My Filiformis is being killed?

[jon]

Ok, this is a little weird, one healthy filiformis filiformis just upped and died on me, then with in the next day my other one died. I am now in fear of the other ones I have in the terrarium. I'm baffled, no sign of infection of any fungus', they just withered, died, and turned black.

It's in a terrarium that's kept at very high humidity. Any thoughts?

 

[Capslock]

You know, I'm beginning to look with suspicion on the use of terraria. So many posts lately involve people's cps turning black and dying on them in terraria. I'm sure that it's due to lack of proper air flow in the majority of cases. I realize people want to keep humidity up, but you don't need to suffocate the poor guys. Particularly with easy species like D. filiformis. They don't need very high humidity to thrive, but they DO need fresh air!

Capslock

 

[homer]

Good call Capslock!  I agree and am considering doing some work on my own terrarium regarding stagnant air.  

As for your filiformis, jon, don't let them sit in too high a water table.  I found this out the hard way last summer  

.  I'm finding out more as time goes on that good air flow and lower water levels equal more success in cultivation GENERALY SPEAKING.

-Homer

 

[jon]

Ok, air flow, got ya. I thinking about intoducing some nemotods in order to produce carbon dioxide for the plants.

As for the high water level, we don't have very high water tabel in the tank, everythings just moist.

As for air flow, what if I opened the tank for 10 minutes every day? Will that help?

 

[Capslock]

jon,

Nemotodes, fungicides, etc. shouldn't be necessary in proper conditions. I think you need to be much more proactive in providing air. 10 minutes isn't going to do anything. There should be air flow 24 hours a day. The top of the terraria should be open, paritally, ALL DAY. I leave a crack in the top of the one terrarium I keep that is about 15% of the total area of the top all the time, AND use a computer fan to move the air. I've never had problems with fungus, plants dying, or keeping enough humidity. A sealed terrarium is a death trap for cps.

Capslock

 

[Forbes]

Ditch the terrarium, Jon. I live about an hour away from you in Moorpark where the humidity is often lower than in the valley. I grow most of my Drosera indoors under lights. The plants sit in open trays and the windows to the room are constantly open. Only the Petiolaris species need a terrarium to keep them hot, not humid. Terrariums promote fungal attacks and fungus gnat outbreaks. They're also hard to light sufficiently, a pain to clean and often spatially inefficient. Yuck.

 

[jon]

Forbes, The terrarium is actually a Killing Field for insects, we throw bugs in and watch them get caught and killed (It's entertainment).

Also, some of my Capensis are having a problem too (Which are rright next to the filiformis...hmmm). The leaves unfold but the very tips of the leaves are deformed (shriveles, yellow, and pointed). Any idea?

 

[mcrwt644]

I find that leaving my terrarium closed for about two to three days (granted there are small outlets for air, but nothing extrordinary) and I have never seen better growth. I usually leave the mylar up on the terrarium for an hour or so, enough time to get fresh air in there. I have two d. filiformus and they are both in the way back, and they are actually about 15" tall. I haven't had (knock on wood someone) any problems with plants dying in there. I wouldn't say ditch the terrarium, but maybe open it up a bit...

 

[peter]

Same with my filiformis one day their growing great then in a matter of a day they bulb turns black and dies...

 

[Darcie]

1) filliformis needs to go dorment, you let yours go dorment?
2) if it's in more then one species, I'm guessing root rot. flush the pots with water and then set them on a tray outside the terrarium in a plastic bag. Open up the bag a little more each day untill the plant gets used to less humidty and then ditch the bag

 

[jon]

Yes on #1, and good idea on #2.

 

[goldtrap2690]

My Drosera filiiformis ssp. filiformis is dieing right now . It was very a healthy greenish red hibernaculum one day and then the next day it started to rot for no reason . I hear this subspecies rots if it is kept too warm and wet and I think keeping it too warm was the problem because I'm growing the plant outside in southern Califonrnia but my other subspecies tracyi is doing fine and its right next to my subspecies filiformis .

 

[guqin]

I grow D. filiformis here in the tropics and they grow very well, almost like weeds. Maybe the strain that you have cannot take heat or there are some other reasons for the condition.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

<span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>jon,

Try using a magnifying lens and looking carefully at the dying leaves for spidermites. I know it may sound silly. But spidermites are pervasive, they are not silly.

Frequently fungus and/or bacterial rots are just adventitious organisms taking advantage of a prior insect/spidermite/nematode attack.</span>