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D.graminifolia

Hi all,

I just acquired a D.graminifolia and I'm pretty confident about most of its growing needs, except a couple of details:

1. Light: It's currently positioned indirectly underneath a nepenthes leaf to provide some shade (in a terrarium). I understand it's similar to D.adelae in that it likes some shade. Is this correct?

2. Water: I'm keeping the soil moist, but I'm wondering whether it likes/detests standing in a saucer of water?

3. Any other helpful growing tips and suggestions would be appreciated.

Best regards,
 
I have some plants that I germinated last year. They are in a mix of sand and peat, on a SW facing window sill. open tray. I water it 3X per week. They seem happy, but I don't know anything about this species in specific. I am just taking a generic approach to its cultivation.
 
Thanks. Well, it sounds like your approach is working so I'll do the same and see.
 
I don't have a lot of sophistication to what I do, but once I got past winter kills to my Byblis and Neps, as well as drowning aphids, there has been a lot to enjoy.
 
I have grown and flowered this species. My cultivation method is somewhat different than most use, and was published in Carniflora Australis some issues back. In brief, the plant is potten into live milled LFS. At the base of the pot is about an inch or so redwood mulch. This arrangement sits inside of an undrained pot so that the water level is about 3 cm below he substrate. Its my opinion the sump at the base contributes antibacterial protection to the plant, and discourages the anaerobic processes that might otherwise affect the roots in such permanently wet conditions. Whater is changed weekly. The plant for me does best with as much direct sun as is possible for me to provide, outside in the warm months, and inside under 6 flourescents in the cold months. The plants now flower about twice per season, although no seed has yet dbeen produced despite hand pollination. I can't believe this species would prefer subdued lighting, in habitat it grows in full sun and in a high ultraviolet habitat. I have found assessments that the plant requires constantly high humidity and cool conditions to be pessimistic: my plants do fine in 40-70% humidity and have shown few ill effects from summer heat, although if the temps range above 80F I am attentidve and provide cool water. The plant loves cold water seeping from the surface, and I top water from time to time. Under my conditions and protocol the plants grew from seed to flowering size in just under 2 years, and have never been grown in any other manner. I find this a nice and easy species - although there are few leaves at any given time (4 max for me), they are constantly produced to replace old ones, and reach an impressive size with maturity. Reproduction is possible from the leaves if placed in wet sterile sphagnum and given good light in a sealed scenario. My plantletts failed to strike roots though, and I would suggest the use of a rooting hormone to up the chances of success.
 
Thank you both for the replies.

Tamlin, before I continue, would you please PM me the article you wrote (or provide a link)?

Your statements regarding light and watering were informative. I'll move it into a brighter location now that I know it likes this and, seeing that the mix appears to be 1:1 peat:perlite, I'll water with cold water to keep the soil just moist. Once it's settled for a year, I'll do cuttings and place it in the potting mix you suggested to see which works best for me.

ONE CONCERN: My terrarium provides bright light and humidity.....but can reach 85-90F for successive days during june/july/august (goes down to 75-80F at night). Should this be a great concern? I would provide cool water daily, but am afraid that doing so would progressively make the soil too wet as it takes some time for pots to dry in my terraria.

Once again, thank you both for the cultivation information.
 
I don't grow in a terrarium for just the reasons you mention, and find no need for terrarium culture for any Drosera if the humidity is average 40% or higher. You should be aware that even a thin layer of saran wrap will cut the useable light spectrum considerably, and light is primary concern for Drosera. I would indeed worry about the temperature range you state. The Drosera from Brazil can take some surface heat provided the roots are kept cooler, but this is difficult to arrange in a closed terrarium. I grow my plants on a rack, as close to 6 tubes as possible with nothing in between. Air circulation is also desirable and missing in terraria. If you decide to try a more open approach, be sure you acclimate your plants to the lower humidity by going slowly as they will be "soft", and will easily burn. After some exposure to the more open scenario, the growth will be stronger and the leaves will be able to take it. All my Brazillian Drosera were grown from seed, and never required this process, so you will need to be attentive to signs of stress, and if this happens you must make adjustments. I find these plansts to be more prone to fungus attack than most other Drosera and suggest that the cleaner the medium, the better. If you get moss or algae scum on the pots surface I would be concerned about this. Pure water is a must, the habitats where these plants grow is very pristine. I think one of the most critical factors is the night time drop of 5-10 degrees - in my neck of the woods this is generally available except in the hottest months, but I can't say the same will hold true for you, so keep this in mind. Best of luck with your plants!

I regret the article I published is not available online, but I have covered the basics of it I think. I would also suggest caution if you use the "double pot aqueous culture" method outlined here if you can't provide the redwood sump. I haven't done any comparison studies, but feel there is a good likelyhood that the antibacterial properties of the mulch play an important role in root and overall plant health. Red cedar would be my second choice for a sump.

In any regard, please let us know of your success/failure with the method you are using.
 
Thanks.

Well, fortunately, I use distilled water, have a CPU fan in my terraria that provides good air circulation, and do get a 5-10F temperature drop at night.

Unfortunately, from what you said, the daytime summer temp may be too high so I'll keep an eye on it and gradually reacclimate it to the outside if needed.

I'm in the process of building a grow rack (5 shelves) for more CPs I want to buy. I already have one for my cacti, and as you said, it's easier to build, holds more plants, and doesn't come with some of the problems associated with terraria. And since I have a humidifier for the winter, my lowest indoor humidity is ~60% in Dec/Jan (usually 70-80% in summer without the humidifier). Which means I should have little problems growing dews on it.

In any case, I'll definitely keep you guys informed as to how things go.

Thanks again for the info. This is definitely one of those "keeper posts" that I save as a word document!



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