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  • #41
Very Nice Bugweed!!

One question: Do you only add the white vinegar solution every time you change media? (7 or 8 years)

Would a more diluted vinegar/water solution added once every
spring have any postive effect? Just thinking...
walter
 
  • #42
Very nice. Lucky for you bugweed you can grow these plants outdoors. That size and health are unattainable in my area.
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  • #43
Finch, with some variation, the health and size is attainable almost anywhere. Except where it is too cool in the spring and summer. Having lived in Rapid City. They got monstrous and loved it there. Winters were easier to deal with than I thought, too.
 
  • #44
Yes but did you have unblocked wind coming off the plains?
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How did you deal with winter? please share with me!
 
  • #45
Jealous? Why? Stick around here and meet more folks, and ask. Just ask for plants and a whole lot of great and genorous folks would be glad to help a collection grow. May cost shipping, but that's fairly cheap.
 
  • #46
Walter T., vinegar can be added to the media once a year in amounts of 1 cup white vinegar to 3 gallons of water. My circulating water bog is working fine. There has been NO media change with this bog in 17 years, and all the VFT's, ping's, and drosera, along with the sarracenia, are just great. Best of all, though the tray system works, it is an easy way to culture rot in your plants. Constant media change is not the way I wanted to grow plants, so I made a bog that works like one in nature. I do plan to make a bigger one and retire the old, but that will be its first and only media change, ever.
 
  • #47
Hey Bugweed! Would you mind me asking how you set up your circulating water bog? I ask because I'm planning to do something like that for my soon to aquire Darlingtonia californica.
 
  • #48
ill soon be getting a bunch of darlingtonia... from the ones in the past that i have had they grow quite easily. i uses 50/50 chilean LFS and perilite. you dont need the circulating bog unless you really want to. all of my cobras have died though because of some evil frezing wind.
Alex
 
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  • #49
yeah, but it tends to get really, really, really hot here in Florida during the summer, and I thought that It might help make it a little bit easier to handle.
 
  • #50
A couple of ideas for keeping Darlingtonia roots cool:

Evaporative cooling pots

Darlingtonia cooling box

For the cooling box I suggested using another piece of styrofoam or a closed cell foam the kind used for backpacking sleeping pads instead of a plastic sheet.
 
  • #51
the thing is about that, is that I don't really want to see Darlingtonia leaves poking out of a big styrofoam box. For some strange reason that's not exactly that appealing to me.
 
  • #52
The buried pot method should work. Or do like they do in the South Sea Islands and wrap the pot in coconut fiber or burlap and keep it moist from the tray the pot is sitting in.
 
  • #53
the second one sounds like it might work, and instead of coconut fibers I can use lfs.

BTW: What do you think cools faster/stays cooler? LFS or Live Spahgnum?
 
  • #54
Barry Rice suggests a top layer of live Sphagnum, so I'd guess live is probably better than LFS for cooling. It's been suggested using unglazed clay pots too, as you'll get some evaporative cooling that way and to always top water.

The track record for people trying to cultivate Darlingtonia in warm areas like yours is not good. It's not to say you won't be successful but don't get your hopes up too high.
 
  • #55
Try talking to Jim Miller. Ge raised darlingtonia successfully in Tallahassee where you are, Dave. He lives there. I will PM his e-mail to you. He shaded his.
 
  • #57
:boogie: Sound great! We'll look forward to seeing your Darlingtonia photos.

Has anybody tried peat pots to grow Darlingtonia in? You'd get great evaporative cooling that way, the only draw back is that the stolons will eventually break through the pot. Maybe a double pot scheme with perlite between the two to add stability? :banana2:
 
  • #58
I recommend a drip system. It is easy to set up. You can use distilled or r/o water and you control the rate of application. You can set it up with a collection basin to hold water for reuse elsewhere (I let mine flood over-not recommended for inside culture!!:-)) )
 
  • #59
And I recommend a circulating water bog. Just like home to our babies!
 
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