Date: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 01:07:31 -0400 From: "Paul V. McCullough" <pvmcull@voicenet.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2339$foo@default> Subject: RE:Drosera Seeds (When To Harvest?)
Richard-
Do what I did with my d. rotund's seeds: Wait till the flowers and the
scape turn black (or brown) and cut them off. Sit them in a dry spot
and let them dry for a few days. Next, get a small box- small
tupperware is what I used- fill it with sphagnum peat moss and dampen
(NOT SOAK) it with rain or distilled water (NOT tap). After the flowers
have dried out- get a white sheet of paper (these seeds are increadibly
small!) and crumple each flower- you'll see tons of microscopic seeds-
and yes, you will get seed- rotunds are prolific self pollinators-
collect and sprinkle these onto the soil surface. Some sprinkle a thin
layer of peat over this, but I don't. Next, (and this is why
tupperware's a champ for this) put the lid on the box- place it in an
airtight sandwich bag (ziplocks are good)- and put it in the
refrigerator (NOT freezer!) for 3 to 6 months. This will prepare your
seeds for germination when you're ready.
After this period, remove the lid- sprinkle some more rain or distilled
water on the surface- and place them in a sunny windowsill. Put some
plastic wrap with openings over the tupperware to keep humidity in and
hot (above 80 degrees F) heat out. In about a week or two, a very fine
collection of sprouts (looking very much like grass seedlings!) emerges-
after the third or fourth trap sets, you can transplant them. I did all
of the above last year, and I have hundreds of rotunds all over my
Klimagro terrarium- they look like sticky moss till you get real close.
To my comments, some would also recommend a fungicide app before
refrigeration- I didn't do this and I had no problems. You can decide
for yourself.
Best of luck!
Cheers,
Paul
--- Paul V. McCullough Webpage: http://www.voicenet.com/~pvmcull
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