You wrote:
>
>I'm not sure if Barry has experimented with this, but I did when I
lived
>in Tempe and Phoenix. While a graduate student, I was able to claim
>some greenhouse space atop the zoology building at ASU. CP grew well
>under glass, but my space was limted so I wound up pushing some of my
>extras outside to see how they'd do. Most Drosera and pings did very
>well! Taller-growing plants like D. capensis, D. binata, and Byblis
>tended to get a bit fried in summer, but most of the temperate and
>tropical rosette species thrived and produced intense coloration.
As I live in Phoenix and am finally getting to the point that I will
have to start pushing some of my own plants outside, I have a couple of
questions. Can you tell me specifically of 2 or 3 rosette speciecies
that THRIVED? I tried a pot full of D. adelae. I put them in the
shade to get them used to the summer heat (110F+ already). After a
week the glands all dried up. Then the leaves started to show a slow
loss of turgor. After three weeks the newly forming leaves started to
grow unevenly and didn't want to fully unwrap. Finally the leaves
started forming small brown patches that slowly got larger...I finally
could stand the torture no longer and brought the pot back into the
warm but moist confines of the terarium.
>I eventually gained the confidence to try both pygmy and tuberous
>Drosera outside, but surprisingly met difficulty with both types.
>Perhaps a little more experimentation with soil mixes and pot sizes
>would have helped.
I have a D. peltata being sent to me and I also had thought of growing
this plant outdoors. Any suggestions on compost mixes and pot sizes to
stay away from? What would you have experimented with further? Perhaps
I can save some time by learning from your past efforts of what didn't
work for you and try something else.
>Second, up on the rooftop of this 5-story building there was a good
deal of radiant cooling at night (here Barry can fill you in with all
the dirty details of thermodynamics!) High night temps seem to be the
limiting factor for heat-stress tolerance when cultivating in Arizona.
After I graduated and lost the greenhouse I tried growing these plants
outdoors near ground level on an open balcony. there I experienced the
effect of this heat-stress on CP firsthand. :-(
And in the end this may explain why I have never been able to get a cp
to act respectable out of doors. Thanks for any info :)
John Walker