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Drosera gigantea

Like a compuslive lunitic I bought some D. gigantea seed on ebay this past week. Has anyone ever germinated these before? Any info would be most appreciated.

Thank you.
 
Check out the D. gigantea germinating/growing instructions on the ICPS Seed Bank web pages. That should get you started.

Hope this helps!

Mike
 
I only know one person who germinated them. They need scarification or something like that.
 
I had success without further preparation. A pity the plants did not survive my beginner's cultivation "skills" back then...
 
Easy to germinate without any treatment as long as the environment is very cool (particularly at night). Best to sow right at the end of summer so that they germinate just as the nights are cooling down. Probably a bit late to sow with any success now as your spring is about to begin and the seedlings won't grow well when the weather heats up. They may germinate but unless you can keep the temps low they'll slowly die off.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Easy to germinate without any treatment as long as the environment is very cool (particularly at night). Best to sow right at the end of summer so that they germinate just as the nights are cooling down. Probably a bit late to sow with any success now as your spring is about to begin and the seedlings won't grow well when the weather heats up. They may germinate but unless you can keep the temps low they'll slowly die off.

So it would be best to keep them in the fridge until October or November?
 
Personally that is what I would do. This will give any seedlings the longest possible growing season to produce the largest possible tuber. If sown now the prospects of producing a tuber would not be the best. Hopefully the seeds are quite fresh and if that is the case they will still be viable by the end of summer.

I'm in Australia and will be sowing all of my tuberous Drosera seed in the next month or so ready for the cool nights of fall. I've found that the seed of any tuberous species will not germinate until the nights get cold, no matter how long you have them down for. After the first cold period of fall/winter I notice good germination within a few days of almost all species simultaneously.
 
Seandew, the ICPS pages suggest a "hot stratification" period of a few weeks. They suggest sowing in early August. If you sow in February then I should sow in August, right?

I live in east central Florida and it stays hot well into October most years. The nights start cooling off around that time. When I say cool off, I mean low 70's F. So that would give the seeds a several weeks of heat before germination. Speaking of heat, should I keep the seeds in the fridge or at room temps?

Just curious: I think my lattitude here is about 27.5 N. What is your lattitude and that of D. gigantea's natural range?
 
A hot stratification is definitely not required. I have had great success and germination without any form of heat stratification as long as the temps are cool. Having said that, I have known that the seeds I have sown have always been fresh- less than a year old.

I store my tuberous Drosera seed in the fridge.

I sow at the end of February so I guess the end of August would be right for you. The difference in climate should also be taken into account though. About a month before the weather cools is the best time.

My latitude is 37.52 south here in Melbourne. One example of a latitude that D. gigantea grows in WA is approx. 33.05 south. The weather where I am is slightly cooler than most areas of WA which is a good thing as it allows a longer growing season.

My tuberous Drosera will this year be grown in a glasshouse that has the glass removed from one side and replaced with 50% shadecloth. This will ensure that the heat does not build up inside and the cold winds can get to the pots. I'm just about to begin potting up my collection of over 80- 8 inch pots as growth is just emerging from most tubers.
 
  • #10
Wellit sounds like you have it made with the tuberous sundews. I can only dream the impossible dream.

I am hoping that my climate is not too hot. But I am thinking it may be.

It was in the mid 80's F (mid 30's C)today. Last night it was maybe low 70's or upper 60's F (mid or low 20's C). And it is not uncommon for it to be this warm for a week or more this time of year. I have no way to cool off my plants when these warm spells occur.

The lattitudes you mentioned are probbaly more like the Carolinas here in the US. Does any of the natural range of the tuberous species extend further north? Tell me some grow near 27 S. Please say it's so.

There may be other ploblems too. Your summers are hot and dry and your winters are cool and wet, right? My summers are hot and wet and my winters are cool and dry. As we speak it is like a desert here it is so dry.

Do you think I even have a prayer?
 
  • #11
You've described our yearly climatic conditions very well. Summers are extremely hot (110F forecast for tomorrow) and dry (haven't seen rain for well over a month) and the winters are cool (without being really cold- never near freezing or snow but the occasional frost) and wet (at least they used to be, we're in a 10 year drought at the moment).

There are actually a number of tuberous Drosera species which occur at about 27 S. The nearest town to this latitude is Kalbarri on the WA coast and this area is home to a number of species confined to this small area. Having never been to Kalbarri I'm not too sure what the weather is like there in winter and whether or not this region has the same tropical conditions that you would experience.

Anyway, here's a list of the species which grow around the Kalbarri region-
D. macrantha ssp. macrantha (northern forms)
D. macrantha ssp. eremaea (same latitude but further inland where winter nights would be very cold)
D. menziesii ssp. thysanosepala
D. neesii ssp. borealis
D. radicans
D. ramellosa
D. stolonifera ssp. humilis
D. stolonifera ssp. prostrata
D. bulbosa ssp. bulbosa
(northern forms)
D. bulbosa ssp. major (similar latitude but further inland)
D. zonaria (a little further south)

and that's about all. There are no species which grow any further north than around 27 S.

These species would probably handle your conditions the best but the unfortunate thing is that these are also some of the more difficult to obtain.
 
  • #12
Thank you for all your good advice and for answering all my questions. I should have asked all these questions first but...the seed was offered at a very low price and I decided to give it a go. I will wait until August to sow the seed and in the meantime learn more about this species.

Maybe the cp gods will look favorably on me this fall.

Thank you again Seandew.
 
  • #13
Any possibility of these species or any growing in a totally tropical climate? I am thinking of trying to grow some tuberous dews and so far have a tiny D. pelatata seedling (I think). Or is this an impossible mission?
 
  • #14
Not impossible, but very difficult if you do not have the ability to keep them cool during the growing season. I haven't heard any reports of collectors trying to grow tuberous Drosera in tropical climates so it is impossible to provide a definitive answer.

Getting back to the D. gigantea for a second. One thing worth mentioning is that in my and other friends collections, D. gigantea is always the last species to begin growth and the last to enter dormancy. This means that much of its growing season is at the end of winter and well into the warmer parts of spring and often into summer. If any species should be able to cope with slightly warmer temps D. gigantea will probably be the one. I still wouldn't be sowing the seed until August though.

Good luck.
 
  • #15
I am definitely waiting until August or maybe even the first week of September. The first cool nights usually do not occur until late September or early October. Who knows aybe they will grow and work out. At any rate it will be worth the try.

Thanks again.
 
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