First Tuberous Dews; Help and Opinions?

[Zath]

Been wanting to break into these for awhile, and finally got a chance when the ICPS seed bank opened back up in late July. I did some reading, including the stickied thread by Pyro here in this sub-forum, and this settled and filtered out of all the agregate:

They are in a sand-heavy mix with peat, in a very shallow tray, which I fill, then allow to dry for a day or two before refilling.

The light is a 100-watt equivalent CFL bulb with a color temperature of 2700k.

I'm wondering if I should have gone with the 150-watt equivalent (highest I can find), but the actual wattage was twice that of the bulbs I have (40 as opposed to 23).

They're out in the open so that they'll get cooler overall temperatures this winter, probably as low as the mid-forties at night during the coldest times, and the light is on a 12-hour cycle right now. Over the next two months, I plan on trimming it down to 10 hours.

Now....the question is....what am I doing wrong? Because I'm sure it's something. XD

(Edit) the seeds are D. hookeri, btw. I'll also be putting a tuber each of D. modesta and D. menziesii in the same conditions if they're appropriate.

 

[Cruzzfish]

Try keeping some of them just a little bit more damp. That being said, you probably won't see any sprouts until October or November if everything goes well with them.

 

[hcarlton]

Quick couple notes: one, those containers are NOT big enough!! Tuberous dews send their tubers deep once mature, and will pop out the bottom of those little things in a heartbeat. Two, while D. hookeri does not need a summer heat stratification like other species often do, it is not a fast germinator; several weeks is usually an average before anything will sprout. These guys will often start growing even in hot weather, but depending on locality they may or may not take the initiative to go dormant or just try and keep growing when the next warm season starts.
The other two species mentioned definitely need a summer dormancy, and do not water the pot once those are planted before growth starts, or you risk rotting the tuber. Oh, and tuberous dews need a LOT of food to store up energy for the summer season.

 

[Zath]

Haha, I wasn't planning on keeping them in those beyond this first growing season, but now you've got me worried they may not last even that long.

I believe I'll be able to satisfy the summer dormancies fairly well, I'm just hoping they don't need a ton of humidity during the colder growing season.

Your advice on their feeding is duly noted. I'll be sure to give them feasts of bloodworms and fruitflies.

Right now I'm more concerned with the question of, "Is this enough / the right kind of light, temps, humidity, etc." With the rest of my terrariums I make a point of staggering the color temps; half on the low end, half on the high. I'm wondering if trying to be a little more economical with this CFL may come back to bite me. :/

I'd put them in one of my terrariums, if they weren't so warm and wet...not a lot I can do about that.

 

[theplantman]

IME The container size needs to be at least a 6" pot size to get tubers through the summer heat. Larger soil volumes insulate the tubers from dessication. Additionally, as mentioned, it also accomodates the deep root system and enhances drainage if you ever put them in a tray. I actually grow mine without water trays because I found they prefer an oxygenated soil environment. I don't get as much rot this way, as long as I remember to water. Your mix is good, too--the tuberous dews don't really like a peaterlite mix I tried last year. Sand is much better. And hcarlton's stuff on feeding is spot-on. I foliar feed (lightly, 1/8 tsp per gallon) almost every time I'm staring at the plants. I have a long enough growing season to really push them, but anywhere north of zone 8 you're gonna want to pump them up as frequently as you can.

I was worried about the summer dormancy at first, but the plants actually give you plenty of signs that they're wanting to head into it. There's around two weeks they get sluggish, and then browner and browner, until there's really no foliage left that needs water anyway. I grow them exclusively outside year-round, and thereby eliminate my need to worry about photoperiods.