Growing D. capensis as aquatic

[Amateur_Expert]

Well a friend of mine gave me too much D. capensis which i didn't really care for to tell you the truth. Well i didn't want to pot them and go through that whole ordeal, plus some had extremely long roots. So i got a 5.5 x 5.5 , 4 inch high plastic clear container (my mom almost killed me) and filled it up with water. Well, i did this just thinking they would stay hydrated, but i was basically sacrificing them. Ironically, they are growing like crazy! They have more dew (and are a deeper green) than the capensis i have in my growchamber.. which are actually in soil! Despite the cold and dry conditions, they are doing awesome. They are 11 of them and i am thinking about separating them into a nicer looking container and placing them around the house.

I tried to kill em and look what happens...

-AE

 

[jimscott]

Ah, a page taken right out of Pinguiculaman! I WOULD suggest re-introducing soil, though.

 

[Amateur_Expert]

They are doing great, they look like they love it. If their conditions decline, i sure will. I doubt it will though, they look awesome and growing like mad.

 

[shokuchuu]

Try finding a way to aerate the water, simulating a hydroponic system. Maybe you might see differences? I don't know myself!

Amori

 

[Amateur_Expert]

I have a few extra air pumps from the fish tanks, will do.

 

[pond boy]

So are the plants roots in the water and the rest of them in the air

 

[Amateur_Expert]

exactly

 

[NepenthesMaster]

How do you keep the D. capensis from capsising? I'd think it might be top heavy...

 

[Amateur_Expert]

They don't fall. they sort of support each other since there are so many.

 

[altrade212]

yeah they look pritty cool, i went to his house, we were going to give them to a friend that was interested in growing CP's..hes still setting up his stuff..

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Well, not too surprising. I have seen populations of Drosera growing happily for a month or more completely under water. Most Drosera are closely associated with wet conditions and tend to grow larger than the same species in a more dry scenario.

 

[Amateur_Expert]

these guys are doing awesome. They have easily doubled in size since i put them in the water and they comsume alot of it. i have to add water almost every day (not just evaportation, because i didnt have to do this before) they seem to have gotten used to it and are full of dew. They have a compact flourscent screw-on all to themselves thats barely a centimeter from them (it isn't very hot, and it gives them ALOT of light) that could be helping also. The bulb must keep them hot during the day and i guess they dont care if its cold at night. They are in my cold, dry room and are full of dew - go figure

 

[Amateur_Expert]

6 of them are sending up flower stalks!!!

 

[peter]

any pictures of them?

 

[Amateur_Expert]

Pictures here

 

[Ozzy]

I visited a place that I had visited many times, and there's a big pond, that is almost always full of water. One year there was a really bad drought and the pond was 5 ft lower than normal. The water line was about 15 to 20 from where it normally is. I walked along the water level just to see what was there. It was carpeted with D. capillaris. They were growing where they would have been 3 to 5 ft under water in normal conditions. Go figure.

 

[jimscott]

Should keep the aphids off of them!

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Aquatic = totally submerged in water. Semi-aquatic = roots and some stem in water, remainder of plant above water. Byblis liniflora too grows well as a semi-aquatic.

 

[LLeopardGGecko]

I came across this topic in a search. Very interesting stuff! I really wish the pictures were still up, because I'd love to see how this was accomplished. I might want to try it myself someday.

 

[jimscott]

Quote[/b] (PinguiculaMan @ Feb. 06 2005,2:05)]Aquatic = totally submerged in water. Semi-aquatic = roots and some stem in water, remainder of plant above water. Byblis liniflora too grows well as a semi-aquatic.

This was how I grew my Byblis liniflora - in a swamp of live LFS, until the hanging basket crashed into it, destroying the set up. Here's a pic of how it looked - one day before the crash: