Re: Field trip (again!)

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry%as.arizona.edu@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU)
Wed, 11 Dec 91 18:17:46 MST

>$20--$40?? That is probably a little more than a neophyte like me
>should pay for a plant I might kill. With orchids I have found that

Really, if I were you I'd network around and see if you can find a grower
who would be willing to trade you some Cephalotus. Sorry, but I only have
two plants myself and can't spare them.

>I'm not sure if Paul mentioned it, but we have finally seen the U.
>laterifolia plants growing at Langwarring F&F Reserve. They were
>growing in one of the
>
>a close look, so these could be some other plant). The brings up the
>total number of CPs found at the site to about 8 or 9.

:|

>but it may sink or hide amongst the reeds and other water weeds).
>Suprisingly, it doesn't seem concerned about algae, which is something
>of a killer with home-grown plants.

I've seen that Utrics in the wild can sometimes be COATED with algae and do
OK. Cultivation doesn't compare to the real thing sometimes.

> the things bloom! Maybe I should just send you some money and
> tell you to send me something interesting :-).

Sure, if you want, Rob. Just give me an idea of how many species you want.

>Barry, what is the lifespan of pigmie Drosera? My pygmies are setting
>gemmae now and look real ratty. How long d'st it take for pigmys to
>mature from gemmae? Do you dump any of your pigmees after they
>gemmaeify; starting them a'fresh from gemmae? Have any trouble with
>mealy pygmys? My D. leucoblasta seems to have 'em bad. In with the
>gemmae too.

Perennials. Sometimes they look ratty coming out of dormancy, other
times they look great. I've had some pygmies grow from gemmae to flower
in one season. Most take a full year. If you just sow a gemma on the
soil surface it may take a while to grow. For faster service, dig a
hole about 3mm deep and two mm wide with a toothpick, then put a single
gemma in the hole. Don't cover it up. You get a little humid
microclimate and the gemmae come up REALLY fast this way. Mistuh
Maharajh also suggests putting the humidity way up. I don't know about
him, but I don't grow the mature plants in terribly high humidity (like
in a terrarium). Generally pygmies are considered bad terrarium
subjects. I've started and grown gemmae for a few months in them. I
don't kill my pygmies unless they are too closely packed.

Mealies, huh? Once I got really bad aphids on my clumps of nitidula
nitidulas but I killed them off by putting about 2 drops of isopropyl
alcohol on each rosette. Two applications did it. Killed the aphids,
that is, not the pygmies.

On to some addresses: First the long awaited one...

Gordon Snelling
300 W. Carter Drive
Glendora CA 91740
(818)914-9641

On a phone call with him he chided me soundly for having misplaced his
address twice (he claims). Bridgett was puttering around in the kitchen and
looked up startled when I said to Gordon, ``Well I've been having pygmy
troubles.'' I guess it sounds strange.

Secondly, while many are waiting for Mellinger's catalogs I have another
one for you, Orchids by Hausermann. This place is mostly a place to buy
orchids but they have some supplies that might interest you, too.
There's the usual array of plastic labels and pots, a bale of Sphagnum
moss for $16.25, and YES, the long sought Malathion WP (wettable powder)
for $9.50, 4 lbs. I don't know what shipping charges are like for them.
Probably a killer for the moss.

Orchids by Hausermann, Inc.
2N 134 Addison Rd.
Villa Park, IL (Just a few miles away from my childhood home)
60181-1191

Don, that's a good selection of plants you have. I noticed you're fighting
the big challenge, D. linearis. How are you doing with it?

>Barry, the bugs I have DO jump a cm or two, very quickly, after being
>touched. Kinda like fleas. Do you think they are springtails? Can
>they do any damage? My plants don't seem to be eating any of them...

I think they *may* be springtails, but I'm no bug expert. Doesn't sound
like they're anything I'd worry about. Really, those tiny crawling bugs
usually eat decaying material, and if they are associated with a plant's
death it really means that something was off regarding your cultural
method, and the plant weakened and became susceptible to attack by
usually harmless varmints. Look for ways to cure the problem in those
cases and not the symptoms.

>The latest CPN arrived. It has some nice photos in it,
>a few ads, including Gordon advertising Nepenthes for sale,
>and some interesting articles. It also has a list of
>International CP sources.

Wow! Usually I start iching for CPN before it appears. This one came up on
me completely by surprise. I look forward to getting it!

>potted them up in a while back. The D. adelae roots Barry sent
>are growing like weeds, under lights, with about 10 small growth
****
Not ``like'' weeds, they ARE weeds! Nice ones, though.

Hey, my D. auriculata ``Taylor'' is starting to come up. OK you two
southerners, tell me. What kind of water table do you use to grow these.
Specifically, about how many cm from soil surface to the water level. I
assume full sun? Do you fertilize? Data Data Data Data

BAMR