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  • #41
Here's my experience with the "Giant" form/variety. Since these grow closer to sea level they are supposed to be easier to grow.

Cold stratified seed for two month in the refrigerator on New Zealand long fibre sphagnum moss. Germinated on same bagged in pots under 24 hour lighting. All six seeds germinated (no longer have record of dates). After 1-2 months growing under lights plants were moved outdoors (mid-June as I recall, beginning of summer - Northern Hemisphere - coastal Los Angeles). Plants were fed bits of freeze-dried bloodworm when possible. The plants never had more than two functional trap leaves at any time.

Over the course of the summer one plant died. In mid-late fall they stopped growing and formed sort of a small green bud in the center. They're supposed to die down to the roots?. The pot was bagged and placed in the refrigerator - maybe late-Oct-mid Nov?. Plants were checked weekly however two of the largest plants were seen to slowly blacken and wither away - dying to the roots?.

Mid-late spring the plants that remained with some green started to show growth again. The plants were hardened off (humidity gradually lowered) under lights over a period of 1-2 weeks then placed outdoors in constant partial shade. The plants grew more slowly - they were sort of runts to begin with. Leaves seldom had dew on them making it difficult to feed them regularly. Plants did not equal the size of the largest the year before.

Once again growth stopped, leaving a green central bud. The pot was placed in an airtight container an placed in the refrigerator and again monitored weekly. Again the largest and smallest plants withered away, mold/fungus started growing on them. Treated with Neem oil. I placed the container in the freezer for one month, remaining plant continued to show a green bud. After one month plant was returned to the refrigerator and by mid-late spring signs of growth from the remaining plant. Hardened off under lights, and move back outdoors. The plant grew very slowly for a month or two than died.
 
  • #42
A cycle of diminishing returns? Sorry to hear that. :)

Here is my plan. It is more of a tough love plan because I find the plants I tend to baby do worse than the ones I ignore.

I am assuming I am receiving the alpine variety. If I find out otherwise, I may change my plan. Provided I get them to sprout and to the point where I can think about long term care, I will acclaimate them to lower humidity and full sun. I will probably take them out around June as you did since I have read they have a short growing season. I may put them in shade during really hot days.

For the winter, I plan to leave them outdoors to freeze thier buns off in cold indiana winters. Once it forms a winter bud, I will mulch it with some sphagnum and drench it with water so that it forms a solid brick of ice. That is how I picture it in the alpine bogs of NZ during winter.

I think for my environment the following year I can just let it sync up with nature because our springs are on the chilly side and really don't get any heat until July-August and back down the thermometer goes in September.

I think I may have a slight advantage since I live in a cooler temperate climate, but will probably screw it up with my lack of skill. :)
 
  • #43
This is as big as they got the first growing season 2.5" (63.5mm) pot

01720018.jpg


Kind of a lame species with only two active leaves IMHO.
 
  • #44
Kind of a lame species with only two active leaves IMHO.

sacrilege! :-O

I hear you though. The pics I see of them from the wild wild web are rather nice. But I guess I didn't see the fine print "results may vary".

I got my seeds today. Let the stratification begin.
 
  • #45
Kind of late in the season to get started: 2-3 month stratification. 2-3 months to germinate. With a lot of luck perhaps seedling by then end of May. And the non-giant form grows very slowly. Forbes said his only grew to a few millimeters (5?) across before going dormant (and dying). You might be better off stratifying with gibberelic acid.

Good luck though, your cold winters should be an advantage. The average with the LACPS is one growing season.
 
  • #46
I would sow the seed now, if its still cold outside they will stratify a little and then germinate when its warms up to above 10 degrees. I have heard of people wasting seed by experimenting with plant hormones as well it sometimes makes them grow funny too. I would say now is a good time to sow as its just before the start of spring. I dont know maybe you only got 6 seed or something and you are really worried about doing the wrong thing but when I sowed some I collected here in NZ they germinated easily on sphagnum moss. They are slow but if you feed them they should grow faster. If things go really bad I can send you some seed because I happen to think this is a very unusual species and not at all lame lol.
 
  • #47
Kinabalufan, I got quite a few. I didn't count them, but I would say around 30. Thanks for the offer as well. Very thoughtful of you.

NaN,
Yes, I took the lateness of the season into consideration. I changed my original plan slightly and decided to do some experimentation with these in the hopes I can accelerate the process. I doubt it but we'll see.

What I did was take a plastic cup and filled with 1" of water and let it freeze solid. I then put an inch of chopped sphagnum and filled with water just below the top of the LFS and and let that freeze solid. I then put the seeds onto the surface of the LFS that was just barely above the ice. I then misted lightly and let that freeze to make the seeds stick to the LFS. I repeated that a few times to build up the ice sheet to about 1/2" above the seeds.

Now I have the seeds atop frozen LFS encased in ice. I will leave them there for about 6 weeks and then place the icecube on top of some potted media and place outside around early to mid April where it will finish out the stratification and experience temperature fluctuations. April is still cool here in Indiana so I am not worried about temps. I usually have to bring my sarrs, vfts, temperate drosera into the garage a for a few nights in April due to frost.

Since they spend months under snow and ice in the wild with below freezing temps for months straight, I do not think this will hurt them as it is quite possibly what they experience in the wild.

I only paid 4 bucks for the seeds so I won't be out much. :)
 
  • #48
I just discovered arcturi the other day and it looks like a great plant. I wonder if it could grow outside here in SE Alaska without problems. It might even be a little warm here... maybe though.
 
  • #49
Dexanthes: New Zealand mountains are really not that cold by world standards, we have an oceanic climate with the coldest ever arounds -21 degrees C ( -5.8 F) and thats on the valley floors the summers are cool with temps often dropping below 0 in the mountains snow can also occur in any month. Water is almost always available with no dry season.
Dashman: 30 sounds like a good amount to sow, goodluck! and let us know how it goes.
 
  • #50
That sounds like almost the same climate as here actually, might be worth a try.
 
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