Darlingtonia...

[Mannannan]

Hi all!

I was reading a bit about Darlingtonias just now, and something conused me. Hopefully all you utterly knowledgeable folks here at the formidable establishment that is this forum can help me

From what I could derive of the stuff i read, the 'snake' part of the plant is NOT the 'trap'... This makes little or no sense to me, as it's referred to as 'cobra pitcher plant', and the likes of that...

So; does it eat with the snake or doesn't it?

From the pics I've seen, I couldnt see a pitcher opening.

Please shed some light!

Thanks / Quensel

 

[Kirkscoastalcarnivores]

The trap, is a hole, underneath the Head, behind the "Fangs"

 

[Mannannan]

Ah I see...

Never seen one in real life, only pics

Thanks for telling me!

On another note, how hard are they to grow? Only thing I've found that makes em hard is the cool roots issue, but that could probably be fixed with a bit of trial and error...

 

[Bugweed]

Cool rhizomes are a norm for this plant, but it can also be grown under a steady drip of water as warm as 75 or 80 degrees F. Water flow over the rhizome is another essential that gets little attention as to cultivation. A steady drip, preferably of water 50 to 65 degrees F. is the ideal, but the plants will grow under slightly warmer water, but some degree of water flow over the rhizome is best for optimum results. Enjoy experimenting with a Darlingtonia.

 

[The Griffin]

Bugweed,

I have thought this out also. I have not started yet, but my idea was to freeze cups of water, and then put the frozen cup shape in aonther similar cup with a tiny hole punched in the bottom, so it would melt and drip. Maybe frozen RO cubes floating in RO water would be closer to the right temp. It's high maintainence, but the only other solution I have is to get a box freezer and set the bottom for 60 degrees. Way to expensive for me at this time.

Joe

 

[Mannannan]

Wow thanks!

This might present a bit bigger problem than i thought, but the ice / drip idea sounds like a plan...

I read a description of this plant, and it said that the pitchers can grow up to like 3 ft, and at that size, the description was 'carnivorous baseball bat'

Gotta get one! lol

 

[Kirkscoastalcarnivores]

well it says you live in Sweden (Wow) So it should be okay for you, as for the cool roots, every morning I put two cubes of ice on top of the soil

 

[jimscott]

I put mine outside in direct flow of my AC unit exhaust pvc pipe. Someone once posted that the water coming from that pipe is pure. I hope he is right. Should work better than my last experiment - anchoring them to a stream edge and than being carried off by a deluge!