Pygmies

[Parasuco]

Ok... As I understand it, Pygmy drosera like a sandy, peat based medium... I have never, ever once had luck with a peat based medium. I have a D. ericksonnii in Peat-Sand-Vermiculite mixture, quite rocky... It's alive, but barely hanging on. I tried a P. moranensis in a peat/sand medium, but it never really did much... Now, this may be due to the fact that they're different species, but when I planted my P. ssp.[Pachuca] in Long fibered sphagnum, they took off like weeds. They're large, VERY greasy pings...

Is it possible to grow Pygmies in LFS? Maybe I'm just being, erm, dumb... But, it really seems that I have no luck with peat, whether the plant be a Utric, a sundew or a ping... I figure I might as well go with the flow of how things work out...

The reason I ask is because in the spring I think I might wnat to clear out some of my collection and start collecting pygmies...

Thanks,
Greg

 

[dodecatheon]

I grow my pygmies in a plain old peat-sand mix, in plain old 3inch pots. I even have some growing in pure peat without complaining. When the tray dries out I give them about 1cm. Sometimes its a few days before I notice.

I have tremendous success growing them on a south facing windowsill. This could be attributed to any of a few different things such as the natural photoperiod, or the natural temp cycle (cool nights, warmer days).

I have tried them in a terarium before and the grow very slowly and often succumb to mold.

 

[Parasuco]

Thanks, Tim.

With my ericksoniae, All it ever was, for monthes was a lump of ready to unfurl leaves... Each time a leaf tried to unfurl, it would die... I put it in my terrarium, and now its notlosing leaves, but its still in... poopy condition...

The silica sand that I use is very fine... Is this a problem?

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

There is nothing wrong with experimentation, so why not try some as you mention? I have plants frowing in pure LF moss there they self sowed, and they do reasonably well. I believe these plants are real survivors, and will adapt to whatever the medium of choice. I have friends in Australia that have them in 100% sand, and they likewise grow (although not as large or as well).

The critical factor is not the medium, but rather light intensity. They need strong light, and this is difficult to deliver in a terrarium setting. Plants under flourescents will not grow compactly, if any distance from the tubes. They well survive, certainly, but their growth and color will be weak, producing atypical plants.

 

[Parasuco]

Thank you, Tamlin!

That was the reason I've never been too too fond of Pygmies... I can't give them enough light, I don't want "Kind-of-plants", I want strong ones i can be proud that I'm keeping alive. Hehehe...

Perhaps I should stick with my plan and go with mexi pings...

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Parasuco,

Can you grow them outdoors? This is how I grow mine, other than in the frozen months, and they are happiest this way.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Or put them in a gh.

Mine are very happy in it considering very decent RH and light levels. I'd say you have low light conditions. drosera are the light cp's give them the sun!

 

[Parasuco]

I keep my temperate dews outside, on my Deck...
This year, I'm looking to find a more organized way... I had all of my pots with ziplog baggies around the bottom, as to retain water better. I'm thinking something along the lines of LARGE tray to keep all my plants wet... Without some sort of seal, or large quantity to keep the water from evaporating right away, its too costly...

Um... where was I going with that?

Oh yea. My outside growing is't exactly 'organized' yet... But if it becomes so, this year, I can try something like that... Hrrm... thinks... I have half-barrel planter. If I set something on that, like a piece of plastic, I can use it as a heavy table, where sun hits most of the day... About five hours...I guess thats not most... But enough for my plants...

EDIT: Ugh, still sounds jumbled... What I'm saying is that I might have room...

What do you do in the winter monthes?

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

The whole process is here:

http://www.petflytrap.com/cgi-bin....5;t=392

 

[Parasuco]

Thanks.

 

[Khai]

Tamlin, Parasuco have you ever considered an HID?
Manufacturers make some nice air cooled hoods nowadays.

Peace

 

[Parasuco]

What an HID?

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

HID is High Intensity Discharge lighting: Metal halide and/or High Pressure Sodium. I used a combination unit for a year, but the transformer died. Be sure if you use this to change the bulbs annually, old bulbs can burn out the transformer, or so I was told. I was satisfied with the results, although the cost was high to operate. I find that flourescents afford greater control of the lighting, allowing for specific cultural considerations, and now prefer this method. Both have something to say for themselves. For pygmy culture I think HID would not be good due to the heat output: even with air cooling the substrate would heat up from the intensity of the light alone.

 

[Martin]

Hi,

I'm not very interested in pygmae Drosera but I grow some species at a South facing windowsill.
I never found that my species would need really much light as everybody says. The tuberous Drosera or even something like Drosera capensis need much more light to grow well.

They are growing better on my windowsill than in the greenhouse where it is gets quite hot during summer. (I know about the conditions in natural habitat, but my plants prefer it cooler during summer)

I use a sand : peat mixture at about 1:1 ratio.

Very fine sand is usually not very good for carnivorous plants, because it compacts very fast.

Also your peat is propably the wrong type. it MUST(!!) be brown, not black and the acidity MUST(!!) be between pH 2-5.

Martin

Drosera scorpioides :

 

[Khai]

Hey Tam Id really like to know what they were thinking when they told you an old bulb can burn your transformer out!
This is nonsense! More likely your Capacitor or ignitor was blown. These are both easy to replace.
You say you ran it for only a year so Im pretty sure its not the transformer.
What kind of unit was it? ie Brand name, wattages.
Were both bulbs contained in one hood?

You honestly feel the soil would warm signifigantly enough to damage plants?
I run 430w HPS lamps in a basement room and Ive never noticed even a negligible increase in soil temps with out the addition of some form of propagation mat.
I was thinking of something smaller though for the pygmys like say 150w or 175 w MH.
Air cooling can decrease ambient room temps up to 15 degrees depending on the size of room and number of lamps running.

Peace