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Sarracenia pics

I just recently received 3 different Sarracenia & 2 of them were sent with their pitchers cut off. The rhizomes that were sent appear different then Sarracenia rhizomes that I had before these 2.

Here is the S.oreophila, as you can see it only appears to be growing from the ends of the rhizome and the middle is just hard and brown. Is this normal, or is there something I can do to fix it?

387DCP_0394-med.JPG



Here is a picture of the other rhizome and it has the same sort of problem only appears to be growth from one end. S.flava ' red tube'

387DCP_0396-med.JPG


Here is the third Sarr that I got. No problems with this one just showing it off.

S.purpurea ' Brunswick Beauty'
387DCP_0397-med.JPG



And I figured while I was at it I would show ya'll a pic of my new pup Sophie.

Thanks Craig
387Sophie-med.jpg
 
The brown section is just fine, and is probably still alive in the middle and has live roots coming off of it. Rhizomes always grow at the tip(s), and the old leaves eventually die off, but the leaf bases still cover the rhizome. Mature plants sometimes sprout new growing points from brown parts of the rhizome; you can even make cuttings of these sections when you divide the plants.

Peter
 
those seem very nice, I need to get me some more red purps for the greenhouse, so far only got rosea
EDIT: BTW I forgot to say our puppy is sooo cute, looks like mine when he was a little puppy although mines a black lab/pitbull mix
 
Looks like your oreophila are starting to flower. I would let it finish and wait until you collect the seed and then divide. No use taking a chance with a rare Sarracenia like this one.

Slack and others explain a method to "notch" the rhizome first and then dividing some time later. I have just cut through the rhizome with no problem.

Keep the oreophila drier than your other Sarracenia. I let the topsoil get a little dry before watering.

Some people say place them in standing water. I almost lost one of my oreophila, following this method, to rot. Even the ICPS web site mentions this for oreophila. I would not risk losing a plant with this method.

A trick I use is to place a soft woody plant like Impatiens in the pot with the oreophila. When the Impatiens starts to droop, water thoroughly. You may have to water more than this once higher temperatures approach.

I use a soil mix of peat, cactus potting soil, vermiculite, horticultural charcol and clay. I added the clay because the geological formations in which oreophila is found contain clay. They have survived the winter and appear to be fine.

I am going to experiment with clay pots this spring, as they dry the soil better than plastic pots.

Tweek
 
Thanks Tweek,

I had not heard of anyone watering Sarracenia oreophila anyless then any other Sarr. So do you think that new growth will sprout up from the hard brown in the middle or will the growth always come from the exterior of the rhizome?
 
Hi Wolfy
As Tweek has said the brown bit can be tempted in to growth by cutting a v in it to a depth of about half way this should encourage it to produce another growing point.I have used this a few times and then you can cut the whole thing in two and pot up as two plants
 
smile.gif
Bye for now julian
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (wolf9striker @ Mar. 29 2005,10:10)]Here is a picture of the other rhizome and it has the same sort of problem only appears to be growth from one end.  S.flava ' red tube'

387DCP_0396-med.JPG
IMO, that rhizome is sitting too high.
too much of it is above ground..
I would bury it deeper so just the top edge of the rhizome is showing abouve the moss..

probably not a huge deal either way, but the plant might be happier buried a little deeper..

and its not a big deal if it only grows out of one end, the plant will put out more growing points when it feels like it! ;)
if you think the rhizome is long enough, you culd simply slice it in half and the other end would make a new plant!

Scot
 
No worries Wolf,

Odds are, most times it will not sprout from the middle(uncut).

When the rhizome is divided, it normally will grow from one end.

I have a oreophila that has a long rhizome. It has new bud growth in several places along the rhizome. It is a strange looking rhizome. It looks like the letter "Z", but with a third step(extend the letter "Z" downwards and make another line out like the bottom of the "Z". This one tries to send up growing points all along the rhizome.

Another critical growing consideration is to keep part of the rhizome exposed above the top of the soil layer. I think this aids is allowing the rhizome to dry easier.

I find success in growing any plant by replicating the conditions in where it is found. Oreophila is different than most of the other members of Sarracenia. Grow it differently.

Tweek
 
I have heard the oroephila "rumor" about dryness too. So, I fill its undrained container to the top with water, and keep it good and soaked. Water to the top! All winter too. The oreo in this bowl is 17 years old, and none the worse for wear.
Rot can happen to any plant at anytime, and wetness may not be the contributing factor. I don't want to test this factor though. Jim Miller (of Hanrahan & Miller) has seen oreo's in Alabama growing where the soil was almost bone dry, and they were gorgeous, and others growing on a stream bank, totally soaked. Both stands were healthy and strong. I wouldn't ever thumbs down the dryness method, but I also use, as I have told you, an always wet method too. So far with no ill effects. The winter here kept the water good and cold, and now I have 5 flowers coming up in the bowl. Wolf, the appearance of your rhizomes is typical, so don't worry. Make use of whatever method works for you, and keep asking questions.
 
  • #10
We plant the rhizomes exposed on top, so we can keep a watchful eye on them. In our sub-tropical conditions we find it best to allow the rhizomes to dry out a bit, to help prevent possible rot problems.
We don't have oreophila, so have no practical experience with it, but I've heard some of the old timers talk about how dry they get in mid-summer, and often they go into a mid-summer dormancy when drought conditions occur. If you've been to central Alabama in mid summer, you know how hot it can get.
Bugweed? Any other Sarr growers want to comment?
 
  • #11
I think oreos do require wetness early on in the season in order to hold on to their new pitchers, and at this time in Alabama it is wet after winter and spring rains.

What time of year were the soils bone dry? During summer the old pitchers are lost because of the dryness, and this even happens if kept soaking.

I keep my oreophilas wet as I do all my others, and they lose their pitchers in July. I find that keeping them wet though you can gain a small second crop in summer, albeit just a couple more pitchers.
 
  • #12
You are lucky on that second crop. Mine just quit, and go to sleep.
 
  • #13
I grow my 3 pots of oreophila the same as the rest of my sarracenia. They are planted in the six inch deep pots, and the water level is about 2 inches below the rhizomes. I have had no problems with rot.
 
  • #14
While the degree of wetness may or may not be the primary factor in root rot, I think it is definitely the secondary cause of the problem.

The primary cause is a range of plant pathnogens from the fungus kingdom. Mainly Fusarium species. Others are: Pythium and Rhizoctonia species.

Source: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/02938.html

The site lists a table that illustrates the initial conditions that will lead to root rot by several fungal pathnogens.

They are: soil moisture, soil temperature, soil compaction, organic matter, fertility, herbicide, rotation(beans), other crops, plant density, seed quality/age, cultivation and irrigation runoff.

This site is for plants other than Sarracenia, but the same principles should apply.

This site does mention a dry fungal pathnogen, but if the wet species can be delimited, then half the battle is won. Maybe more than half the battle, because there is no Sarracenia that is grown in complete absence of water.

I tend to believe that the wild oreophila can be found in "bone dry" conditions. Anyone familiar with the summer droughts that are common to the region can attest to this fact.

I would also, believe that the conditions in the wild, while appearing to be completely dry would offer some water via undergound water table. The water table depth is not static - it would vary from location to location.

It would be interesting to see some research into the oreophila locations and the comparitive depths of the water table where they are located and the oreophila root lengths.

Barry Rice has mentioned that there might be an oreophila plant distribution in the future. I think we need to know more about the growing conditions of these plants to ensure their survival in the wild and in cultivation.

It is just sad to think we may never learn all of oreophila's secrets before it can never be found in Nature any more.

Tweek
 
  • #15
I do think wetness is a secondary cause. Somewhat stagnant water, poorly aereated soil, and voila! Root rot! Water should be absolutely fresh, and the soil very loose. So oxygen can work itself into the soil. You may still get root rot, but your chances are considerably less.
 
  • #16
I appreciate all the help. I think maybe I might try putting a 'V' in the middle of the Sarracenia oreophila rhizome and see what happens. It is hard to tell from the picture but the rhizome is quite large, so most of it is comprised of the hard brown part in the middle with no growth coming from it. When the grower that sent it to me said that it he was sending an S. oreophila rhizome as a gift I wasnt expecting one that weighed close to 3 lbs!
 
  • #17
To be honest with you, I would just leave the oreophila rhizome alone. Let things develop as they will. The rhizome may suprise you by growing points from many other places on the rhizome, without the cut.
 
  • #18
Will do, thanks for the advice Bugweed. Also, does allowing the flower stalks to develop set back the production of pitchers? It appears the S. oreophila rhizome in the picture has 6 flower stalks at the moment.
 
  • #19
Let that baby flower. Pollinate it, and let the seed develop in the seed cap. Then, pass those babies around for all to grow. The seed alone will help take the strain off the oreo stands as plants are starting to become available. We have to help to alleviate the strain of poaching in these places. Passing out seed is one great way to do it.
 
  • #20
No prob will do. I should have a large amount of seed then sometime in Nov.
 
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