Feed your sundews- incredibly fast growth and flowers (DUW)

[mark.ca]

For me it's always been a plate with strawberries placed inside the greenhouse and the fruit flies flying free and the plants catching them all naturally. Yes, it's a certain fermentation smell but nothing too bad. I just move the plate around and give all the plants possibility to get some fresh meat. It's just my lazy way of feeding dews and it will not work indoors or if you're sensible to fermentation smells. Works for me since i don't have time to grow them anyway!

 

[CPlantaholic]

Interesting to hear the results with fertilizer. my only question now is whether anyone has had experience with increasing the conc. of the fertilizer. I don't know if there would be more noticeable results from a stronger concentration than is recommended (as long as you aren't burning off the leaves).

that does seem nice and easy, mark. unfortunately, my parents probably wouldn't be too happy with me leaving a hoard of fungus gnats and moldy straberries in my room while i'm gone for 3 weeks at time
once i can grow them outdoors again, i may use that method so they can catch some extra food. They didn't do incredibly well on their own last year, but they caught enough to produce noticeable growth.

 

[RL7836]

I purchased them at Petco for $5.75. I'm not sure if they're always there. I just happened upon them. Worth checking before paying shipping though. I had purchased them online once before though.

I guess I got the NJ discount - $10.75. Probably still better than web with shipping though... Hopefully I can use these to start some cultures - should be fun both feeding them to the plants & growing them - something new & different ...

 

[CPlantaholic]

haha. i'm really interested in getting some now. if anyone has pics of their culture setups, I'd be very interested to see them. It seems there are several techniques that might cost a bit more, but I'm looking for the cheapest, most ginsu way to start up some cultures.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

haha. i'm really interested in getting some now. if anyone has pics of their culture setups, I'd be very interested to see them. It seems there are several techniques that might cost a bit more, but I'm looking for the cheapest, most ginsu way to start up some cultures.

My friend that I get mine from keeps his in a dresser drawer in plastic containers with coffee filters in the middle of the lid to let oxygen through. He just uses fruit/potato mix and some water, they replicate real quick....just dont let your culture sit in the window sill in sunlight....it kills them pretty quick LOL

 

[Halt]

Big Pictures. [DUW]

D.Spatulata Kansai /Tokaiensis [Or is it? Pink flowers!] update

Before:

After I fed it, it made many little plantlets which I seperated. They are going to a certain person here after a failed trade. [Plants died in shipping]
Theres another flower from the 4th plant.

Update on Flowers which will later go on SASE if I collect correctly :

And a Ping cutting starting to form plantlets

Sarracenia Flowers as well:

-sorry for small/big pics, gotta figure out my camera.

 

[jimscott]

This is what happens when you feed the capensis:

 

[Not a Number]

Google "fruit fly culture recipe" and you'll find photos of typical setups. Nothing to see really, just a bottle with goo on the bottom and something over the top that will keep the flies in and air through - paper towel, filter paper, foam rubber plug.

Ron the price difference could be due to different suppliers and weather conditions. The bottle I bought is a clever affair 4-5 inches tall with a square base with the culture medium in it. This bottle necks into a square chamber for the adults to hang out in (bits of excelsior). This tapers to a round neck with a foam stopper in it. Just remove the stopper and sprinkle out flies. Most of the culture remains in the base unless you shake it too hard. They used to sell them in a yogurt container style bottle which probably was difficult just to get a few flies out at a time.

 

[CPlantaholic]

Well, I was wondering if anyone had a household substitute for that excelsior material that everyone seems to use. The first website I saw said they sold a little clump for $6, so I wanted to find a cheaper alternative, but now that you mentioned the name of that material you use, I saw a site offering a gallon bag of excelsior for 99 cents. Not bad at all...
Thanks

 

[Not a Number]

Sure, you can buy the very wide meshed fiberglass "bird" screen. Many people use that, or cut up coffee filters into strips.

 

[CPlantaholic]

i may have to go with the strips. can't beat the pricetag on that method . there's a boatload of those filters in our hall lounge, so i may have to snag a few of those...

 

[DrWurm]

This is what happens when you feed the capensis:

Yeah, i fed a small Capensis Blaines kloof and it very quickly curled its leaves.

By the way, I found a good way to pulverize the fish food. Take some aluminum foil and pour out your desired amount of fish food on to it. Then securely fold the foil around until you have a small envelope of whole pellets. Take a large metal spoon and start smacking the envelope with the bottom of the spoon (do this on a hard counter). When you think it's pulverized enough, pour the powder onto a new sheet of aluminum foil, since the one you started on will probably be a bit gnarly. Fold another envelope, but only close 3 sides. Use the open side as a pouring spout. It seems to me that when fed with powder, the plants react very quickly.

 

[CPlantaholic]

ahhh, brilliant! I used a rolling pin to crush my pellets, but when I try sprinkling it with my fingers, half of it landed on the soil under the plant i then resorted to using tweezers to pick up some powder. pretty slow... i think a pouring spout will be easier for me.

 

[jimscott]

Yeah, i fed a small Capensis Blaines kloof and it very quickly curled its leaves.

By the way, I found a good way to pulverize the fish food. Take some aluminum foil and pour out your desired amount of fish food on to it. Then securely fold the foil around until you have a small envelope of whole pellets. Take a large metal spoon and start smacking the envelope with the bottom of the spoon (do this on a hard counter). When you think it's pulverized enough, pour the powder onto a new sheet of aluminum foil, since the one you started on will probably be a bit gnarly. Fold another envelope, but only close 3 sides. Use the open side as a pouring spout. It seems to me that when fed with powder, the plants react very quickly.

I have a cannister of the freezed dried bloodworms and I put the handle end in the container. Then I treated it like mortar and pestle. That worked.

 

[DrWurm]

Oh man, I just had the best idea. Someone needs to try putting betta bites in a peppercorn grinder. Easy crushing and dispersal.

 

[Nep Lover]

humm interesting idea although would the holes be too big for the betta pellets?

 

[Not a Number]

A spice or coffee hand grinder would do the trick. I would just fold the stuff in a sheet of paper and put it on a hard flat surface like a table and use a rolling pin or bottle.

If you make one fold each direction of the paper it makes a cup. If you snip a bit off the closed corner it makes a funnel.