Re: D. peltata quandary

From: Phil Wilson (cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk)
Date: Sun Aug 02 1998 - 14:48:21 PDT


Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 22:48:21 +0100
From: Phil Wilson <cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg2567$foo@default>
Subject: Re: D. peltata quandary

In message <000d01bdbc46$5ad6c880$0dd2b4cf@markp.crscms.com>, Mark
Pogany <markp@en.com> writes
>Since last November I have been cultivating a 10" pot filled with Drosera
>peltata/ auriculata sundews ( Thanks Andrew!). Most of the stolons broke the
>surface early on in that month. I have been enjoying a veritable jungle of
>this plant ever since. The pot now sits outdoors exposed to mostly full sun,
>the sandy peat being lightly watered once every two to three days.
>
>Presently most of the above ground growth has flowered and is dying back
>from the top on downward.
>
>My dilemma is new plants sprouting next to the base of some of the stems. I
>thought that once a tuberous species withers you should begin drying out the
>pot, sit it under a greenhouse bench, and forget about it for 6 months. Why
>are my plants producing new growth? Should I dig up the new plants and
>continue to grow them on or what? Do these two species have laterally
>produced tubers year-round?
>

D. peltata/auriculata is defintely one of the easier of the tuberous
sundews to grow and can be quite undemanding in its dormancy
requirements. The plant does produce lateral tubers and is the main way
of propagation. It is a bit of an opportunist and obviously likes the
growing conditions it is getting at the moment. I would leave the pot of
tubers intact and carry on watering the plant as before. The original
tubers will either start back into growth again fairly soon or will come
back in the fall. The new growth in the meantime will grow now. In my
experience you are unlikely to suffer the sort of problems you get with
other tuberous species that are kept too wet during dormancy - i.e
rotting of the tubers.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

-- 
Phil Wilson



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