What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • #21
I am currently growing D. Arcturi and live in NZ. Check out the NZCP Society for a little information!
 
  • #22
Seandew: great photos, makes me want to come over and see for myself My wife is always telling me we should go to Australia. I will look out for larger forms here. I guess Im lucky in that we have not very hot summers and frosts during the winter. With global warming the summers have been hotter though but the winters have been even colder.
 
  • #23
Holy cannoli! Look at all those beautiful plants! As always, Sean has the most amazing natural photos.

I've have always heard arcturi was very difficult.
 
  • #24
I am currently growing D. Arcturi and live in NZ. Check out the NZCP Society for a little information!

An overview of your cultivation methods and conditions would be greatly appreciated.
 
  • #25
Soil: Sphagnum moss only. This is what it lives in naturally, so I'm guessing, being a finicky plant, it likes living in it.

Top soil: In the wild D. Arcturi often grows with a layer of what we fondly call 'cushion plants' around it. Not a necessary, but perhaps you could substitute with low-growing moss that's naturally found around sphagnum bogs.

Temperature: 20 degrees celcius max during growing months, but a little higher won't hurt it. Nothing over 27-30 ever. Probably between 7 and -5 degrees celcius in winter. Refrigeration once the plants gone into hibernaculum might work, but don't let the temp's drop below -10 or below.

Growth: These plants have 5-6 months growth before you will need to send them into dormancy. Each year after dormancy, in spring, D. Arcturi produces 3 or 4 strap like leaves that are usually under 5cm long. Then it flowers. A single, white, inconspicous flower per plant.

Seeding:Seeds need to be stratified to grow, and can take many months. The germination of D. Arcturi seeds is enhanced when the seeds are allowed to lie on fully saturated media and are subjected to temperature fluctuations.

Watering:Water from below, keeping the soil constantly wet but just that step away from saturated.

Light: Normal, bright light for them in summer, and obviously if they're covered with snow in winter they're not going to get squat all light!

Humidity:Around 60-80%
 
  • #26
Well, I got 2 in the mail several weeks ago, and 2 more as a surprise today! :-D I was planning to post pics of them, but they don't show up too well amongst the sphagnum on my camera phone.

Is it alright for me to leave them outside(Corvallis, OR)? There is just a bit of frost every morning...

Thanks!
 
  • #27
I'd say it depends on the conditions they were growing in before otherwise I doubt frost will phase those puppies much.

I'd put them out mid-day or so. That way they'll cool down slowly along with the normal temperature drop.
 
  • #28
Excellent advice! They were growing at room temp in a TC lab.
 
  • #29
Sounds like I have my work cut out for me. I have some Arcturi seeds on thier way. I heard they were difficult.

It sounds as if I could treat them like my temperate drosera and sarrs and I might have a chance here in Indiana. I can give them the proper dormancy, and I think my summers here might just be mild enough for the most part to give them the proper cool down at night.

We shall see.
 
  • #30
Woah resurrected thread! I didn't manage to keep mine for long -- they just rotted! I probably didn't harden them off correctly (they were from TC). Ah well. Maybe when I move to NZ I can grow them... :)

Good luck dash.
 
  • #31
Yes, I resurrected this one from the land of the dead. LOL. I didn't think it necessary to start a new one since yours was already here.

Your results don't sound too encouraging... It will be fun trying nonetheless.

Has anyone in the been able to keep arcturi alive for more than one season? It doesn't count if you live in NZ and your back yard contains an alpine bog. :)
 
  • #32
Barry Rice has been growing these for many years. Since they have such a short growing period it is essential to feed them constantly. Search the ICPS forum for his cultivation methods.
 
  • #33
Thanks NaN for pointing me in the right direction. Duh, why didn't I think to check there. I did check elsewhere and found some people in the UK/EUR area who have reported limited success.

Since I have a few weeks to wait while they are stratifying I can spend some time coming up with a plan to get them to sprout and hopefully survive.
 
  • #34
You know what? I think I'm confusing these with D. linearis on ICPS. Same cultivation problems though.

Memory is the second thing to go.
 
  • #35
Barry Rice has been growing these for many years. Since they have such a short growing period it is essential to feed them constantly. Search the ICPS forum for his cultivation methods.
You know what? I think I'm confusing these with D. linearis on ICPS. Same cultivation problems though. Memory is the second thing to go.
I recall Barry posted some growing methods for D. linearis that involved aggressive feeding & long photoperiod. Don't recall anything about him & D. arcturi - would be interesting to see how this plant responds to those conditions - especially since almost everything posted is about some version of a failure... :thumbdown:
 
  • #36
not that i've been studying this plant for years, but im betting they occupy the same ecological niches found in their respective hemispheres. what works for linearis will probably work for arcturi as well.
 
  • #37
not that i've been studying this plant for years, but im betting they occupy the same ecological niches found in their respective hemispheres. what works for linearis will probably work for arcturi as well.


That's the thing- D. linearis can be a problematic plant-scratch that, IS a problematic plant. It's difficult to keep alive long-term, and very slow growing from what I hear. I guess if I can keep my D. linearis plants alive for next growing season, perhaps giving D. arcturi a try wouldn't hurt though ;)
 
  • #38
Here's the thread I was referencing in my post above - thread.

Here's a post from Barry that made me think this plant (D. linearis) might actually be possible for mortals to cultivate (be interesting to see if D. arcturi would respond similarly):
Sorry for my lack of clarity in my email, I meant a 50:50 sand:peat mix. My standard mix for most Drosera.

I grow them under lights in a terrarium for about 3 months, feeding them nearly daily. There's nothing magical about the water level---the pots are about 5 cm tall, sitting in 2-3 cm of water at all times.

At the end of the growing season, the plants form hibernacula. I let them sit in the terrarium for a few weeks in this state, then put them in baggies and keep them in the fridge.

I'm old-school about my refrigeration, and so I store them there for about 4-5 months. However, I've talked to some who see no point in storing their plants for more than about 3-4 weeks in the fridge. I will point out that their plants have effectively two or three growing seasons to each of my own, and their plants grow faster as a result!

Cheers

Barry

dline07.jpg
 
  • #39
Iv kept drosera arctaurii alive for more than 1 season I do live in New Zealand and we do get cool nights. Im now thinking I should feed them more. They are outside in my cooler glasshouse so they should catch thier own. But they are by far the slowest growing of my Drosera. Moss overtops them too which probably slows them down more. I keep them in pots with the water level about 3/4 of the way up. They dont mind flooding if you change the water ever 5 days or so. Not sure if this helps.
 
  • #40
Hey thanks for the info. After checking out your climate it looks like where I live is similar in conditions only slightly colder in the winter and slightly warmer in the summer. I think my winters are probably as harsh or harser than arturi's natural environment. I probably need to be careful during the summer as not to overheat them provided I even get them to survive that long. :)
 
Back
Top