Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 22:25:11 +0000 From: Marianne Perdomo Machin <marianne@castillo.net> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3912$foo@default> Subject: dormancy: sarracenia & U.longifolia
Hi!
I am a newbie to CPs and have been lurking and learning for a few
months, now. I have some doubts regarding the dormancy of 3 plants of
Sarracenia hybrids I have (label says Sarracenia "Stevensii") and 1
Utricularia longifolia I recently purchased from the UK. I hope the
questions are not too stupid, I just would like a bit of tech-support as
I know no one around here growing CPs.
Regarding the Sarracenia dormancy, I must say I live in the Canary
Islands (near Morocco on the Atlantic, though belonging to Spain) at
mid-altitude. This gives us a fairly mild climate with humid winters
(80% RH common) around 20\272C (68\272F) with cold spells of around 13\272C
(55\272F) and summers in the high 20s C (around 80F) with spells of dry,
dusty air around 35\272C (95\272F).
I know this is not cold enough for dormancy and expect to put the plants
in the fridge. My doubt stems from the fact that the plants were rescued
by me (from hardwater death) this summer. One of them was rescued early
and has been doing quite well. It has many leaves of around 12cm (4.5
in) and has recently put out bigger, taller leaves of around 22 cm (7.5
in). The other two I rescued over a month later and have only a few of
the smaller leaves. Is there a pattern to the size of the leaves which
causes them to be higher now? Or is it just that it's getting bigger and
more ambitious?
My plan so far is to let them grow until mid-December to make the most
of the diminishing photoperiod, then place them in a north-facing room
(currently, they're east-facing), then off to the fridge with them. Is
this sensible? Will it be a problem because they did not grow much this
year? I wonder if I should post-pone it, then make an artificial winter
for them somehow around February which is usually our coldest month.
What is the better dormancy-trigger: shortened photo-period or lower
temperatures?
About the U. longifolia, I know it has a dry-winter resting period. All
the other plants I recieved (D. binata multifida, D. occidentalis,
D.pulchella, P.moranensis, U. praelonga...) have been growing quite well
but this one just seems the same. I have her on the same east-facing
window as the sarracenias - could it be that it is getting ready for
dormancy so I should decrease watering? Or could it be due to bad
culturing conditions on my part? (Water is RO, RH has a minimum at 40%
when the morning sun shines in, 60-100% at all other times).
Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Marianne
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