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Hey guys, Dave here and I'm just starting out my CP collection. Got them in yesterday, so I thought I'd share some pics.

My typical Dionaea:

CAM00055.jpg


I ended up trimming off the black trap in the back right. It had two small traps trying to grow in underneath it, and they need sun too. Also, it seems to have come with a stowaway, what looks like a small D. Capensis seedling (not shown). It was pretty smushed by the packing, but I used a small pin to peel it away from the soil medium, blew on it a bit to dry it off, and it seems to have perked back up. The leaves on it are kind of a pale white-ish green, so I'm wondering if it's an alba capensis. I know capensii are pretty much the weeds of the CP world, but it would be cool to try to grow it more and have a freebie. I'll try to get a pic of it tonight when I get off of work.

My D. capensis:

CAM00056.jpg


This Capensis came with a tag that said "DORMANT", and it does look like it is, but I find it odd that it is, but my VFT is not.

I kept them inside overnight, it was rainy with high wind gusts and I don't want them getting knocked over.

I transferred them to my front porch this morning. This is not a permanent spot for them. I put them there because I want to ease them into getting sun, and there are still some high winds (20 mph with 30 mph gusts) going here. I also put them on a bucket so when I walk my dog he doesn't try to mark them (I'm 99% sure that that would be bad).

CAM00058.jpg


You can actually see the little capensis in the VFT pot, towards the near edge, just left of the center.

And here is a view of the sunrise they get to see:

CAM00057.jpg


That's it for now. I'm going to buy some bigger glazed ceramic pots for them tonight to give them a more permanent home, I'm just waiting for them to get some sun and perk up a bit. Being in a sunless box for a few days was stress enough, I don't want to overdo it by transplanting them yet.

I do have one question though, should I let my VFT go dormant? I plan to keep it outside, but I'm just concerned it may be too late into the season to do that, and the weather here in FL is a little unstable. It will be 80F (27C) with 90% humidity one day (yesterday), and 52F (11C) and 40% humidity the next.

I'm a proud new papa! :boogie:
 
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Got some better, more clear pics from a camera not in a cell phone :p.

My VFT:

106_1586.jpg


My D. capensis:

106_1587.jpg


The little unidentified seedling:

106_1591.jpg


And some Sphagnum I am trying to revive:

106_1592.jpg
 
Great pics David! D. capensis is looking great. As for the Mystery seedling, its probably a child of the capensis. Congrats on your new plants!
 
Thanks man! I think you're right about the seedling, but I'm hoping it's an alba variety (the nursery also sold those too). The tentacles and the mucilage glands at the end appear to be a whiteish clear, but I do not know if they only get the red coloration as they mature or not.
 
Plants look good but, that's not sphagnum. Get rid of that stuff.
 
Zoo Med does have sphagnum but that's not it. I don't know why they claim it is on the box but I assure you that it isn't. I'm not sure exactly what species it is (probably one of the "evergreen mosses") but , that stuff will be certain death for cp's.
 
Are you sure? It was sold to me as such, and it says it's sphagnum on the box.

CAM00059-1.jpg~320x480

I recently bought Zoomed NZ Sphagnum:

gKwpvTOl.jpg


http://imgur.com/a/Vx1qZ

I think that's the right stuff. It definitely looks like the NZ Sphagnum that was wrapped around some plants I recently got. As an aside, I've tried to get this stuff to regenerate into live LFS without much luck so far. It may be pre-washed by Zoomed, and if so, you'll likely need to wash it with RO water before using it. But then again, I washed it by habit and might have washed off all the spores LFS would regenerate from...

There are cheaper sources of NZ Sphagnum. That was $16 for 150g locally, whereas online you can get NZ Sphagnum for $16 for 500g. Not sure if I can link the gardening supply store I'm going to snag NZ Sphagnum from, though.
 
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  • #10
Are you sure? It was sold to me as such, and it says it's sphagnum on the box.

CAM00059-1.jpg~320x480


Definitely not sphagnum. Try your local big box home improvement store, for a local source, though that won't be NZ sphagnum. Should be around $4. Otherwise, reputable CP dealers often have live sphagnum for sale. I'm guessing FlyTrapShop does, but I don't know if it's listed. You can always PM Andrew.
 
  • #11
Well, that's disappointing.

They have two bags of sphagnum moss at the Home Depot here, one from Mosser Lee that is full of leaves and twigs, and one from Better-Gro. Its labeled as Orchid Moss, but on the back it says 100% Chilean blonde sphagnum moss. It's $4.50.

41MJfMXm%2BxL._SX300_.jpg


Have you guys ever had any experience with this brand?
 
  • #12
Their website indicates that it's just sphagnum, with no additives. http://sunbulb.com/info/?page_id=454

An important thing to look for when buying sphagnum is to make sure that it doesn't say that it has additives, typically fertilizers, as, although CPs do appreciate some fertilization, they only like certain ones, and probably not the ones added to the sphagnum.

Personally, I'd go with the Better-Gro, over the Mosser Lee, if that looks cleaner and doesn't have additives.
 
  • #13
Very nice plants, good improvement from your first picts to your last ones. Well done !!
 
  • #14
41MJfMXm%2BxL._SX300_.jpg


Have you guys ever had any experience with this brand?

Yes. The Chilean moss is always my go to if I run out of the New Zealand stuff. Not quite as good as New Zealand but leagues above Mosser Lee. Stay away from the Mosser Lee as well, it's junk.
 
  • #15
Thanks guys, I'll grab some tomorrow morning. I'm going to give growing this stuff a go first, and if it doesn't sprout I'll order some live LFS and use this as a bed to grow it on.

Very nice plants, good improvement from your first picts to your last ones. Well done !!

Thanks! The only difference is a better camera, a day of sun and I snipped a dead trap from the VFT. The only other plant I've ever tried to grow was a lima bean in kindergarten, and it was dead by morning (I think I overwatered it). So far this is a record for how long I've been able to keep plants alive :p.
 
  • #16
I wouldn't even bother trying to do anything with that stuff you bought. It will not regrow, won't support live sphagnum and is lethal to cp's. Just toss it.
 
  • #17
I wouldn't even bother trying to do anything with that stuff you bought. It will not regrow, won't support live sphagnum and is lethal to cp's. Just toss it.

Already done. I was talking about the Better-Gro Chilean stuff.
 
  • #18
Zoo Med does have sphagnum but that's not it. I don't know why they claim it is on the box but I assure you that it isn't. I'm not sure exactly what species it is (probably one of the "evergreen mosses") but , that stuff will be certain death for cp's.

+1: whatever that sh*t, is! it ain't Sphagnum and you shouldn't use it in a CP soil mix.
 
  • #19
If you want to generate a live Sphagnum culture, you will be way ahead of the game to start with a handful if live stuff. I can send you a "starter pack" for the cost of shipping, if you like. I've got buckets of the stuff!

See:
 
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  • #20
You know what, I think I'll take you up on that one. I'll send you a PM. I've already dumped the mystery moss. I thought about keeping it for a while to see what it would grow into, but I don't want to chance accidentally using the wrong stuff.

Damn nice collection you have BTW. I really like the ones at the end with the spiked/ridged fronts.
 
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