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Drosophyllum lusitanicum germination

  • #41
Thought I'd post a pic of the progress of the remaining plant that I have.
I tried another 6-8 seeds to try and get another plant to germinate since I had accidentally killed the second one I had. Nothing germinated and I'm out of seeds. Hope I do not do anything stupid with this plant.

dpine8_31_07.jpg
 
  • #42
Holy crap man, it's a monster! Those things grow pretty fast! So you're saying the temps there are consistent rather than having a night time drop?
 
  • #43
Holy crap man, it's a monster! Those things grow pretty fast! So you're saying the temps there are consistent rather than having a night time drop?

It's just a baby. Wait another year and see how big it is then.

They do grow incredibly fast.

Now that the plant is larger I have it outside, unless they are calling for any storms. Then I bring it back inside.
The temps during the summer here do not have much of a temp drop at all.
 
  • #44
Any updated pics of your plant elGecko??


:pics:
 
  • #45
Sure. Here you go.

DpineFly.jpg


Dpine10_18_07.jpg
 
  • #46
does yours smell like honey Steve? one of the two at the NECPS show smelled like honey...the other did not.
Alex
 
  • #47
Mmmmmm........

'dazza niiiice.......... :bigthumpup:


Heck, I hope I can get my seeds to even sprout!
 
  • #48
does yours smell like honey Steve? one of the two at the NECPS show smelled like honey...the other did not.
Alex

I do not know about this one. I have it growing outside.
The last one I had when I was growing it inside over the winter in the kitchen, you would walk into the kitchen and the whole kitchen smelled like sweet honey.
 
  • #49
Updated 5/25/08 plant and new germination shots

I thought some of you might want to see how the Dewy Pine is doing.

I was very worried about the plant because it was flowering when it was less then 1 year old, last plant died after flowering.

My last plant was 2 and a half years old before flowering. After which it had died.
I have a new thought why the original plant died. When it was flowering it looked terrible. The leaves looked as if they where not getting enough water, so I increased the amount I was watering it. Dewy Pines do not like a lot of water and I think I killed it that way.

The current plant was also looking terrible while flowering, but I did not increase the watering. The plant has finished flowering and has 3 new growth points now which look very good.

I decided it best to try to germinate some new seed in case the plant would have taken a turn for the worst. I usually only place 2 seeds in a pot when I try to germinate this plant, but I placed 3 in and a week or so later a 4th seed. Currently I see that 2 seeds have germinated. Germination was around 3-4 weeks.

The others may germinate as well, and then I will see if it is true or false that only one plant can live in a pot. I have read a few different experiences with this.

dewy-pine-plant.jpg


dewy-pine-seedpod.jpg


dewy-pine-germination.jpg


dewy-pine-germination1.jpg



adnedarn,
Have you ever gotten any seeds to germinate?
 
  • #50
are dewy pines really hard to grow? i head they are super hard...and i can't find them anywhere...lol

sounds like a challenge :)
 
  • #51
Great work! It looks wonderful (and flowers are ALWAYS good! (especially now that you can do it without them dying :grin:) ) But no, I never had any luck :(
Keep it up!
Andrew
 
  • #52
are dewy pines really hard to grow? i head they are super hard...and i can't find them anywhere...lol

sounds like a challenge :)
I do not find Dewy Pines hard to germinate or grow at all.

I use 8" plastic pots. The soil mix I use is playsand (30%), perlite (30%), vermiculite (30%) , and a handfull of peatmoss (10%).

I sand the seeds with 400 grit sandpaper till a little bit of the white seed embryo is visible. Drop seed(s) in pot on top the soil mix. Most common way I start seed from this plant.
Another way I have germinated seed is too sand them and place them in a cup of water. After a few weeks you will see the root starting to form from the seed. Remove the seed from the water and plant.

Watering can be the tricky part.
When germinating the seeds, (I do this indoors in a shaded location, they seem to germinate better in cooler temperatures) the soil mix is really moist. I saturate the mix before placing the seeds on it. Then everyday to every other day I mist the top of the soil making it moist.
After germination, I keep the plant indoors in an area that it gets some sunlight during the day. I change the watering to 2 times a week. I only add about 1/2 cup of water each watering, from the top. If the top of the soil looks dry before the next watering I will mist the top of the soil making it moist. I do not do this once the plant is larger and has a deeper root system, no need to. But while it is small and only has a root system near the top of the soil it may be need so it does not wilt.
When the plant is larger and can take full sun all day I move the pot outside. During this time I water the plants the same amount of water, but do it every other day.

The reason you can not find the plant, from what I've read, is that the plant usually dies if the roots are disturbed. I have never have disturbed the roots of any of my plants, so I do not know.
So the only way to get this plant is to be able to pick one up from a grower growing close to you that has some, or starting them by seed.


Andrew,
Sorry to hear of your luck growing this magnificent plant.
Do you have any seeds left to try?
 
  • #53
hm...i guess i'll go check ICPS's bank then, haha!

thanks for the info :)
 
  • #54
Thought I'd post this picture.
This is a seed that I sanded the seed coat and dropped into a little plastic cup that was filled with some rain water. It's been in the water about 2 weeks. It's ready to be taken out and planted now.

dewy-pine-SeedinWater.jpg
 
  • #56
Your making it way to hard. Grow it outside if at all possible during anytime its above 45 degrees, full to partial sun. Do not tray water, drip watering is best. These must be kept much drier than any other cp but do not let it totally dry out. Overwatering is the main killer of these. Like most other cp's, high humidity is a myth. 40% and up is fine. Use 8 - 12 inche pots, larger pots help keep the media cooler during hot days and helps provide a more stable environment in general. Use a lot of sand in the media, 3/1 sand/peat works fine as does an addition of one part perlite. A little vermiculite doesn't hurt but really isn't needed.

During hot summer days a reflector sheild on the top of the media does wonders of good. Anyting to reflect the sun off the media, tin foil/poster board/whatever.

Provide plenty of light, don't over water, use plenty of sand in the mix, use a large pot and leave outside to enjoy the cooler summer nights and it will do fine. Or at least leave it by an open window if grown indoors. If your nights are not going to get below 70 I would place an icecube on the top of the pot, not right next to the plant though. That will help cool the media down and keep it happy.

It must be MUCH drier than most cp's, this is imperative. Never stand in water. Always allow it to drain freely. A heavy sand mix will help prevent overwatering. Gently water overhead every 3 or 4 days in the summer and allow any excess to drain freely.
 
  • #57
Seems that Drosophyllum, D. graminifolia, and D. regia share similar temps, drainage, and watering techniques. Heavy emphasis on 'similar'.
 
  • #58
What about using just sand?
 
  • #59
What about using just sand?
Never tried it myself.

I just placed 3 seeds in a pot the beginning of this week.

The usual method for me. Sand the seed coat, place in a 8" pot. Soil mix, equal parts; perlite, vermiculite, play sand, and a hand full of peat moss.
 
  • #60
Yeah I plan on starting some in a peat pot in my highland setup. It has cooler temps and higher humidity and light then a window. But for space reasons now I'll poke holes and let the roots grow through. I got it off the ICPS website.
 
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