Drosera advice

[pthiel]

Sorry to ask you here but I am not at my machine to send email to the appropriate folks, hoping they catch it here.

I received some new Drosera unexpectedly that I do not have any (good) experience with and wanted to get some basic info on them if possible. Media to use, pot size and depth, temp ranges, light, etc Thanks..I will list the species below and any info is mucho appreciated.

D. stenopetala
D. regia
D. pauciflora
D. esterhuyseniae
D. roraimae
D. graminifolia
D. arcturi
D. fimbriata

Thanks & Cheers,

 

[carnivorous23]

well, I can give you a little information, but I have no experience with those species. You'll probably have to wait for Tamlin for better advice. I believe, if you do a search here, Tamlin may have posted on growing stenopetala before.

Arcturi is a temperate, from New Zealand, related to stenopetala, but not requiring as cold of temperatures, and is supposed to be much easier to grow. Both are temperate, and stenopetala needs a very cold dormancy.

Roraimae is South American, highland, I believe the temperature range is around 50-70, but I'm not sure. I assume it will require strong light.

Some of them are quite beautiful. Good luck. Hope you can find better information somewhere.

 

[cephalotus88]

Soil:

regia-mix of peat/sand (60/40), water via tray method, i keep it on windowsill: about 50ish% humidity.

roraime-south american, soil of peat/LFS/sand (mix being mostly LFS and peat), humdidty: 70%+

Sorry i cant help you on the others. I have heard that stenopeltata is difficult. Good luck-Zach

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

I have had little personal experience, but this is what I have heard:

Arcturi, stenopetala: I assume these are from TC and might be able to skip a dormancy. If so, grow them cold, wet and under a long photoperiod in a peaty mix. If they go dormant, I believe your outdoor winter conditions will suit their needs, as long as it doesn't get below zero F. You might inquire of Flippo Tassara, I know he grows these species and he might have some more detailed help.

Graminifolia and rorimae want wet conditions, cool and with good humidity. Both require a good nightime drop in temps. Keep them below 80F if possible. Graminifolia gets long roots so a deep pot is preferred. Robert Gibson says the plants are ammenable to a wide range of substrates and wetness, but are particular regarding temperature and humidity.

Esterhuysaniae, pauciflora, and fimbriata are cool loving winter growers that need a short day photoperiod around 11 hrs. Use a gritty compost and careful attention to not overwater them.

I have regia in a light mix of pearlite/live moss. A deep pot is required for this species: at least 10 inch and preferably deeper. I keep mine deep in water, since traditional methods have always failed. This one likes cool conditions with a strong nighttime drop.

Stenopetala is the challenge here. The plant tends to want to grow even in the fridge. With Drosera uniflora, I pop it in the fridge when it stops growing for me, and it remains locked in a sort of dormancy. I hear that stenopetala tries to continue to grow even in the cold and dark.

I hope this helps some. I have very limited experience with most of these species, so stay attentive to the plants as I am sure you will.

Wow! When you get plants, you really get plants!

 

[Pyro]

Just wanted to add a bit to what Tamlin said.

Knowing your source, the D. pauciflora might be close to dormancy right now (my D. cistiflora was) so pot it in media that is barely damp and then let it dry out slowly. I am using a media of 2:1 sandeat with a small portion of milled sphag. I also recommend you try some leaf cuttings in the event that the shipped plants do not accept dormancy. I know that D'Amato claims only the early leaves are good for this but every leaf cutting I took has sprouted.

D. fimbriata is a tuberous plant and will do fine in the same media as above. I have mine on a windowsill and they are growing fast and furious

 

[pthiel]

First off I would like thank everyone for the helpful advice, with a special thanks to Phil and PFT for making this forum available and these sort of things possible.

I will keep those folks who are interested posted on how the plants are doing and if it becomes possible will share the wealth once plants get established.

Thanks again and Cheers,

 

[pthiel]

Tamlin,

It is all the clean living that does it, well ok that is BS. But it is the sharing, always comes back tenfold.

Cheers,

 

[Vic Brown]

I grow D. stenopetala and D. acturi outside in my minibog all year in E. England. Our climate is a lot less severe than C. Ohio, we have cooler summers and milder winters (15F is considered exceptionally cold here and it hasn't dropped much below 20F for the last three winters). Our summer temperatures rarely exceed 85F and then only for a day or two. Both species are in peat with a live Sphagnum topping, which helps to keep the soil cool in summer. They both go dormant fairly early, around the beginning of September for D. arcuri and a couple of weeks later for the D. stenopetala. If anything I find that the D. stenopetala is faring much better than the D. arcuri, it flowered and set seed this year and I am hoping to have more plants in my bog soon, and it seems a much more vigorous plant. We are having exceptionally mild weather at the moment, with temps of 55F at night this week, I hope the two plants survive.

Vic

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

I got to try that clean living thing!!!

Vic Amazing that you have the stenopetala outside! I am heterophyllous with envy!

Pete, take heed: if Vic has it doing well the winter in Ohio might be to harsh for natural dormancy!

 

[Vic Brown]

Whilst they are both alpine plants, D. stenopetala occurs at much lower altitudes in NZ than does D. arcturi. On N. Island (the warmest) it grows from 900M compared with 1500M for D. arcturi, and it occurs at sea level further south. I think that's why D. stenopetala has been growing better for me. Both species go dormant regardless of the ambient temperature, and is probably controlled by photoperiod. I think a cold winter rest is essential to prevent the plants rotting though. I'm not sure it should be too cold though, as it their natural habitats they are protected by a layer of snow. I must admit I was pleasantly suprised when the plants reappeared in the Spring, and am hoping for a repeat performance next year.

Vic

 

[pthiel]

Yeah I do not think I'll be leaving them outside, it is already hitting 20F at night and some 40F days here, going to get a whole lot colder before winter even arrives., I will have to work something else out to make it work. Thanks again for all the advice I greatly appreciate it.

Cheers,