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!

D lusitanicum new start

Started a couple new plants because I am a huge fan of this plant and I miss my other one! Thought it would be fun to show how I am growing them and how they progress.
So an update since they have been growing for a couple weeks now since germinating and I just recently decided to take some photos.

Anyway so here you go:
Shot of the set up and some background to get up to speed.
Originally I had both seeds in the small pot hoping that at least one would germinate and I would then just let it grow and transfer it to the big pot once it got large enough. I find the hardest part is not germinating them.. but getting them to survive beyond that to adulthood. They are extreamly susceptible to damping off for the first couple months or so. One seed sprouted and about a week later the other started poking out a root. So just as the second was breaking out of the seed coat I moved it to the large pot to settle in there. Guess this means I will have to get mix for another large pot later and try transfering the other at a future date.
The bulbs are those indoor 26w CFL spot lights. I have also used 42w spiral cfl with success in the past. Either way they need to be within a few inches of the plants. One bulb for one plant!!!Drosophyllum love sun!
Dlpots.jpg


Couple close ups of the slightly older plant which is currently unrolling it's first nonseed leaf. If you look close you will see a couple small flying insects already ensnared! These are the most amazing CPs at catching bugs. They are literally bug magnets.
Dl110411a.jpg

Dl110411b.jpg
 
Very nice! What procedures did you use to germinate them?
 
if you take the cover off the cfl flood you will get a lot more light from it\
congrats on the baby
 
Good job..I can never get the seedlings to live that long...too wet or too dry...I can't get it just the way they like it.
 
More power to ya, Tony! I have a hard time keeping them going.
 
Eric -
I use a nail file to scarify the fat end of the seed just through the black seed coat in a little spot, then soak the seed in RO water for a day or two. The seed then go into the mix, just barely covered. Keep moist but not sopping. Some warmth seems to help so the lights are on for about 16-17hrs/day.

Mickey -
If I remove the cover I will have nothing but a 26w spiral cfl. I chose the floodlight for the mirror reflector on the inside glass. So unless you have a tip to remove just the face of the glass but leave the mirror reflector intact I could just as easily switch back to my 42w spiral cfl inside the clip on lamp. The problem though is clip on lamps have poor reflectors and the light at the plant level is brighter using the floodlamp with the internal mirror reflector. I may have to just break down and get myself a nice high power cfl fixture used for hydroponics or supplemental greenhouse lighting.

Exo -
Just a touch of water every other day or three... The pots sit in very shallow water while waiting for germination, so the mix is thoroughly wet all the way through until they germinate. Once I see germination I don't water again until the surface looks like it is almost dry. Then I just water around the plant with about a tsp of water whenever it looks almost dry. There will still be quite a bit of moisture down deep in the pot for a long while so I don't rush to sit the pot in water again for a while.

My previous plant which I lost one Summer after we had days and days of rain rain rain and cold temperatures ;x
Drosophyllum1.jpg
 
:drool: Was just saying today how I'm lacking one of these. Very nice.
 
You're off to a great start with those two seedlings Tony.

Do you put any compost or soil/peat into your Drosphyllum media mix or do you go with an all mineral mix for this species?

dvg
 
You're off to a great start with those two seedlings Tony.

Do you put any compost or soil/peat into your Drosphyllum media mix or do you go with an all mineral mix for this species?

dvg

A little yes. The small pot is just silica sand and peat. Primarily sand though as you can probably see from the photos. The large pot is a mix of chunky perlite, vermiculite, aquatic plant soil, sand, and a little peat. I wanted to lighten it up a bit and use coarser ingredients to help keep it draining well since it is a pretty large pot. The chunky perlite and vermiculite help in that regard. The dimensions for the large pot are 8.25" wide at the top and 8" deep.
 
  • #10
Too bad you lost that last Drosophyllum, it was beautiful! I'm getting some Droso seeds in a day or so and am excited to give it a second try. My first Droso. got uprooted by a bird on my balcony this last summer :(

That's the same method I used for girmination before. Seems to work well.

Do you keep the plants under that floodlight all year, or only part of the time (like durring winter)?
Good growing!
 
  • #11
Too bad you lost that last Drosophyllum, it was beautiful! I'm getting some Droso seeds in a day or so and am excited to give it a second try. My first Droso. got uprooted by a bird on my balcony this last summer :(

That's the same method I used for girmination before. Seems to work well.

Do you keep the plants under that floodlight all year, or only part of the time (like durring winter)?
Good growing!

Sorry to hear about your plant! Nasty bird ;x Keep us posted on how your new batch goes.
The plant had been outside all Summer and this was a quick setup to try and keep it going through the Winter. It worked well in the end and the plant went back outside the following Spring. I may contemplate keeping one indoors but think I would need a better light system. Maybe a much larger CFL or small MH light? I was also looking at those 1800 lumen Cree LED spotlights but not sure if the wavelengths would be good. Might make an interesting experiment. Those bulbs are pretty pricey though ;/


oh when oh when are the plasma bulbs going to be available....
 
  • #12
These are the most amazing CPs at catching bugs. They are literally bug magnets.

I disagree. While they do catch insects, d. indica is much better at it. I'm kindof disappointed, LOL!
 
  • #13
Cute seedlings, makes me want to germinate some more next year in peat pots and then transfer to 12" terra cotta. I wonder if they would germinate outside in the spring here after danger of frost is gone? May not be warm enough though. If I get seed from mine, I may try it.

Good luck with the seedlings :-D
 
  • #14
Looked at your thread from earlier this year SD. Any updated photos? looked like a small forest you had going there! Did you notice any fragrance during the day? Mine smelled like honey when sitting in the sun.

I always found them easier to start indoors where I can control the light and temperature and moisture level much better. Normally I just start them in the final pot they are planning to stay in but I thought it would be interesting to see how one did first in a small pot and then moving it. I think I will have to wait a while though until the root system is large enough to keep the mix intact around the roots, since I didn't use a peat pot and will have to remove it from the plastic pot.

Here is an update of both plants 8 days past the previous photos. Both have finished unrolling their first nonseed leaf and are working on their second along with a third just starting to form down in the center. So far so good. The new leaves have grown about twice as large as the previous which is about what you want to see for a healthy seedling and the growth is nice and tight (ie not elongating) down at the bottom. I am still being very careful on watering.. They will eventually form a bit of a woody outside at the base, which I think helps protect them from disease, but it takes a long time.

Plant in the large pot that was moved to it's current location just as the seed was starting to poke a root out. That is the 26w CFL floodlight at the top, about a half inch from the tip of the tallest leaf.
DlA111211.jpg


Plant in the small pot
DlB111211.jpg


Both plants have been busy catching small flying insects, mostly attracted to the light at night but hey.. whatever works! There is even a mosquito stuck to the plant in the first picture.
 
  • #15
Very nice Tony. I have a question about my droso, Its has been growing great and fast since I got it in august but it hasnt been getting any larger, I suspect that the peat pot was to small when I transplanted it and the pot still hasnt decomposed yet. Do you know what could be happening?
 
  • #16
Well based on the information you provide if I had to take a guess it would be a lack of feeding or insuficient light? Or a combination of both..
I doubt it is pot size. I had a very large multiple growth plant in a fairly small pot.

My experience with rapidly growing plants is they need a steady supply of nutrients and proper light to maximize growth. Without one or the other they will not perform to their maximum potential. Any other info on size, leaf color, lighting, feeding, or photos you can post?
 
  • #17
I would say the leaves are 4-6", the leafs are green and the glands are light red, I just moved it from my windowsill that gets 4 hours of direct light to next to my heli tank so it is like 6 inches from a 55 watt cfl, I feed it once in a while the gnats that get killed from the lights.
 
  • #18
hmm guess it's a combination of both, but if the new growth looks healthy and the plant isn't stretching for light then I am not sure I would be overly concerned. It is difficult to grow them indoors as it is.. so just keeping it healthy through the Winter would in my book be a worthwhile goal and not worrying so much about size. Next Spring you can find a new location for it where it can get as much sun as possible and hopefully catch more insects. Will you be able to put it outside for the Summer in a nice sunny location?
 
  • #19
yea, in the summer it does great on my roof, it gets full sun all day. I had to bring it in because its really windy and cold now. Thanks Tony!
 
  • #20
Man these sure are cool. Like the big daddy of the filiformis world. Would love to give these a shot someday. How do they fair in HL conditions?
 
Back
Top