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kath

Katherine
I have ordered 12 different sets of seeds arriving this weekend, and ten of them are for sundew species. I would like some info on germinating them - which ones need stratification etc, how to care for them when they germinate. Also, would most of these be ok if I planted a few seeds in my ice cube moulder. The moulds are only very small, about 1cm deep and 1cm across, and square shaped. Would seedling be ok being germinated in these until I can repot them into my 'communal nursery'?

Drosera Stenoptela
Drosera Binata
Drosera Spatulata
Drosera Hamiltonii
Drosera Intermedia
Drosera Rotundifolia
Drosera Burmanii
Drosera Dielsiana

Also:
U. Subulata
Sarracenia seeds

Any advice on germinating the above is welcome.
 
Some of these dews prefer different media compositions and water preferences. I'd reccommend looking up all germinating questions on the International Carnivorous Plant Society site (carnivorousplants.org). Normally if you just type the name of the Drosera into google, it will be one of the first results. What I can tell you is that Rotundifolia needs about a 4-5 week cold stratification and if the Binata seeds are old, i've heard they might need it too.
But when I first tried planting seeds, that site had tons of great tips and info on basically every seed of sundew I had.
Good luck w/ the seeds,
Aaron
 
I have ordered 12 different sets of seeds arriving this weekend, and ten of them are for sundew species. I would like some info on germinating them - which ones need stratification etc, how to care for them when they germinate. Also, would most of these be ok if I planted a few seeds in my ice cube moulder. The moulds are only very small, about 1cm deep and 1cm across, and square shaped. Would seedling be ok being germinated in these until I can repot them into my 'communal nursery'?

Any advice on germinating the above is welcome.

Alpine:
cold, damp stratify at least 4 weeks. Might help to dip below 0C for a few days/1 week (??).
Drosera stenopetela (supposed to be even tougher to grow than D. arcturi being less tolerate of warm temps)

Sub-tropical/tropical:
just sow and grow warm temps 25C or higher with plenty of light.
Drosera binata (weedy)
Drosera spatulata
Drosera burmanii (weedy)
Drosera dielsiana


Temperate:
cold, damp stratify for 4 weeks. If D. intermedia is a sub tropical or tropical form ("Cuba") just sow and grow.
Drosera intermedia
Drosera rotundifolia


Might need smoke treatment. Stratify on "smoke" paper or quick "bush" fire over pot of sown seeds. Needs plenty light.
Drosera hamiltonii

Also:
U. subulata - weed just sow and grow
Sarracenia seeds - four week cold, damp stratification (5 for S. purpurea)

Your ice moulds will be perfect. Cover them or seal in clear plastic bags for increased humidity and to keep out fungus gnats.

Note: the species epithet should never be capitalized ;)

Happy growing! :water:
 
Sub-tropical/tropical:
just sow and grow warm temps 25C or higher with plenty of light.
Drosera binata (weedy)
Drosera burmanii (weedy)

U. subulata - weed just sow and grow
A few quick thoughts:
- D. binata - yes it can be considered 'weedy' - it's thick black roots go all over in a community pot and make it somewhat of a bully over time
- D. burmanni - it's an annual so it provides lots of seed - it tends to be a pleasant little surprise all over - very easily pulled if it's actually in the way
- U. subulata - if you're really going to grow it - keep it in its own pot in a separate room. It will show up everywhere and can be tough to actually eradicate - truly a weed
 
Wow! I'm impressed with how quick help came, and how much came!

OK, so my next query. What species like what soil?
I have: fresh, live NZ sphagnum moss
dry NZ sphagnum moss
peat with vermiculite/perlite
plain peat

Also, having heard how some species grow really well, whilst others don't, I thought that perhaps I should plant the seeds so certain species are away from each other? I currently have two trays, each with 64 moulds, which adds up to 128 moulds, and I was planning to plant in columns, so only one species of seeds was planted per column, so I knew where all the seeds were. Also, how many seeds per mould would be good?

How would I go about 'smoke treating' the hamiltonii seeds safely. Is this compulsory? Could I put them in the oven or something? Or hold them in front of the fire while the doors open? I'm just confused - how does the smoke treatment work and how can I replicate it?

Last of all, the moulds are made for ice, so currently waterproof. Should I drill a hole in each mould so I can put them in a very shallow tray of water?
 
See the section on smoke treatment:

http://asgap.org.au/seed.html

This site suggests using liquid smoke flavoring for food:

http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/Germination.htm

Search on "smoke primer seed germination disks" for more info on the smoke paper.

Final growing soils:

Temperate: I prefer pure Sphagnum - either live or dead. Live moss can overgrow your plants so avoid with smaller species. But the standard mix of 1 to 1 sand/perlite to peat moss works fine too. Drosera intermedia likes being waterlogged and often grows in semi-aquatic conditions.

Alpine: probably similar to what D. arcturi grows in - sandy Sphagnum moss

The D. hamiltonii and D. dielsiana do better in a sandier mix ( 2 to 1 sand/perlite to peat moss).

All the rest will including the Sarracenia and U. subulata will do fine in a 1 to 1 sand or perlite to peat moss mix.
 
If it's just the 'smoke' that makes the seeds grow, and not the heat, would putting some ashes from the fire (wood fire only) in some water, and floating the seeds in the water work? Would this trick them? If so, how long would I need to soak them for?
 
Oh, also with the D. Stenopetala, would it help to stick it in the freezer for a short time during stratification? If so, hor long should it be in the freezer for, and at what point in the stratification? At the beginning, end, or middle?

With D. Intermedia, do the seedlings need to be water logged too? Or do they need that only when they reach a certain age?
 
No hard advice, but my feelings would be to simulate winter in a compressed fashion. I'd put them in the freeze 3-7 days and then back to the refrigerator for the last 3-7 days.

D. intermedia does not require to be waterlogged and will grow fine otherwise. Depending on what location the plants were originally from some may actually grow larger in waterlogged conditions vs drier conditions. "Normal" damp germination should be fine. Personally I would hold off on trying waterlogged conditions until the seedlings start to look like mature plants - maybe 2 or 3 months after the first set of true leaves.
 
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