Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 20:54:52 +0000 From: Phil Wilson <cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4868$foo@default> Subject: Re: Pinguicula heterophylla var Alfredae
In message <01BD0EC4.B0E68C40@NIGELNT>, Nigel Hurneyman
<nhurneyman@onemeaning.com> writes
>Can anyone advise me on how to grow this? Does it require a winter rest?
>
>I noticed last weekend that the heated propagator containing my choicer
>Mexican Pings had dried out. None of the Pings are watered - they stand
>completely dry and hoover the moisture they need out of the air. However,
>after the propagator dried out they all looked very sad. I refilled it with
>water
>and turned the temperature up to get the humidity back to normal and misted
>the pings with a hand spray. The P gypsicolas have decided it is winter and
>put out their winter rosettes, the P reticulata still looks sad but a lot better
>and I think it will pull through. The P heterophylla var Alfredaes' foliage
>turned
>to mush, and on Sunday I sadly started to take them out to discard them.
>However a little dig under the surface of the compost revealed some rather
>healthy looking bulbs, one of which was starting to sprout again - I didn't
>know that some pings came from bulbs! Any advice on their future care
>would be most welcome.
>
Nigel,
P. heterophylla is indeed one of the Mexican species which die back to
an "onion like bulb" - there are a few other species which do this too.
If you don't know what is going on it is all to easy to jump to the
conclusion that the plant has died since the resting bud is not visible
from the surface.
Like most Mexican Pinguicula species the plants should be kept bone dry
during the dormant period. Only introduce moisture again when you either
see new leaves being produced from the rosette or small adventious roots
from the leaf axils.
Regards,
-- Phil Wilson
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