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Darlingtonia advice?

Just got my first darlingtonia a 5 inch across mountain type
It's in a 4.5 inch white pot with 1/3 inch foam inserts as thermal insulation in a mixture of peat, aquarium gravel, and perlite with a top dressing of NZ lfs
using the tray method
I'm in zone 7
Advice, tips?
 
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Happy growing!
 
Do you have cold nights? I've measured the roots of my Darlingtonia at 95 degrees (probably goes higher), but my plant is still thriving because I have a solar-powered water pump that makes a constant current flow over the roots, and because we have pretty cold nights here (55 degrees). I didn't know they could take temperatures that high when I first got it and I was almost freaking out about the roots getting too warm, but it keeps putting out new pitchers so I must be doing something right.

I think if the plant is 5" across, you might want to put it in a larger pot since that would make it more resistant to extreme temperature changes.
 
big pot lots of pumice so water will flow thru it,pump will work great if you have a large reservoir of water,I small cooler makes a great reservoir ,and you can put a few frozen bottles of water in it to keep cool
 
Happy growing!

That pretty much sums it up! Do you plan to keep it there year round or find a place inside that is a little more protected bythe worst of winter weather?
 
Not sure what exact numbers would be considered sufficient... In their natural habitat in the Sierras, overnight low temperatures are generally in the 40s or low 50s even in the height of summer, but they can probably tolerate higher to a certain extent. Your winter temps look like they should be fine, it looks like from that link that your lowest recorded temperature is -3 degrees, and these plants can experience much lower temperatures than that where they are native (though they are probably covered by several feet of snow).
 
Alright that's good
What about winter water riquirements
 
I've always had them barely moist for the winter.
 
  • #10
The Sierra form is likely not too picky about moisture in the winter, since they are usually covered in snow. Temperatures typically rise above freezing during the day though, so they are probably kept a bit damp as the snow melts. The coastal form would probably need to be kept quite wet during the winter, since they just get tons of rain that time of year in their native habitat.
 
  • #11
what it rains in Oregon in the winter thats a big surprise
 
  • #13
Just be nice to them. Maybe shade the pot with other pots, so less sun heats it up- give sun, give water and give it your best shot- I have no problems with them- but I do have an ideal climate, so maybe that's cheating. Just observe through trial and error.
 
  • #14
I repotted it in an 8 inch pot
Same media
1/3 inch styrofoam around the inside
Prolly just gonna water it every day and put ice cubes on the soil when it's above 80
That all sound good?
What should I use for a top dressing (I'm out of lfs?)
 
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