Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 16:22:55 -0700 From: Matt Miller <nuclei@paonline.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3652$foo@default> Subject: VTF curiosities
Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me. This may be a real stupid
or obvious question ( I've been known to ask them ). About 3 years ago I
bought a venus flytrap and a S. purpurea ssp. pupurea and The did very
well for me potted in live spagnum moss and orchid bark for about two
years. then both of them declined and died. ( I think it was because of
not giving them any dormancy period ) So three months ago I went to a
nursury and my grandparents bought me some new ones ( my parents did not
want me to get any more because they said they were finicy sickly
plants, because my last two died mysteriously, or so they thought ). And
like an moron I forgot that they can only grow In acidic low nutrient
soils and I planted it in normal potting soil. So about two weeks later
it started to die. So I checked and found out that all their roots had
died back exept for about one or two centimeter long roots on the bottom
of two of the three plants. Finally most of the leaves had died back and
by now I had gotten Slack's book on carnivorous plants from the library.
So I treated all three plants as cuttings I cut all of the dead foliage
back ( so each plant had about three leaves and no traps ) and treated
them as cuttings. I planted them in pure live spagnum moss and waited. (
after I killed my simple venus flytrap I went and got a nepenthes alata
and a S. leucophylla, although both of them are diong exellently ) So
now about two months have gone by and they venus flytraps that had small
roots are now growing new leaves. Now my question is, the venus flytraps
are producing new leaves but no traps. And I can not figure out why.
They are in the same enviorment as my nepenthes and some venus fly fly
traps and other cps that Mark Pogany sent me. And all those plants are
doing great producing new leaves pitchers and traps. ( thanks Mark !!!
) Also before they were repotted and began to die they behaved the
same. They would start out with very wide leaves with just a tiny little
node on the end and would later develope into a trap about 1 cm long on
a leaf about 4 inches long and about 2 or a little more inches wide. Is
this some kind of mutation or were my conditions makeing it have
retarded growth. They plants mark sent me have started growing new
leaves and they start out with a smaller slenderer leaf with a bigger
trap. Any info you could provide will be greatly appreciated. ( sorry to
bore you with the long story only to ask about two questions !!!! )
Thanks Alot,
Matt Miller
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