Doggone vft's!

[Bugweed]

I went out to my bog gardens to see how dormancy was coming on, and found 3 plants with flowers on 3 and 4 inch stalks. Will someone kindly send them some reading material so they will know they are late in flowering?? I have tried talking to them, but they won't listen. I told you VFT's were funny critters, but even after growing as long as I have, this one is a first for me. Love it!! Always with the suprises.

 

[vft guy in SJ]

Haha Bugweed.. Maybe you could hook up a laptop and set it out in the garden and tell them to surf through the forum for a while. Im sure there are plenty of folks here who could tell them that they are not following the norm. lol

Cheers
Steve

 

[Bugweed]

Have to be wireless, Steve!

 

[BobZ]

My VFTs that I grow outside always flower in May and again in late October. The October flowering is much less than in May. I think my climate on the cool foggy Pacific coast is the trigger. Both May and October are warm and sunny, while June through August is usually cool and foggy. I think the VFTs get fooled into thinking the sudden warm days in Fall are the beginning of Spring. My VFTs in the greenhouse tend to not flower in the Fall.

 

[jimscott]

You guys are TOO funny! One would think that the photperiod thing would clue them in as to the time of year and their expectations. Egads, Steve, how are we supposed to give sound advice when your plants are making us D'Amato-quoting relative newbies look like fools?

 

[BobZ]

Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Nov. 08 2004,2:47)]One would think that the photperiod thing would clue them in as to the time of year and their expectations.

Flower triggering is probably more complex than we might think and would make a interesting Science Fair project (given a year or two to conduct the experiment). I suspect that on this foggy coast, a warm sunny Spring, then cool foggy dim Summer, followed by a warm sunny Fall may "confuse" the plants. Summer around here certainly feels like Winter, with coats and sweaters being the normal daytime Summer attire.

 

[jimscott]

I realize that temperature changes can fool plants, at least temporarily. I have seen my crocus poke through the ground in January and as eartly as decmber, during a warm spell. Then reality set in and they didn't progress (or) die until February.

 

[pond boy]

Lol. Whats next vfts eating rats? Congrats! Very strange,are you going to chop off the stalks or leave them be?

 

[Bugweed]

leave'em for seed.

 

[jimscott]

I always thought it amusing to read Tamlin & P-Man and their contrasting (and equally successful) appoaches to the same plants. But now I think Bugweed should be added to this (over a century or experience) troika.