Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 13:09:56 +0100 From: "Jack Elder" <Jack.Elder@gtl.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2378$foo@default> Subject: Garden centres, roots, fogging, etc
> Date: Sun, 27 Jun 1999 19:06:55 +0100
> From: "The Ashtons" <Ashton@onyxnet.co.uk>
> To: <cp@opus.hpl.hp.com>
> Subject: Garden Centre Fun
> Message-ID: <199906272026.VAA13397@goole.octacon.co.uk>
>
> I also enjoy saving CP's from the unsuitable conditions Garden
> centres keep
> them in and I agree you can quite often pick up a bargain
>
> Steve Ashton
Yeah, this is basically how I built up my first CP collection (had to give
it away when I switched countries, am currently building up my second
collection... ;). I used to go through garden centres finding all the old
CPs that they'd bought in some time ago and which were usually looking
pretty scruffy at the time - S. purpureas with only one pitcher, S. x
Courtii which were nearly dead, etc. If the plants were in sufficiently bad
condition (and trust me, after six months of so in a tropical hothouse
(garden centres seem to only keep CPs in the tropical section) they usually
were), the GC would usually flog 'em off pretty cheaply. Take 'em home, put
'em with the rest of the Sarracenia, and hope. After about one growing
season, with good care, most of the salvages I made survived quite nicely.
Of course, the odd one snuffed it, but on the whole I managed to accumulate
a good few excellent cheap CPs.
Florists are also good - they occasionally get VFTs in, which usually sell
out pretty fast (florists do, after all, depend on impulse purchases). They
can be a bit pricey (last one I bought here in the UK cost me 4 quid), but
the advantage is that since florists have a high turnover, the plants are
usually in pretty good shape. Worth looking out for next time you're buying
someone flowers, anyway.
> Date: Sun, 27 Jun 1999 17:28:30 -0400
> From: "Brian Tran" <byblis@mailandnews.com>
> To: <cp@opus.hpl.hp.com>
> Subject: Question about VFT's and other CP
> Message-ID: <002001bec0e4$059e75e0$ccfbc5c0@brian>
>
> I'm just curius, If you take a VFT and cut off ALL the leaves, will
> the bulb still be able to grow? CAn this be done to any other CP,
> by leaving only it's rhizome or bulb?
Yup, quite a few actually. A lot of CPs can come back from roots/rhizomes.
Sarracenia, for example, regularly survive burn-offs, and indeed do better
afterwards - the loss of a year's growing pitchers being more than
compensated for by the increased light/ash in the soil. A number of drosera
can be propagated by the simple expedient of cutting the plant off at soil
level, treating the main body of the plant as a cutting, and letting the
original plant grow back from the roots.
This can't be continued indefinitely, of course. A plant can only go so far
without viable leaves for photosynthesis. But quite a few CPs can take
extremely brutal pruning every once in a while. Not that you should try it
if you're too worried about accidentally losing plants... ;)
On the ultrasonic fogger thread: if you're interested in fogging ideas, try
looking at http://www.adsi-cni.com/frogs/articles/fogger.htm. It's an
article about building a fogging system for a collection of Poison Dart
Frogs, but it seems to be pretty germane to any terrarium experience.
Having had experience with similar humidifiers in the past, I think it'd be
very interesting to try experimenting with this solution. Similar to the
custom-built one, but more of a home-grown solution. Not sure how the cost
compares, though... ;)
Jack
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