Intro:
For several months I have been keeping a diary of my plants behaviour, sizes, growth etc. I've kept this diary more so I can show myself how well my plants are growing, and give me more drive to keep them alive and well, than as a real science experiement. However reading back through my diary today, I realised that some of the collected info could help other people, so I've decided to post it. This is the complete version, with nothing left out, although some more additions may have been added.
Hope you enjoy this sneak preview into the life of my plants.
True Story
CP February & March 2008:
Sunday 24 February 2008
I am at nana's place as I write this, getting ready for school. Tomorrow I must go back to Solway College, my school. There I will stay, until the 4 days that I board there are over again for the week, and I can come home again.
This morning I was at my place, well, actually Brent's place, (I live there with my mum,) so I got to see ALL of my plants today.
At home at the moment there is my Sarracenia Areolata and Catesbaei, Drosera filiformis and Capensis, and my Utricularia Livida 'Durban African Hybrid'
The Sarracenia Areolata is the healthiest of the five right now. I've had it for nearly a whole year and it had quite a large corm when I replanted it about 1 month ago. It seems to have settled in quite well. From memory it has 4 or 5 old pitchers, each of which is brown at the top, and they are of slightly smaller height. I've left them on for photosynthesis even thought they aren't the best pitchers it has. It has one excellent new pitcher, that is not quite fully developed. The new pitcher is bright green at the bottom, and snow white with criss-cross hot pink veins at the top, or is it the other way around, with the snow white criss-crossing the hot pink?
The new shoot is exactly the same as Leucophylla, except it is pink, and has and Alata style hood, which is how I know it's Areolata (Alata x Leucophylla) The new pitche ris 32cm high and just stunning. It also has two new shoots growing.
The Catesbaei is growing right next to it in the same pot. I'd only had the Catesby pitcher for a few days before I repotted it, and it was fairly young (still is) with very few roots, so it went through a bit more shock than it's better established companion and was set back a bit.
It only had three pitchers when I bought it, and one new shoot which was damaged during repotting and was lost. It's now finally growing another new shoot.
It grows outwards in a sort of bowl shape and it's pitchers lie on the ground slightly - but only a little bit. It has Purpurea in it, so it's pitchers are large and wide, and it has Flava too, so they are long and 'tall' as well. So far it's largest 'old' one is 20cm long.
All of it's 'old' pitchers are brown on one side through intense sunlight, but they're still perfectly healthy.
The Drosera Filiformis is still small, and it's forming slow-growing, tightly furled, low growing leaves, so I think it's going dormant. It still has sticky leaves though, so it must be healthy.
I repotted it 2 weeks ago, into a sort of four-in-one pot, which looks kind of like this:
It is in a bottom pot, potted in peat and sphagnum, and it seems quite happy.
I repotted the Capensis again and trimmed some of it's retarded leaves off as well as some dying new shoots and dead infertile flowers.
It's in a big pot now, like the VFT (potted in peat, but mainly sphagnum) with a saucer that justs fits. I must get it a bigger saucer!
The last of the fruit on both flower stalks are still forming.
At first I planted it a bottom pot with D. Filformis, but it would not survive the winter there, and it's roots were too deep, so I repotted it again the next week. It seems to be in medium health.
The Utric is smalla s ever. It seems healthy, but it doesn't seem bright. I'm not sure why. Mum is worried that it is not happy where it is, and she is probably right.
I moved it to a less intensely light spot and watered it more.
It lost it's first flower stalk which withered after repotting, but it has another 2 coming up.
At nana's the VFT is looking happy as usual. It has plenty of new heads growing, and the last of last summer's upright leaves have died off. It's in the wash-house now.
Nepenthes Ventrata still looks stunning, but it has still failed to begin growing it's next pitcher. The lids of the last two pitchers have shrivelled up so only one is left in pristine condition now.
It looks shiny and bright and is producing new shoots.
Nepenthes Alata is much smaller. It is settling in, but is still growing it's new shoot. It may be a Ventrata, but i am fairly sure it's an Alata.
I replanted it into the hanging basket with my N. Ventrata, just a little while ago. Tomorrow I must remember to water them before I go...
Aunty Lisa and Mrs. Tocker like my Nepenthes! Aunty Lisa also likes my Sarracenia too, and is sure she has seen some in the phillipines
My Sarracenia at nana's are small. The fat one with obvious Purpurea in it is 8-10cm tall, the smaller red one is 4-6cm. They were both brought from the warehouse (of all places!) and are supposedly both hybrids. They both came with a foreign tag.
After hours of examining, I have come to the conclusion that the fat one's a Sawniana, and the red one's a Psittata. I am probably wrong, but guesses will do for now!
They are seperately planted, but together in the wash-house.
My D. Arcturi is looking the happiest I've seen it so far. It has 5cm long leaves that are covered with sticky dew, it is bright looking, and it is growing tall for this species. It is also in washouse.
It got triple water tday.
Last of all my Ceph. It is healthy looking with 3 tiny furry pitchers beginning to develope and only 1 large one dying away. I cut away only 3 dead bits today. It's moss is drying up. Tomorrrow I must spray the moss...
My Growlist:
D. Arcturi
D.Capensis
D.filiformis
D. Muscipula
C. Follicularis
N.Ventrata
N. Alata
S.Catesbaei
S.Areolata
S.Psittata
S.Swaniana
U.Livida
It's late. Will stop writing now. Tomorrow I willw rite the estimate ages of my plants if I an find the time.
_______________________________________________________________________
End of Day #1
For several months I have been keeping a diary of my plants behaviour, sizes, growth etc. I've kept this diary more so I can show myself how well my plants are growing, and give me more drive to keep them alive and well, than as a real science experiement. However reading back through my diary today, I realised that some of the collected info could help other people, so I've decided to post it. This is the complete version, with nothing left out, although some more additions may have been added.
Hope you enjoy this sneak preview into the life of my plants.
True Story
CP February & March 2008:
Sunday 24 February 2008
I am at nana's place as I write this, getting ready for school. Tomorrow I must go back to Solway College, my school. There I will stay, until the 4 days that I board there are over again for the week, and I can come home again.
This morning I was at my place, well, actually Brent's place, (I live there with my mum,) so I got to see ALL of my plants today.
At home at the moment there is my Sarracenia Areolata and Catesbaei, Drosera filiformis and Capensis, and my Utricularia Livida 'Durban African Hybrid'
The Sarracenia Areolata is the healthiest of the five right now. I've had it for nearly a whole year and it had quite a large corm when I replanted it about 1 month ago. It seems to have settled in quite well. From memory it has 4 or 5 old pitchers, each of which is brown at the top, and they are of slightly smaller height. I've left them on for photosynthesis even thought they aren't the best pitchers it has. It has one excellent new pitcher, that is not quite fully developed. The new pitcher is bright green at the bottom, and snow white with criss-cross hot pink veins at the top, or is it the other way around, with the snow white criss-crossing the hot pink?
The new shoot is exactly the same as Leucophylla, except it is pink, and has and Alata style hood, which is how I know it's Areolata (Alata x Leucophylla) The new pitche ris 32cm high and just stunning. It also has two new shoots growing.
The Catesbaei is growing right next to it in the same pot. I'd only had the Catesby pitcher for a few days before I repotted it, and it was fairly young (still is) with very few roots, so it went through a bit more shock than it's better established companion and was set back a bit.
It only had three pitchers when I bought it, and one new shoot which was damaged during repotting and was lost. It's now finally growing another new shoot.
It grows outwards in a sort of bowl shape and it's pitchers lie on the ground slightly - but only a little bit. It has Purpurea in it, so it's pitchers are large and wide, and it has Flava too, so they are long and 'tall' as well. So far it's largest 'old' one is 20cm long.
All of it's 'old' pitchers are brown on one side through intense sunlight, but they're still perfectly healthy.
The Drosera Filiformis is still small, and it's forming slow-growing, tightly furled, low growing leaves, so I think it's going dormant. It still has sticky leaves though, so it must be healthy.
I repotted it 2 weeks ago, into a sort of four-in-one pot, which looks kind of like this:
It is in a bottom pot, potted in peat and sphagnum, and it seems quite happy.
I repotted the Capensis again and trimmed some of it's retarded leaves off as well as some dying new shoots and dead infertile flowers.
It's in a big pot now, like the VFT (potted in peat, but mainly sphagnum) with a saucer that justs fits. I must get it a bigger saucer!
The last of the fruit on both flower stalks are still forming.
At first I planted it a bottom pot with D. Filformis, but it would not survive the winter there, and it's roots were too deep, so I repotted it again the next week. It seems to be in medium health.
The Utric is smalla s ever. It seems healthy, but it doesn't seem bright. I'm not sure why. Mum is worried that it is not happy where it is, and she is probably right.
I moved it to a less intensely light spot and watered it more.
It lost it's first flower stalk which withered after repotting, but it has another 2 coming up.
At nana's the VFT is looking happy as usual. It has plenty of new heads growing, and the last of last summer's upright leaves have died off. It's in the wash-house now.
Nepenthes Ventrata still looks stunning, but it has still failed to begin growing it's next pitcher. The lids of the last two pitchers have shrivelled up so only one is left in pristine condition now.
It looks shiny and bright and is producing new shoots.
Nepenthes Alata is much smaller. It is settling in, but is still growing it's new shoot. It may be a Ventrata, but i am fairly sure it's an Alata.
I replanted it into the hanging basket with my N. Ventrata, just a little while ago. Tomorrow I must remember to water them before I go...
Aunty Lisa and Mrs. Tocker like my Nepenthes! Aunty Lisa also likes my Sarracenia too, and is sure she has seen some in the phillipines
My Sarracenia at nana's are small. The fat one with obvious Purpurea in it is 8-10cm tall, the smaller red one is 4-6cm. They were both brought from the warehouse (of all places!) and are supposedly both hybrids. They both came with a foreign tag.
After hours of examining, I have come to the conclusion that the fat one's a Sawniana, and the red one's a Psittata. I am probably wrong, but guesses will do for now!
They are seperately planted, but together in the wash-house.
My D. Arcturi is looking the happiest I've seen it so far. It has 5cm long leaves that are covered with sticky dew, it is bright looking, and it is growing tall for this species. It is also in washouse.
It got triple water tday.
Last of all my Ceph. It is healthy looking with 3 tiny furry pitchers beginning to develope and only 1 large one dying away. I cut away only 3 dead bits today. It's moss is drying up. Tomorrrow I must spray the moss...
My Growlist:
D. Arcturi
D.Capensis
D.filiformis
D. Muscipula
C. Follicularis
N.Ventrata
N. Alata
S.Catesbaei
S.Areolata
S.Psittata
S.Swaniana
U.Livida
It's late. Will stop writing now. Tomorrow I willw rite the estimate ages of my plants if I an find the time.
_______________________________________________________________________
End of Day #1
