Darlingtonia for Complete Beginner?

[mitch.dogs]

Does Anyone Know How To Grow A Darlingtonia as I'm Fairly New To CarnivorousPlants!
I Recived The Darlingtonia The other Day It wasn't in It's Soil It's got Not Many Roots Eather What Do I Do Iv Also got Sarracenia & Droseras Please Help
Thanks

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[Not a Number]

Use the search function and search on "Darlingtonia" or "Cobra".

Check out resources such as:
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html

Specific to Darlingtonia:
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq5160.html
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/howto/GrowingGuides/Darlingtonia.php

An idea of where you live and possible growing areas and conditions would help.

One should do a little research first before acquiring new plants or animals but then there are always the unplanned for gifts. So do some reading and if you have specific questions post them here.

Welcome to TerraForums.

 

[BigBella]

In short, the plant's roots and rhizome need to be cool at all times and have good gas exchange, which means a loose compost, such as live sphagnum and pumice. My long term successes always involved Darlingtonia being grown in unglazed terra cotta pots -- especially those intended for use with orchids, with the enlarged drainage "slots" -- in shallow trays of cool RO or distilled water. Cool nights are also almost a necessity . . .

 

[nimbulan]

Don't worry too much about how you treat the plant, they're tougher than most people think. You should be able to grow it just like a Sarracenia as long as the plant (especially the roots) don't stay hot for extended periods of time. A good temperature drop after a hot day should be enough. I have one in a tiny plastic pot right now and several weeks straight of 90+F days this summer in full sun didn't phase the plant at all. When you have more experience you can experiment with different pot types and soil mixes to see if something else works better for you in your climate.

 

[jimscott]

I killed several of them, initially. I had the most success, finally, when I had them in a window planter, where there was decent enough media depth, and a lot of room lateral expansion. Once established, for the few days of 90 heat they experienced, they came through it just fine.

 

[Cruzzfish]

I'm thinking of adding a darlingtonia when my bog garden gets too small for the existing plants. Would the larger size of pot allow it to keep cooler?

 

[fredg]

Plant in live sphagnum moss, keep very wet, job done.

 

[kulamauiman]

In short, the plant's roots and rhizome need to be cool at all times and have good gas exchange, which means a loose compost, such as live sphagnum and pumice. My long term successes always involved Darlingtonia being grown in unglazed terra cotta pots -- especially those intended for use with orchids, with the enlarged drainage "slots" -- in shallow trays of cool RO or distilled water. Cool nights are also almost a necessity . . .

have some in both plastic and unglazed terracotta and live sphagnum. Growing well side by side in a tray. But I dont have the same extremes of temperature as you guys do....

 

[Not a Number]

Larger pots will take longer to heat (and cool) off - providing a more stable temperature of the medium.

Terracotta pots having thicker walls will take longer to heat/cool. The material is also porous and can provide some evaporative cooling given the right conditions.

Live Sphagnum can also provide some form of evaporative cooling from transpiration of water.

Darlingtonia californica grows very long stolons or runners (many feet long). Larger pots allow more room for stolon growth. Whether or not crowding of the roots and stolons effects the growth I don't know. In my experience Darlingtonia seem to grow better in over-sized pots or larger containers.

 

[BigBella]

Darlingtonia californica grows very long stolons or runners (many feet long). Larger pots allow more room for stolon growth. Whether or not crowding of the roots and stolons effects the growth I don't know. In my experience Darlingtonia seem to grow better in over-sized pots or larger containers.

I would agree about the choice of larger pots. I divided and replanted some plants in early Summer; and the stolons and rhizomes had "orbited" even the largest of my terra cotta pots a couple of times and were creeping out of the drainage slots . . .

 

[fredg]

I've never found the large pots to be a necessity but each to his own. For single adult plants I'll use a half tray, undrained

 

[Not a Number]

For single adult plants I'll use a half tray, undrained

Which gives the stolons plenty of room to spread out laterally which is what they do naturally.

 

[fredg]

Oh I see now, your large pots are not really large at all

 

[nimbulan]

I heard an interesting theory, that the plants will actually grow better if you let them fill up their pot and get a bit crowded before transplanting into a larger pot. I haven't had mine long enough to test it.

 

[fredg]

I have little experience too