More about Darlingtonia media/reply

From: John Phillip Jr. (johnatthebeach@home.com)
Date: Wed Aug 09 2000 - 16:41:45 PDT


Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 19:41:45 -0400
From: "John Phillip Jr." <johnatthebeach@home.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg2415$foo@default>
Subject: More about Darlingtonia media/reply

Sylvia De Rooy wrote:
In any
case, it is not my experience that Darlingtonia need particularly light
or
airy soil.

You missed my point, or I failed to make it clear.

Here in New England, on the east coast of the US, we have very different
growing conditions from where you live and Darlingtoinia grows
naturally. Last night, the LOW temp made it down to 72 degF, the same as
the dew point!. When we have summer foggy mornings here, the temps are
often in the Mid 70's.!
Under MY climatic and growing conditions.... I have found that a more
open soil structure works better than one of the heavy peat/sand mixes.
That is not to say that in other areas of the country/ world,
Darlingtonia may thrive not in these heavier mixes. Personally, I think
that the more open mix works better here because it allows more
evaporation through the soil structure, thereby cooling the roots more
than might otherwise happen. I do know that I have had more success with
this open media than I have with others that I have tried.

One of the things that makes growing CPs so interesting is trying to
adapt the conditions of where we live to allow us to grow all these
plants. I am sure that if I lived on the southern edge of Mt Kinabalu, I
would use a different media for my N. rajah than I presently do!!

 You are correct when you say that you say that from "your
experience", Darlingtonia do not need a particularly light or airy
structure, just as I am correct when I say that under my growing
conditions, they do better with such a mix.

I hope this makes my earlier post a little clearer. Once again,
remember that what works for me here with my growing conditions may not
work elsewhere in the world.

thanks,
John Philip
Rhode Island, NE coast of the USA



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