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Drosera Hilaris seeds questions

bluebird

Rub my belly!
I received my D.Hilaris seeds from ozzy and I'm hoping to get some help on germinating them I'd like to do a couple of pots and any seeds leftover store away for later so would putting them in the refrigerator be ok?

The seeds are in the paper they came in at the moment so I'd put the paper in a ziplock and where in the fridge would be the best?

Right now I just have sphagnum peat moss and Dried Chilean LFS so what type of media should I use, will peat/silica sand do fine or peat/perlite also what kind of pots will be ok for the seeds I'm thinking of putting the seeds in pots and allow them to grow in them or should I plant the seeds in a smaller pot or plugs and repot when they're a bit bigger also I'm hoping to do a peat/silica sand mix how much should I do of it 50/50 be fine and I'm going to homedepot to check to see if they have silica sand is there a certain brand I should look for or as long as it's good silica sand it's ok?

I have a spot that gets sunlight, but it's not direct sunlight will this be ok to grow them at and once they've grown will I need to keep them in a terrarium with lights or will it be ok at a south window I have a 10 gal tank and lamp I'll just need to buy the right bulb..

I've tried searching on this forum and online, but I haven't find much info on growing these types of drosera from seeds just some info on it and pictures.

Thanks alot for any help.
 
I will open by saying I have not grown this beast yet but I am currently growing many of the other related S. African clade so I am basing my comments on my experience with those.

I use a loose media of 2/2/1/1 APS/sand/PBM/LFS for this group, it allows good drainage which they seem to appreciate. If you are stuck with just peat/sand I would lean toward a 30/70 or 20/80 mix and try to add some LFS if you can.

Just sow all the seed lightly over the surface of the media. Even if you get 100% germination you should still be able to grow them out for some time before you would need to transfer them out.

After sowing the seed place the pot on a tray and water cyclically (i.e allow the tray to dry for a couple days before adding water again.)

The information I have on this plant is that it does not do a die back to the roots like some of the others in the group but it does show a period of reduced size which I suspect is a "dormant" form so in habitat it probably does experience a drier period. To these ends the seed may not germinate unless they experience a similar seasonal cue. If you do not see germination in a couple months then stop watering and let the media dry till it is just dry on top but still moist under the surface. Bag the pot to keep it from drying out more and store it out of direct light. Check it monthly to be sure something has not popped up and come fall (August/Sept) return it to the tray.
 
Thanks alot for the help Pyro I'm hoping to go to the store to get the sand, pots and trays, but what does APS, PBM stand for?

So silica sand should be good to use or what kind do you use?

Thanks alot I hope to get these started tomorrow or this weekend.
 
PBM = Pine Bark Mulch
 
Thanks X and NaN for providing the definitions.

Bird,

Silica sand is fine. Regular old play sand works too.
 
I guessed that PBM was Pine Bark Mulch, but wanted to be sure thanks for telling me what APS is I seen that stuff at home depot not sure on lowes also storing the seeds in the refrigerator will be ok?

With pine bark mulch would any work ok or there any certain kind I should look for since sometimes mulches are chemically treated I didn't know if that'll hurt them again thanks for the help I appreciate it.
 
Bird,

Before progressing further I want to put some caveats in here.

PBM and APS may not be necessary for you. These are just things that I have found to work for me. There are plenty of people (most everyone) who do not use them and do just fine without them. I use them for many reasons, one of which is that I am a chronic tinkerer so I am always trying new things for no reason other than to try them. I use APS because I hate perlite (for a dozen reasons.) Perlite would work fine in this application and is cheaper. So if you want to use that instead then go for it. I started using PBM for a totally different project and one day I ran out of peat and I was too lay to go out and get more so I subbed in the PBM instead. I found it worked for me and have not bothered to switch back to peat. If you have peat on hand then there is no need to go out and buy PBM. But to answer your question, the PBM I use is Natures Helper Soil Conditioner and it is the kind that does not have added fertilizer (important to check that.) I get it at HD.

So, now, back to the matter at hand...

The important point is not so much what goes into the media as it is how the media behaves. I find that this clade does better in a loose media that drains well but that also retains moisture during the periods I let the tray dry for a couple days and that also holds a good amount of trace moisture for dormancy periods. If you can accomplish this with what you have on hand then thee is no need to go out and buy more bags of stuff.

And yes, the seed can safely be stored in the fridge. Just make sure it is not wet when stored.

Cheers
 
Right now I don't have any perlite so I think when I go to HD to find the sand I'll pick up some APS and maybe PBM I have some extra money for it so I might do a few pots with the mix you told me and one mix with peat/sand/APS/LFS and see how the seeds do I can always use the extra stuff for other things later on..

Thank you for the help.
 
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