Alright I have D. peltata seedlings and D. aur(sp?) seedlings. They essentially look the same (about 7 mm accross rosettes) and have been growing for 8 months. Recently some plants have "died" btu I think they must be going dormant (about half the plants). How do I make hte others go into dormancy. Actually if some one could tell me all about their dormancy that would be great.
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Mine just sorta went dormant, then sorta just recently started coming back- I swear from all I've read there seems to be a GREAT deal of conflicting "information" out there concerning these plants, especially growing them out of their natural range- I did everything the way the person who gave me the plant said to and much of it is almost exactly the opposite of what I have read in many places(for instance, the main tip was "if it seems to die DO NOT THROW IT OUT... just don't do anything and it will come back- which is what I did)... hopefully this thread will provide something a tad more "definitive", but I have a feeling that plants refusing to read books or use the internet may have something to do with this
One thing I have learned is that dormancy is a natural process, and plants grown under natural conditions of daylength will take care of these matters. If you are growing under lights, the gameplan needs to be a little different sometime.
Petiolaris complex plants have rather unpredictable dormancies, and if given optimal conditions of light, warmth and good nutrition do not have an obligatory dormancy. They will continue to grow, and should be encouraged to do so since losses during dormancy are frequent. Maintain them at 80-90F year round and they should continue to grow.
Drosera peltata is not a Petiolaris complex member. In this case, the plant usually starts growing in the cooler months in this hemisphere, and goes dormant as the temps. begin to rise (for me here it is middle spring). In this example, you need do nothing at all, the plants begin to wither almost overnight. Here the trick is to allow them to slowly wither away: too quickly and the nutrients stored in the leaves don't have the chance to be translocated back into the corm from which next seasons growth depends. Rarely, they skip the dormancy entirely and show little effect from it.
So the short answer is, don't worry about it unless it happens.
If it does, the Petiolaris need to be maintained at barely moist levels, and good air circulation is needed to keep them from mold attack. Drosera peltata can be rested dry (with scant residual moisture in the pot) or can be left in tray water. Be sure to mark the pot and spot since there will be no evidence there was a plant in it once it goes dormant so you can find it again next winter.
That's how you dew it.
Petiolaris complex plants have rather unpredictable dormancies, and if given optimal conditions of light, warmth and good nutrition do not have an obligatory dormancy. They will continue to grow, and should be encouraged to do so since losses during dormancy are frequent. Maintain them at 80-90F year round and they should continue to grow.
Drosera peltata is not a Petiolaris complex member. In this case, the plant usually starts growing in the cooler months in this hemisphere, and goes dormant as the temps. begin to rise (for me here it is middle spring). In this example, you need do nothing at all, the plants begin to wither almost overnight. Here the trick is to allow them to slowly wither away: too quickly and the nutrients stored in the leaves don't have the chance to be translocated back into the corm from which next seasons growth depends. Rarely, they skip the dormancy entirely and show little effect from it.
So the short answer is, don't worry about it unless it happens.
If it does, the Petiolaris need to be maintained at barely moist levels, and good air circulation is needed to keep them from mold attack. Drosera peltata can be rested dry (with scant residual moisture in the pot) or can be left in tray water. Be sure to mark the pot and spot since there will be no evidence there was a plant in it once it goes dormant so you can find it again next winter.
That's how you dew it.
jimscott
Tropical Fish Enthusiast
jimscott
Tropical Fish Enthusiast
You have the right of it, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Petiolaris Complex members have unpredictable dormancies and if dormancy can be forestalled by providing optimal growing conditions year round then that's the best ticket.
Small seedlings of tuberous Drosera will go dormant as they will. There isn't much you can do to keep life in them once the dormancy is triggered by rising temps. I have had first season seedlings make successful tubers and return the next season. With D. peltata I left the pot in tray water with no ill effect, and the plants returned once the weather cooled off in the fall. Larger specimens optimally should take about a week or so to move the nutrients stored in the stem and leaves back into the newly formed corm. This is achieved by not allowing the substrate to dry off immediately once the top parts start looking peaked. The health of this new corm will determine if the plants continue to return and grow larger with successive seasons. I don't have good conditions for them, and inevitably the plants become smaller and smaller eventually failing to return, a matter of great frustration.
Small seedlings of tuberous Drosera will go dormant as they will. There isn't much you can do to keep life in them once the dormancy is triggered by rising temps. I have had first season seedlings make successful tubers and return the next season. With D. peltata I left the pot in tray water with no ill effect, and the plants returned once the weather cooled off in the fall. Larger specimens optimally should take about a week or so to move the nutrients stored in the stem and leaves back into the newly formed corm. This is achieved by not allowing the substrate to dry off immediately once the top parts start looking peaked. The health of this new corm will determine if the plants continue to return and grow larger with successive seasons. I don't have good conditions for them, and inevitably the plants become smaller and smaller eventually failing to return, a matter of great frustration.
Hi,
I think Tre's topic sould have been D. peltata group rather than complex as this seems to have caused some confusion.
They should go into dormancy if you slowly dry the soil out. It will take a few weeks for the plant to go fully dormant.
The peltata's and auriculata that grow in my area seem to be very opportunistic, ie they will grow when there is moisture. This carries through to cultivation. The other tuberous species aren't like this, they stick to their growth seasons. The peltata group grow fairly quickly from the rosette to a climbing stem and then set flower. They produce a large volume of easy germinating seed, so will spread through your collection.
I keep my dormant tubers in their pots and give the pots a little water once a week to prevent it from thoroughly drying out. I then start wattering more in autumn. Soil is 1:1 to 3:1 sand peat. You will need to dig up the tubers every few years as they will go deeper each year and hit the bottom of the pot. In Western Australia the tubers can be at depths of a metre.
Cheers,
Craig
I think Tre's topic sould have been D. peltata group rather than complex as this seems to have caused some confusion.
They should go into dormancy if you slowly dry the soil out. It will take a few weeks for the plant to go fully dormant.
The peltata's and auriculata that grow in my area seem to be very opportunistic, ie they will grow when there is moisture. This carries through to cultivation. The other tuberous species aren't like this, they stick to their growth seasons. The peltata group grow fairly quickly from the rosette to a climbing stem and then set flower. They produce a large volume of easy germinating seed, so will spread through your collection.
I keep my dormant tubers in their pots and give the pots a little water once a week to prevent it from thoroughly drying out. I then start wattering more in autumn. Soil is 1:1 to 3:1 sand peat. You will need to dig up the tubers every few years as they will go deeper each year and hit the bottom of the pot. In Western Australia the tubers can be at depths of a metre.
Cheers,
Craig
