D.regia

[dewy]

Is it normal for D.regia leaves to continue getting smaller? My D.regai is producing smaller and smaller leaves, but it has also produced a offshoot. Also, the leaves have yet to unravel like they should ( the tentacles don't unfold and produce dew). Is their any way to fix this problem?
dewy

 

[trainspotting]

I don’t grow D. Regia, so I don’t know from experience.

But from other sundews I grow, if I have recently moved them to a higher light enviornment, the leaves get a bit more compact, with more color and dew.
Since yours is not making dew, and the leaves are not straigtening out I would say that it is a lack of light, but that wouldnt entirely explain the small leaves.
If you included more information about your growing conditions, a more experienced grower could probably spot the problem.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

As trainspotting has noted, the greatest factor affecting typical growth is light. This might be the problem. The plant also appreciates a good night time temp. drop, it is a highland species...not sure how you are growing yours. Maybe Pinguicula man can help more, I did not have the greatest success with this species, but noted it did best in cooler conditions of spring and fall. My plant was grown in the nekkid outdoors. Good luck with this cultivar, it is a very nice Drosera.

 

[LLeopardGGecko]

I have two D. regia (as I think I've told you before Dewy) and I have experienced what you're talking about. It was happening all the time until I started running my AC at night, dropping temps into the low 70s and upper 60s. Since that change, my plants have produced many giant, healthy leaves.

Perhaps your D. regia just needs that night time temperature drop. Also, please post what kind of lighting conditions you have the plant in. Lack of light might also be a factor.

 

[Outsiders71]

You could try double potting your Regia. Just get a pot that is 2" or bigger than the pot you have it in now. Then put the smaller pot in the bigger pot and fill in the space with Perlite, Sponge Rock, River pebbles (wash good), or just LFS. That should help keep the plant cooler during the day and night.

What kind of media are you using now and how do you water it?

 

[dewy]

Light is definately not the problem as my 10g terrarium has over 9,000 lumens of light shining in it. Here are my conditions:
Day               Night
85F               77F
45% humidity  60% humidity
Maybe the night time temp drop is not low enough for its leaves to grow properly? Would one of these effectively lower the night temp into the low 70s/upper 60s?
dewy

 

[Outsiders71]

Quote[/b] (dewy @ July 04 2006,2:42)]Light is definately not the problem as my 10g terrarium has over 9,000 lumens of light shining in it. Here are my conditions:
Day Night
85F 77F
45% humidity 60% humidity
Maybe the night time temp drop is not low enough for its leaves to grow properly? Would one of these effectively lower the night temp into the low 70s/upper 60s?
dewy

Only a 10g? Is it the only plant in there? Give it some more room to breathe.

Regia do the best with 75F daytime and a drop at night. I wouldn't get a fogger. Try installing a fan or just get a bigger tank.

 

[RL7836]

I am one of the last people in the world to share info on this plant but from what I've read over the years:

- many people grow as a windowsill plant
- in general, it doesn't like high humidity
- give the roots some room (check out Bob Z's plants (!!!))

 

[dewy]

Quote[/b] (Outsiders71 @ July 04 2006,4:54)]Only a 10g?  Is it the only plant in there?  Give it some more room to breathe.

Regia do the best with 75F daytime and a drop at night.  I wouldn't get a fogger.  Try installing a fan or just get a bigger tank.

Since my terrarium is usually uncovered , my theory is that the fogger will evaporatively coll the terrarium temperature without raising humidity that much. Wouldn't this effectively lower the temperature?
Thanks for all of the help everyone,
dewy

 

[jorick]

I'm not a Drosera expert but I think that your regia won't like the misting, shure it would help to get your temp down, but they just don't like it...

 

[BobZ]

I have two clones of D. regia, one of which is 'Big Easy'. I cannot tell any difference between them I have not experimented much with growing conditions. My plants get what they get. However, my plants seem to like our relatively cool conditions. They flower each July, then die back a little, then produce numerous root offshoots, and finally recover by fall. They then grow well all winter. I live near the foggy Pacific coast in northern California. During summer, the night temps always drop to the 50s F (~12 C). The normal maximum summer daily temps at my place is mid-60s F. The highest recorded July temp is 76 F (120 years of record). Winter temps here are mild with only occasional nights with mild frost. I am not saying this is the best way to grow D. regia, only what my plants get.

 

[Outsiders71]

Quote[/b] (dewy @ July 05 2006,1:13)]

Quote[/b] (Outsiders71 @ July 04 2006,4:54)]Only a 10g? Is it the only plant in there? Give it some more room to breathe.

Regia do the best with 75F daytime and a drop at night. I wouldn't get a fogger. Try installing a fan or just get a bigger tank.

Since my terrarium is usually uncovered , my theory is that the fogger will evaporatively coll the terrarium temperature without raising humidity that much. Wouldn't this effectively lower the temperature?
Thanks for all of the help everyone,
dewy

The reason I said no is because you're growing it in the confines of a 10g tank. Adding more humidity would just could just lead to more problems IMO. Setup a fan on a timer and have it come on at night. Let it blow across the top of the tank.

 

[dewy]

Quote[/b] (Outsiders71 @ July 05 2006,8:12)]The reason I said no is because you're growing it in the confines of a 10g tank.  Adding more humidity would just could just lead to more problems IMO.  Setup a fan on a timer and have it come on at night.  Let it blow across the top of the tank.

Outsiders71- But it wouldn't be adding more humidity as my terrarium is completely open, so the humidity would barely rise while the temp. would be effectively lowered. Where can I buy a fan from?

BobZ- if I lived in CA I would love to grow my D.regia like that, but since I live in hot and sticky NC, growing it outside is not an option for me.
dewy

 

[Outsiders71]

By all means I could be wrong Dewy. It's what makes this hobby fun, you gotta experiment. So experiment with the fogger and lets see if it helps.

You can purchase a little case fan online, they're relatively cheap. www.svc.com has some cheap ones. There's a thread somewhere in the greenhouse forum about modding a computer fan, search for it.

 

[dewy]

Quote[/b] (Outsiders71 @ July 06 2006,9:17)]By all means I could be wrong Dewy.  It's what makes this hobby fun, you gotta experiment.  So experiment with the fogger and lets see if it helps.  

You can purchase a little case fan online, they're relatively cheap.  www.svc.com has some cheap ones.  There's a thread somewhere in the greenhouse forum about modding a computer fan, search for it.

Thanks for all of your help. The offshoot is growing very quickly and has even produced a leaf that has opened correctly and is FULL of dew. I think my plant just needed time to adjust to its new environment. The mother plant is beginning to put out larger leaves also.
dewy