Re: Death of a Drosera

From: Rand (writserv@nbnet.nb.ca)
Date: Fri Apr 11 1997 - 21:56:29 PDT


Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 05:56:29 +0100
From: Rand <writserv@nbnet.nb.ca>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg1391$foo@default>
Subject: Re: Death of a Drosera

CPers:

While dusting my bookshelves, the cleaning lady (accidently, I am sure)
sprayed my seven year old, very large (12 cm stem), prolificly blooming
(four blooming racemes), D. capensis with a product called "Endust", in
common here in Canada and the US.

The capensis promptly shriveled and died overnight.

I am resonably sure, through actual experimentation, that the plant was not
sprayed directly, but received the edge of the cloud of Endust as it spread
out and settled from its point of application at the end of the bookcase to
the plant. The pot was at least 20 cm from the end of the bookcase with
five smaller, but mature, daughter plants at the far edge of the plants' 16
cm pot. Aside from a few dewless and limp leaves (promptly cut off at the
stem), they seemed to suffer no lasting damage after a week.

This plant has survived late spring and early fall frosts, snow and
freezing rain, hot sun and prolonged drought, birds, cats and dogs,
squirrels, a marmot taste test, and has been denuded and bashed about out
of its pot by the evil urban racoon. It has also shrugged off an
inadvertent, but heavy drench of high nitrogen/phosphate rose fertilizer. I
had thought that one could not kill D. capensis with a hammer.

It is coming up on dandelion season here in Maritime Canada: I am
considering testing Endust as a weed killer in my garden. If it works, it
will be a clean death.

Kind Regards,

Rand



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