planting Sarrs in the wet.

From: Andrew Marshall (andrewm@eskimo.com)
Date: Mon Nov 10 1997 - 10:09:44 PST


Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 10:09:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Andrew Marshall <andrewm@eskimo.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg4289$foo@default>
Subject: planting Sarrs in the wet.

Hi there folks,
        As requested by our new friend here, I am responding publicly.
ALL my Sarracenia (over 300 +/- 100) are grown year 'round completely
exposed, outdoors, here just south of Seattle in Washington state. No one
except perhaps those on the wet side of Hawaii, or on the Olympic Penn.
(Oh, and let us not forget our friends in Alaska) can beat us for wet,
cold, dreary winters. You can match us for sure, and in that case should
also contribute your experiance here perhaps for the edification of the
newbies among us.
        They take air temps from below freezing to above 85 at least once
a year (on the warm end that is, cold is much more common), and except for
a brief time in the summer I normally do not have to water at all. They
are grown in large plastic tubs of the sort found in most hardware stores
for storing things in. I have bored holes an inch below soil level into
the sides of them, but these clog all the time and so flooding is normal
in the winter. I occasionally go out and tip them out some, when I feel
like it.
        I do not lose plants often. My advice is, based on doing this
for years now is to plant the rhyzomes on mounds above the water level, by
an inch or so. Not to much as they do need to be moist in the summer. As
long as damage from heavy frost can be minimized, especially in the spring
when we have warm days and awfully cold nights, serving to stimulate new
growth that will be frozen over night making a great place for rot to set
in, you should have little troubles.

> Hi, newbie here w/ more questions. My outside bog is finally finished (oh,
> my aching back). In way northern CA winters are very rainy. Does anyone
> have experience with putting sarrs outside in very wet conditions? It is my
> understanding that water should be cut back when plants are dormant, so-
> will they rot? How, for example, do the sarrs in the bog in Mendocino do
> (the one that Craig G. has taken various people to)? Thanks for any help,
> folks.
> I have noticed that people tend to answer queries like this one privately.
> How do people feel about answering to the list so other newbies can
> benefit?
        On a different note, I have used Orthene liquid form for years as
one of the alternative components in my attacks on Scale. If used
correctly it does not damage Sarracenia. It will hurt drosera, but not
usually kill them IF the dosage is light, and the treatment is not to
heavy. I use it as a foliar spray, rather then a soil drench. Something
like an eigth teaspoon to a quart to a quarter teaspoon to a quart. If
used in concert with an oil/soap spray it does wonders on killing bugs.
DO NOT hit D. regia with it. I killed many that way. It has no effect on
Nepenthes that are already healthy. BTW> I am assuming all plants to be
healthy, if buggy, rather then on thier last legs.
        Good luck and good growing
        Andrew
        
> them in, This year I Decided to try Orthene and was wondering if anyone
> on the list has had experience with this chemical. My greatest concern
> is if it will harm my plants( N. American Sarrs. sundews etc.)Would
> appreciate any input on this subject.



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