Re: Re: Pygmae Sundews

John Taylor (rphjt@minyos.xx.rmit.EDU.AU)
Thu, 26 Oct 1995 19:39:44 +1000 (EST)

>>Now let's get back to plants themselves: When do pygmy drosera
>>go into dormancy, and what's the best way to see them through
>>it?
>
>They go dormant in the summer time, not long after they flower.
>That depends on the species. Some of the Pygmies can be left in
>the water tray all year long with no ill effects, while others
>are a little more fastidious and will promptly die off if treated
>in ths way. Theoretically they should be kept much drier during
>the summer. The easiest way is to treat them like annuals and
>produce new plants with gemmae each year.

Allen Lowries "Carnivorous Plants of Australia - Volume 2" is almost entirely
dedicated to these plants. He describes the dormancy requirements for most/
all species. If you can't get access to this book (it's getting hard to
find), E-mail me a list of species and I'll see if I can find their growing
requirements for you.

I'm a bit slack with my plants, and keep them on the floor of the glasshouse
and water overhead occasionally - I have lost a couple of species, but most
are going OK. Tray watering is a bit risky for some of these plants, unless
you know their natural habitat. Some grow in swampy areas, but others are
in sandy heathland which is exceptionally well-drained, so tray watering may
rot them.

At the moment, I'm waiting to catch my D. callistos in full bloom. I missed
the first two flowers but the third is due to open in the next couple of days
if the weather stays fine... Luckily a second scape has appeared, so I'm
in with a chance!

BFN

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| John Taylor [Catweasel] | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
| rphjt@minyos.xx.rmit.edu.au | Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA |
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