So after seeing 3 individual seedlings from 6 different sets of nep seed in a humidity dome sprout, only 1 is left and i thought it was from fungus. I sprayed them today, and while spraying the fungus with a hydrogen peroxide mix, a lot of little brown bugs started scurrying all over the media. I'm concerned they've been munching on seed/that pretty much all are lost. Any advice? I'm pretty down, tried seed like 5 times now in batches and only have a few seedlings to show for it.
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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GrowinOld
Not Growing Up!
The real question at this point, is where are the "little bugs" originating?
Also, it that what caused the demise of your previous efforts?
Starting any plants from seed is often a difficult process, but not always.
Growing beans is easy for most people, Nepenthes, not so easy!
If you had a bunch of seed sprout, and you are always loosing them after,
then your follow up care is lacking in some way.
From my experience, if providing the normal environment for the mature plants, the seedlings seem to do fine. However, when growing from seed, it can often be a problem to provide the right environmental conditions, as people often use small little containers which hold too much humidity with no air circulation, or allow the sun to cook the young'in's in their little container greenhouse-microwave ovens.
Also, it is at this point in time that most people slow down on the care, thinking that once the seed germinates the hard part is over. However that is the exact opposite from the reality of the situation. Once the seed germinate, that is when the real work is just beginning! For that is when the environment & surrounding conditions need to be carefully controlled & monitored.
It is usually difficult to find what is lacking or off target when doing this however.
What you are experiencing is normal for a lot of people. (I also have gone thru this with a million different types of seed, as each type of plant has its own requirements.) It is only by learning what they need & most of all, providing that; that we will have success.
If you are experiencing bugs of some kind, it is likely that providing the right conditions is also off to some degree.
My only advice would be to drop the idea of doing seed for a period of time. Then after growing other Neps & other plants for a while, come back to trying seed again.
There are so many variables involved in growing Neps from seed, (And I am assuming you aleady did a lot of research into what they need, as well as doing a search here on TF to read all the other advice people have given others about the subject...) so my offering more advice that is more specific would be redundant.
I don't know what other type of seed you have worked with to grow plants from, but if you haven't, perhaps get some experience with something easier, like some Dews, Sarrs or VFT's. Then come back to trying Neps.
And if you have already had success with these, perhaps growing Neps from seed just isn't your thing.
Well either way, good luck.
Also, it that what caused the demise of your previous efforts?
Starting any plants from seed is often a difficult process, but not always.
Growing beans is easy for most people, Nepenthes, not so easy!
If you had a bunch of seed sprout, and you are always loosing them after,
then your follow up care is lacking in some way.
From my experience, if providing the normal environment for the mature plants, the seedlings seem to do fine. However, when growing from seed, it can often be a problem to provide the right environmental conditions, as people often use small little containers which hold too much humidity with no air circulation, or allow the sun to cook the young'in's in their little container greenhouse-microwave ovens.
Also, it is at this point in time that most people slow down on the care, thinking that once the seed germinates the hard part is over. However that is the exact opposite from the reality of the situation. Once the seed germinate, that is when the real work is just beginning! For that is when the environment & surrounding conditions need to be carefully controlled & monitored.
It is usually difficult to find what is lacking or off target when doing this however.
What you are experiencing is normal for a lot of people. (I also have gone thru this with a million different types of seed, as each type of plant has its own requirements.) It is only by learning what they need & most of all, providing that; that we will have success.
If you are experiencing bugs of some kind, it is likely that providing the right conditions is also off to some degree.
My only advice would be to drop the idea of doing seed for a period of time. Then after growing other Neps & other plants for a while, come back to trying seed again.
There are so many variables involved in growing Neps from seed, (And I am assuming you aleady did a lot of research into what they need, as well as doing a search here on TF to read all the other advice people have given others about the subject...) so my offering more advice that is more specific would be redundant.
I don't know what other type of seed you have worked with to grow plants from, but if you haven't, perhaps get some experience with something easier, like some Dews, Sarrs or VFT's. Then come back to trying Neps.
And if you have already had success with these, perhaps growing Neps from seed just isn't your thing.
Well either way, good luck.
I have definitely done my research! I have actually not had much of a problem growing the ones that do sprout, have a few batches at a year old and 6 months that I've lost maybe 10% since sprouting, but rest doing great. I started this most recent batch on LFS like always, but might follow Bella's advice and sow some seed I jus tgot in the mail on peat/sand mix...see if those do any better!
