Zath's CP Collection

[Zath]

Thanks for the comments. I didn't realize how prettily those pitchers were catching the light until I posted it. Hopefully I can actually start -planning- pics like that in the future.

And yes Tanukimo, it is a wonderful view. I never get tired of it. (I'll show a pic of why that might change soon)

(Edit) This is the hill directly across from me, smack in the middle of my view of the river.

Hill full view by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

And here's what they've been doing to it for the last few weeks. I don't have a good feeling about this...

Deforesting A-holes by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

 

[fredg]

Remind me again why you're "Slack potting" Utricularia.

 

[Zath]

Remind me again why you're "Slack potting" Utricularia.

I may not now, as my source is being kind enough to pot them for me. But I had planned to do it because it seemed to suit the epiphytic nature of the plants. At least two people suggested it as a potting method, including B. Rice and the member who posted a care-sheet here on the forums. It seemed like a good idea?

(Edit) When someone asks me "Why are you doing that?", I'd like to know why. Chances are 100% you know something that I don't, so spill it!

 

[DragonsEye]

I wondered if that bare patch was the result of clear cutting or if there had been a kudzu infestation that had killed the trees which then slide downhill.

 

[Zath]

Update!

Thanks to fellow TF member Johnny, I am now in possession of my first Elder God, err...I mean, Utrics.

U. Calycifida 'Yog-Sothoth'
U. Calycifida 'Yog-Sothoth' 6-10-14 by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

U. Calycifida 'Asenath Waite'
U. Calycifida 'Asenath Waite' 6-10-14 by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

The latter has a flower stalk with an unformed bud at the tip, so I've got my fingers crossed that it will open up for me. Cthulu did an excellent job packing the plants, and though it's a bit early, I'm wondering if they suffered very much trauma at all. We'll see.

Anyway, I'm so happy about these. My Lovecraft itch has been scratched a little.

 

[Zath]

Hooray for air-circulation. BOO for potential fire-hazard.

Hardware update!

Got my fan installed...well...not installed. It's just in there and turned on, really.

Terrarium Fan by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

...and the fire hazard bit...
Shoddy Fan Hookup by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

Terrarium conditions 24 hrs after fan installation:
Terrarium Cond. by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

And just to prove I'm not killing anything, and to get some green in this post:
D. Burmannii 6-11-14 by the_bugman_cometh, on Flickr

Little D.Burmannii are eating, and surprisingly, a good number of the leaves regained their dew, rather than dying off and being replaced by new growth.

An unintended benefit of the fan is that my glass doesn't fog up as bad now, so I don't have to wipe it down every time I want to take pictures, lol.

 

[theplantman]

Burmannii is adorable. Best way to enjoy it is as a carpet of thousands. They can be fed like crazy, too.

 

[Zath]

Burmannii is adorable. Best way to enjoy it is as a carpet of thousands. They can be fed like crazy, too.

I'm half hoping / half terrified that that is exactly what I'll end up with, lol.

One thing I'm a little concerned about, maybe someone can answer this for me:

The D. Burmannii on the left came with a wilted flower that I snipped off because it was ugs. But from what I've read, these are regarded as annuals in the wild, though can be kept alive for a couple years if not allowed to flower.

Since it had one, and I was not able to get any seed from it, should I be expecting to lose that plant at the end of the year, or do you think it'll make it to spring and flower again?

 

[adnedarn]

Good looking plants
My D. burmannii tends to grow in patches too, sometimes taking the whole pot around whatever plant is already in there. Good news is, I've never had them choke out a plant or anything. My plants flower many many times without dying, I have plants that have easily flowered 6+ times... and still have all the flower stalks on them and continue to grow with no problem. I'm not sure if it's they get plenty of food in the greenhouses, or what- but it's not a problem for me. I believe annual refers to will die when it get cold, in my greenhouses they can make it through the winter, although grow a bit slower since it is cooler. If for some reason it does decide to die off after that, let me know and I'll send you some seeds. =)
Andrew

 

[Zath]

Thanks Andrew. I suppose I shouldn't worry then, because they are your D. Burmannii.

 

[adnedarn]

Also, thanks for the review! I'm sure your dews will be fine, the very fine roots scare people but they really are easy to transplant... Make sure the roots go into the hole and then fill in the media the best you can, I usually use the back end of the tweezers to kinda do that. Then when I'm done, lightly push down on the whole plant to get it down against the media. I've never lost one for transplant, and have (so far) never been contacted for one being lost (either by my planting or their own). At first I thought yours had their roots up and over the plant... but I think that's something else or else the plants would be indicating a problem by now.
Keep up the good work!

 

[Zath]

Actually, my way turned out a lot easier, lol.

To plant them, I just turned them over in my hand, roots up; grabbed a fingerful of really, really wet (think snot consistency) substrate, and literally just popped it on the bottom. It stuck to the plant like flypaper. Then I just set them on the mostly filled pot and pressed down gently with my finger. The back-filling was easier, since the plants already had soil beneath them, so I didn't have to worry overmuch about dirtying their leaves.

 

[PsychoSarah]

If my drosera leaves get dirty, either with dirt or moldy food because I always feed them stuff too big because I like how dramatically they move in response I just gently ease it off and away with a toothpick or a q-tip.

 

[Jcal]

hosing them off if you have a sprayer is the easiest way. clean and water at the same time!

 

[Zath]

If my drosera leaves get dirty, either with dirt or moldy food because I always feed them stuff too big because I like how dramatically they move in response I just gently ease it off and away with a toothpick or a q-tip.

XD

I probably gave mine pieces a little too big as well. Hopefully they won't mold over. I'd hate to introduce something like that into my pristine terrarium. Due to past experiences with planted vivariums, I am absolutely terrified by mold / mildew. *shivers*

 

[PsychoSarah]

XD

I probably gave mine pieces a little too big as well. Hopefully they won't mold over. I'd hate to introduce something like that into my pristine terrarium. Due to past experiences with planted vivariums, I am absolutely terrified by mold / mildew. *shivers*

Prepare to be horrified, bug bodies are covered in fungal spores, every time you put live bugs into the terrarium, you potentially invite unwanted guests.

 

[Whimgrinder]

If you are getting mold growing on your plants (and/or their meals) then you need to improve air movement. Terrariums are notorious for creating more problems than they solve.

 

[Zath]

@ Both of you

I don't give live food to the terrarium plants unless something flies in there unexpected (like gnats). I'm sticking to dried / rehydrated foods for them atm.

Air circ. has just been addressed with the fan installation, though I may discover that I need more influx from outside, rather than churning around the existing air, we'll see.

 

[PsychoSarah]

If you are getting mold growing on your plants (and/or their meals) then you need to improve air movement. Terrariums are notorious for creating more problems than they solve.

For me, the food doesn't really seem to get moldy that often. Only if I let it sit there for more than a week, by which time the plant has gotten plenty out of it anyway.

 

[Tacks]

I've never had a problem with mold on D. burmannii, they absolutely demolish food. If they're getting bright enough light they should be super dewy and very aggressive in digestion.