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!

Trapper7

Loves VFT's!
I got a bunch of seeds from a few of the members here on TF and now I need to know some stuff about them. Basically should they be put in the fridge or can I plant them now. Which ones will live through winter? There is one that is native to Florida D. capillaris or D. intermedia? Does anyone know which one? Ok here are the seeds I have:

D. intermedia 'Cuba'
D. burmanii
D. capillaris
D. capensis 'Alba'
D. aliciae
D. madagascariensis
D. california

Thanks!

-Niki-
 
All of them will go fine indoors year-round, or you can take 'em outsied in the summer, but they are all species that don't need much seasonal variance or anything, from what I've seen in my collection anyways

Oh and "D.california" is most likely Darlintonia californica, which is not a sundew and needs a TOTALLY different set of things done to it to make it grow
biggrin.gif
 
All of the drosera seeds can be sown now. D. capensis, D. intermedia and D. burmanii will probably do just fine outdoors for you. D. aliciae and D. capillaris might not respond well to the intense sun in Fla. I do not grow D. madagascariensis so I do not know how that one will tolerate your conditions.

The Darlingtonia seeds should be stratified for a few weeks. They will most likely not be very happy with Florida temperatures. You will probably have to do some research on how to best provide the conditions that they expect.

Good luck
Steve
 
D. intermedia 'Cuba' I'm guessing is from Cuba, and unlike its northern cousins, it doesn't need a dormancy. D. capillaris is native to FL I think. D. madagascariensis is a weed.

-Ben
 
Great! Thanks for the info. Now do i just sow them onto wet peat/sand?
 
Here is an article written by our own Tamlin a few years ago. This should answer all of your questions.

<span style='color:black'>Handbook of Drosera seed cultivation.
By: William "Tamlin" Dawnstar

Seed has been sent to many growers from the Dawnstar Collection
smile.gif
I want to present to you my thoughts on how to best succeed with the coming adventure many of you will have growing this seed into beautiful flowering plants.

We begin with the consideration of the meduim onto which the seed will be lightly sown. This medium should be both clean and acidic.

The best germination medium is finely milled New Zealand long fiber sphagnum spread in a layer on pure peat. The acidity and natural antifungal and antiseptic properties of this medium will discourage the growth of opportunistic fungi and algae, which is a very important step towards winning the game! Seed can germinate and damp off in hours if attacked by fungi. You will never even know it was there.

When I say clean, I mean the peat used should be well rinsed prior to its use. The sphagnum as well should be rinsed with pure distilled water prior to its use to remove any trace micro nutrients that will allow the growth of fungi and algae. I leave my peat open to the rain for the season outside, so it is always ready for my needs. I sterilize it in the microwave before use. The moss I plunge in a bucket, squeeze out the water, repeat. The moss is then milled in a food processor until fine, and is ready for use.

Pots should be new and clean, and any water used should be distilled. Not rain! Rain water usually carries algal spores with it from various sources of contamination. If tray watering is used, the trays should be squeaky clean, and the water distilled.

The reason for all this care is that if your seed becomes involved with the life cycle of fungi, algae, mosses and liverworts, your seed will not germinate, or it will be so compromised seedlings will die shortly after germination, or languish without good development.

Will it always happen if you don't take precautions? Maybe not. But if you get some rare seed that is a once in a lifetime try, do you want to chance it?

The sterile peat is put in a pot or tray, and the milled moss spread 1 or 2 inches deep. The medium should be moist but not very wet. I find the disposable food storage containers to be ideal as the can be sealed and reopened easily.

If you are awaiting seed, now is a great time to begin preparing the medium. It is best to have the medium "age" a little, and to observe it for any potential problems.

There are reasons for such precautions. Many of these species have evolved in habitats that have been washed clean for millions of years. They have no natural defenses against many of the various fungi and other opportunistic byrophytes for they are not present in the plant's habitat.

Later, when the plants have established and built up some strength, things can ease off a little. Rain water can be used, humidity decreased, etc. They establish quickly if there is no competition.

Remember, little things make big differences in growing CP with success. The more you can do in little things, the more the plants will reward you. Don't be scared, it's really not a difficult thing
smile.gif
You can do it!

Next Chapter: Sowing the Seed
smile.gif


I know everyone has read the prior post on the importance of a clean medium. Now that the substrate is ready for the seeds, all that remains is the careful sowing of them. The seeds I sent all were stored cold and are ready for sowing without any additional need for stratification.

I sow the seeds by carefully rolling or tapping them off a folded sheet of white paper. Sow them on, not in, the medium. The seed must not be covered. Remember as they roll off, each has the potential to become a plant, and try not to over sow your seeds. 25 seeds is a good planting, and after attrition you should still have all the plants you will need. Try to drop each seed by intent, not by chance, and keep the spout of the paper moving around. It is easy to roll them to the center of the pot, but try not to focus there, rather more toward the rim. Seeds will make it to the center all on their own with little help from you. Its harder to sow them toward the rim, so concentrate. Immediately label the pot. I suggest marking directly on the pot, not the ziplock bag. This is a *very* important detail. Do not wait, do it immediately or you will get confused over time with the potential of spreading this confusion exponentially to other growers if you make an error. This caution applies to “expert” growers as well as “newbies”: No one is immune, and I have received misidentified material from many respected sources. This is one way that mistake can happen. If you do lose a label, you will have a 6 month wait to know what you are growing, and will also have an adventure in taxonomy trying to figure out what you have!

The label should contain as much data as is possible. Do not use marker pens, laundry pens, or any ink that is not India ink. A soft lead pencil is much better. Ink fades and washes away. Make sure the label sits well into the medium, or bury it at a corner of the pot if you dont like the look of it sticking out. All collection data regarding locality, elevation is very valuable information and should be retained, as there is considerable variation in droserae populations. I also mark the date the seed was sown, along with the scientific binomial or cultivar name if applicable. Keep a record of where the particular seed came from, in case there is need to correct an ID, or other communication is needed. I use a code that refers me back to a notebook entry containing this information.

Once the sowing done, I generally ziplock the pot in a bag, with maybe 1 cm pure water at the bottom.. I zip the bag shut, and place it in indirect light. You want to keep the light levels low until you note germination. Light at this stage of things only encourages algal growth, and the seeds do not require it for germination. Don’t place them under the lights if you can possibly avoid this. I use no subsequent water until germination is noted, unless there are evident signs of drying of the medium. Seed does not have to be in a soaking wet medium, just moist. I never spray the medium since this often washes the seed away and buries it.

The time until germination will vary according to species from 2 weeks to 2 years. You must be patient, and not give up if the plants do not appear. Keep the bag as long as you can afford a bit of space for it somewhere. I have had Brazillian species appear after a years wait. Petiolaris complex plants germinated after 6 months. D. glanduligera and D. arcturi took close to 2 years. There is no excitement that compares to seeing a forest of seedlings when you had long given up any real hope. There is *always* hope, provided the culture is not overgrown with moss and algae (see the prior topic on preparing the mix for details on this, and how to avoid it)

After a long wait, if nothing appears I usually retain the original labels, but I resow the pot with seed from other genera, with a new label. There can always be surprises, and I hate to waste anything. By this time the culture will have proved itself free of algal or bryophyte contamination, and is a good bet for valuable seed of another genera, since there will be no further worries of contamination. For this reason I like to prepare my medium as far in advance of sowing as possible: it gives time for potential problems to appear

Temps of even 70F with little night time drop will facilitate germination in most species, the exception being the winter growing Australian and African species. Some possible places to keep seed is atop the fridge, on the stove top if you have gas pilot lights, sitting above the ballast on fluorescents. I have gone so far as to put a pot on top of my computer monitor, but be SURE there is no drip!

Once germination is noted, plants should immediately be placed close beneath fluorescents. Be wary of exposing the seedlings to direct sunlight too quickly, although this is to be encouraged over time, along with a gradual lessening of humidity. I leave the seedlings sealed for a week after germination, then I crack the seal for longer and wider periods over time. Once the bag can safely remain totally open, I transfer the pot to tray watering and begin normal culture under strong light indoors, or direct sun outdoors (with appropriate screening until acclimization is reached)here in Upstate New York.

My best wishes to you all. Happy sowing.</span>
 
Back
Top