Miscellaneous

Nigel Hurneyman (NHurneyman@softwar1.demon.co.uk)
Thu, 6 Jun 1996 13:13:39 +-100

Ken, thanks for your reply. I tried weak Miracid on pygmies last year.
Mostly it proved very beneficial, but occasional plants turned brown
and died - it was a 'dry' brown rather than a 'wet' brown, so I don't
suspect fungus. The same thing seems to be happening this year. Is
it my imagination or does Miracid boost flower colour - a few that
I expected to be pure white developed a pinkish tinge, and some of
the oranges were especially magnificent.

Regarding sub-carnivory in plants, I have seen a couple of articles
regarding the wild ancestor of the potato, which spears nematodes
and small insects on the hairs on its tubers, and the teasel, which
drowns insects in water that collects at leaf joints. There is no
evidence that either uses enzymes to digest the victims, but given a
few million years..........

Here in the UK, Byblis Liniflora is a short-lived perennial if given
artificial help - I once had a plant continuously in flower for over
12 months. I don't think it has the capacity to go dormant as there
is no part of the plant suitable for storing enough fuel to restart. It
doesn't have thick roots like Byblis Gigantea (so root cuttings are
out), and it is too straggly for resting buds. Given how prolific a
self-seeder it is, I don't think it would have needed to evolve a
dormancy mechanism.

Good Growing, NigelH