chitin, perhaps shrimp or crab shells. . .

I have tried it with dried/powdered shrimp shells, though not extensively or for an extended period of time. I was concerned that the shrimp shells might contain damaging amounts of sodium, but I soaked mine in D.I. water, several times, and even after they had been powdered, so they were rinsed out fairly well, then redried. I've even tried using tiny, whole, dried shrimp, in shell. It does work, but just not as well as insect powder, plus a little Trichoderma harzianum inoculant.

I just like the thought of insect powder, better. After all how many shrimp are these plants going to be exposed to in their native habitats, vs insects.

--------------------
Thank you Morpheus for bringing this idea, back to my mind. I'm also, thanks to fredg, looking into trying PV power and the recirculating tray method. In my case it will be in a greenhouse frame I built more than a decade ago, but ran short on funds and was not able to complete it as a greenhouse, but now plan to use it as a shade house. I'm hoping to be able to create an environment suitable for, at least, Mexican/equatorial Pinguicula. If this works, perhaps I can gradually expand the PV system to get us off the grid, or at least greatly reduce our commercial power consumption. Great ideas, guys. I sure hope it works.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

I've grown Pings outdoors and it's really difficult. Hard rains shatter the leaves everywhere. Good for propagation, but at the frequency it rains in the south, it ends up just killing the plants. Added to that, full sunlight where I am causes sun scorch. With overhead protection in partial shade, you might have a shot.

What you said here, reminds me of my experience with placing some Mexican Pinguicula into a tropical greenhouse at a nearby arid plants nursery. The greenhouse is used for plants, other than arid types, including several varieties of Mexican Pinguicula, which I provided. They water by hand, and this has produced a virtual cascade of spontaneous propagations. The watering had dislodges leaves on several occasions, enough, so that there were plants in many places on the wooden benches around the potted plants, on the concrete blocks that supported the wooden benches, on the gravel of the greenhouse floor, and several were even perched on the rims of the plastic pots. A curious place for severed leaves to rest and plantlets to form, epiphytically (on rocks it is lithophytically, so is it plasticphytically, here?).

In that greenhouse it was easy to see how adaptable these plants are to lower light. They grew and flowered well, but just didn't look as well-defined and healthy as those I was growing under fluorescent lights.

 

[Morpheus]

I'm going to go ahead and try to grow them outdoors this season. I'll take pullings to make sure I have backups indoors. Hopefully it works! I'm going to try to grow in a mix of peat, perlite, crushed lava rock, and possibly a small amount of crushed oyster shells (I've heard that Pinguicula like to have extra minerals in the soil?)

 

[Morpheus]

Also, thanks to everyone for their input! I'm going to try growing them on my porch where they'll be protected from harsh light and rains but still receive morning light.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Sounds like an interesting and progressive plan. I look forward to hearing of your success.