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Capensis Seed Germinated, W00000T

upper

Capensis Killer
Here's some pic, my hand shakes alot so my bad if its blurry.
minigreenkc3.jpg

YAY
seedlingwithzoomtq4.jpg

YAY
yaybw5.jpg



First ever seed i managed to germinate, next up, sarracenia :D
 
:clap: hmm some perlite would be good in there.
 
hahahah!
we are both boned now!
mine germinated almost 2 weeks ago
>_<
 
I stopped using those seed-starter peat pellet thingies.........

I found that they were filled with mold and fungus spores. The damp-off killed every seedling that sprouted. :( There was always this fast growing solid green mold like The Blob or something....

Not matter how much sulfer-based anti-fungal spray I used or how much ventilation I gave a tray, damp-off would always occur. I even microwaved the pelets first too. Still no good.

Good luck dude. I hope you have a better experience with them than I did.
 
:clap: hmm some perlite would be good in there.

why?

I would strongly advise against perlite..
there is no need for it, and its messy and ugly.

I know nepenthes growers are into perlite lately, and maybe it has some benefit there,
(keeping an "open airy" potting mix and all that)
but for drosera, dionea and sarracenia I see no reason for using perlite.

Scot
 
lol scotty I guess it's like a 75/25 mix around here. 75% of the people like to use perlite in everything, while the others don't.

I received a shipment of dews and planted them all without perlite. After a week or more of getting hassled to get perlite I finally found a store stocking it.

But needless to say someday when I have enough plants I'm going to put one in a mix and one in straight peat and see how they compare. Cause I been getting such mixed reviews on the substrates.

Steve
 
There's nothing wrong with using perlite. Aside from stretching a non-renewable resource (peat) it improves drainage. This can be helpful with novices who probably have a tendency to overwater until they get a feel of what moisture levels work best.

Messiness is not a problem, just gently press the perlite down if it floats up when watering. A repetition or two of this sets the perlite in place. A little surface drying between watering while "setting" the perlite helps facilitate the process.

You can always put a 1/4 inch top mulch of sand on top too. This keeps down moss growth and fungus gnats if you don't have a liking for either.

The biggest drawback I find with perlite is it's lightness. My Sarracenia pots constantly blow over in the wind. However this can be a plus if you ship plants potted as it saves substantially on weight.
 
Yes I got my nep clipping in a perlite/water mixture. Mainly to keep them standing up straight. My nep was on it's way out so I figured it's time to try a salvage.
 
  • #10
I don't even think Capensis needs that kind of germination conditions. I just knock the seeds into pots and let them grow. But it is good practice for harder germinating plants.
 
  • #11
If you are somewhere where they sell cinder it is even better if you mix in some cinder..
I like perlite but it does float... Capensis does not need any good conditions like 40F minimum with some light.(happened to me)
 
  • #12
so they put fungus spore in there?.... why???
 
  • #13
the way they process the peat...they dont deliberately put fungus in the pellets...it just shows up.

Alex
 
  • #14
so i should repot it as soon as it germinates?
 
  • #15
In the future, though, you can nuke the peat in the microwave before using it and kill most of the living organisms that may be along for the ride.

xvart.
 
  • #16
Make sure the peat is moist/wet before heating in the microwave oven or you could start a fire.

If the mold/fungus is a saprophyte it only eats dead stuff then no worries. If not, well then you have a problem.

LFS when first rewet sometimes develops a white fuzz that goes away after a few days. It seems to do no harm to plants and seedlings.
 
  • #17
oh darn, so what should i do right now? repot every seed i see? or germinated seed at least?
 
  • #18
What you do is stop worrying so much. It's D. capensis. Whenever they need transplanting, just throw whatever extra crap you've got laying around in a pot and it's good to go.
 
  • #19
Heh. When I did all my repotting with perlite. I took every single clipping whether it was half brown or all brown and stuck them all in a big bin with 1/4 inch of peat/perlite on top. There is so many clippings it's crazy. I put at least 10 still green adelae leaves in there. Just about some of every plant I own.

I'm hoping they all sprout something. I saw a pic this guy had one adelae leaf with 6 new sproutlets on it. I sure hope mine do that. I also added some star moss in there to fill in the blank spots until I can get some live LFS.
 
  • #20
Congratulations! Don't worry. Your plants will probably be fine. Capensis is quite hardy.

Personally I hate perlite. I try not to use it...although I did use a hefty portion of it to start some Cephalotus leaf pulls to keep the soil airy.
 
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