Drosera seedling care

[byuboy29]

I have a large-ish pot of about 30 D. admirabilis seedlings that have germinated. The pot is loosely covered with a bag to preserve humidity and is in my south-facing window. Now that the seedlings have germinated, can I de-bag the pot? Would they be happier outside in the full sun? How gradually do I need to acclimate them to lower humidity and higher light?

Outside I have some flytrap seedlings and some D. filliformis seedlings sown amongst other VFTs and sarrs. These appear to be fine, at least for now, in ambient low humidity and full sun, though they were germinated outside and have never known other conditions. Will they be okay in the hot Colorado sun or should I have started them inside too?

Finally, I have D. intermedia and D. filliformis seeds stratifying in the fridge. How long do people usually stratify? When stratification is over, can they be put directly outside for germination (as with my VFTs and other filliformis seedlings) or is it recommended to start them covered indoors?

I have D. venusta, D. nidiformis, D. spathulata, and D. capensis seeds to try as well. Should I sow indoors in a covered seed tray or outdoors for more sunlight? If I sow outdoors, I am worried covering them would overheat them. Will I still get decent germination outside if they are uncovered?

I know that's a lot of questions for one post. Basically this all boils down to which is more important for seed germination and plantlet health: light or humidity? For seedlings that began with lower light and high humidity, how and when does one transition to higher light and lower humidity?

Thanks!

 

[hcarlton]

For the D. admirabilis seedlings, it would probably be best to acclimate them to the humidity outside the bag, but be careful. Here in Colorado the outside humidity is probably too low for them outside. The flytraps shoudl be fine outside, that's where mine are, but I don't know about the filiformis. I grow all my sundews inside just to make sure nothing happens to these softer-leaved plants. Temperate sundew seeds are usually good with 4 weeks stratification, but some may need 6. As with the other sundews, I can't comment on outside growth. All the other seeds I would suggest keeping inside as they are tropical or winter-growing plants. As for which is more important, remember sundew seedlings are very small, and often are shaded from full sun by other plants, and so may have higher humidity. However, with lower light levels and high humidity, make sure there is good air flow.
If you have other questions, I'm right up in Greeley, so I deal with the same conditions