> I have some fresh Drosophyllum seeds... I've heard that the fresher
> they are the better the germination rate. So I if I sow some now
> and they germinate and do some growing before winter sets in I'll
> have young plants to keep over winter.
> If you grow these plants what do you with them for the winter? If
> Gordon Wells is reading this in Spain perhaps you might let us know
> what happens there, weatherwise, in the winter (if enjoyed your
> descriptions of their habitat, Gordon).
Hi Seosamh,
First of all, I'm very glad to hear that my description of the
Drosophyllum habitat I visited was helpful to you, and am flattered
that you've thought of me for obtaining more information. I must
admit though that I'm still far from being a complete Drosophyllum
expert, as I was just reminded by a very unpleasant occurrence with
my own plant: I was just away for a week in Poland (where I managed
to visit a very interesting sphagnum bog with D. rotundifolia, by the way)
and had left someone in charge of caring for my so-far very happy
Drosophyllum in exactly the same way as I had been up until now. Two
days before I returned, it started raining, and rained lightly but
constantly for two full days. When I returned, all the plant's leaves
had turned black and wilted, including the small unfurling buds in the
crown. Apparently, all this moisture kept the crown and roots of the plant
too wet for too long, and it ended up rotting in just a matter of hours,
despite it growing in its original, undisturbed soil and similar temperature
conditions.
I had only had this plant since April, and was proud of having managed to
successfully transplant and transport this adult plant from its habitat
in the south. It was growing larger and larger leaves and was constantly
full of captured insects, and I was just thinking of how to bring it through
the winter in hopes that it would bloom and produce some seeds next spring,
and then this happened. So, unfortunately I will not be able to gain any
wintering experience this year. The only advice I can offer though is not
to let this plant remain moist for too long. The soil must have very good
drainage so that the upper soil surface dries very quickly after watering.
This is best achieved by using a soil similar to that it naturally grows in,
which almost 100% very fine, powdery sand and small sandstone rocks of
various sizes. And, of course, keep it out of prolonged rains!
There were some good posts to the list recently concerning wintering and
germination times and methods for Drosophyllum. I didn't keep copies,
so it's a matter of looking for them in the list archives for the last
few months. I believe someone mentioned that they may be germinated in
the fall and kept as seedlings over the winter, but I'm not sure. In
any case, I hope I can start growing this plant again soon and continue
to gain growing experience with it. (If anyone has any seeds to spare,
trade or sell, I would be interested!) In the mean time, I'm going to
look here for information regarding the exact winter climatic conditions
at the site I visited, and I will share what I find out with the group.
Sorry I can't be of more help at the moment!
Good luck, and keep a dry pot,
Gordon Wells
Instituto de Robotica e Informatica Industrial (yes, we've moved!)
Av. Gran Capitan 2-4
Barcelona 08028
SPAIN