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Pinguicula macrophylla

Wondering about direct experience in cultivating this plant. Mine is not doing well. Dropped most of its leaves a day or two after potting. Is growing, but pretty slowly. Also, there is a worrisome dark coloration along the midribs of some new leaves. Its in 1:1:1 peat, sand, pumice in a terracotta pot, 2". Top watered daily with pure water. Frequent watering due to the heat, fan, and terracotta pot result in almost complete drying of the pot each day. Other Pinguicula in my collection seem to be responding well to this moisture situation.
It's about 6 inches from 4 four foot t8's.

Any special tips and tricks for this one?

Thanks TF!
 
P.macrophylla needs an absolutely bone dry winter resting period. Prematurely watering this species will cause it to rot almost every time. I don't begin to start watering mine until the plants show me that they're ready, usually in April or May sometime.
 
This plant came to me in and is currently in carnivorous growth. Do you think premature watering is still likely the issue?
 
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Pinguicula macrophylla has done well for me in my usual semi-aquatic, under fluorescent light conditions, see my 2005 thread, and my 2009 thread. I had let the image links get out-of-date (I relocated the images, but hadn't yet updated these links). I initially grew them in my more usual conditions, wet, all the time, even when these did not have any summer leaves above the media surface, and where in complete winter leaf form. I only ever grew them in all mineral media; mixtures of silica sand, perlite, APS (aquatic plant soil), etc. with a little iron oxide powder. Though, as mentioned in the 2009 thread, I subjected some to extended periods without water, they formed summer leaves, in those conditions, and would probably have survived if I had switched them back to a regimen where they were watered, at least periodically. But, for health reasons I was unable to properly care for them, and they were eventually lost. But not before they went in and out of summer leaf form, several times, and I also achieved a few flowers.

They were a very rewarding species to grow. I highly recommend them.

For my basic growing conditions, see -> Cultivating Mexican Pinguicula

There are a few Mexican/equatorial species that, for me, do not yet respond favorably to these conditions, such as P. heterophylla, P. medusina, and P. immaculata, among others (but the list is quite short). Soon, I plan to return to my tinkering, and hopefully will discover what I am missing, in providing an artificial environment for them.

Another grower is using methods, very similar to my own, and he has managed excellent success with some of these species that still provide great challenge for me. That grower is dvg. He is doing amazing work with many of these plants, and creating several novel hybrids, that are unique and very attractive. Of particular note, is the progress he's making with darkly pigmented forms of P. agnata.
 
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