Help again

[Guest]

Dang, I've never had so many sundew flowers. It must be the new conditions

. Anyway, I have a D. intermedia, and two forked sundews floweing. The problem is, I need to know if I can get seed from the forked sundews, and then how to grow the seeds. All the forked sundews are from plant that died during the "incident", but I was able to bring them back to life after I got back. I have no idea witch subspecies they are at this point because of that, and the three possiblities are; D. binata, D. multifida extrema, and D. x Marston Dragon (and this may not even be the true hybrid, it might just be a dichotoma form?). Can you guys help me please.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

The D. intermedia will set seed for sure. Wait until the pods turn brown, then harvest it. Seed is very fine! I put the scape in a paper envelope without holes. The seed comes out when it is ready. I fold the envelope, label it and put it in a zip lock in a cold dry place (the fridge).

Odds are the binata will be sterile, most clones are self sterile. The same protocol applies though, in case you get lucky.

D. intermedia seed should remain cold at least 2 weeks for best germination. I sow my temperate species seed around middle December on pure rinsed and wet peat, leave the pots in the freezer until ice just starts to form on the surface, and bring them into cultivation. This insures very good germination.

D. binata can be sown without cold stratification.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I just got a plant with a whole bunch of flower stalks, and collected like hundreds of seeds

! I put the on sphagnum moss in a tray, put the tray in an open ziplock bag for humidity, and put the whole thing in medium light. Is that good? Do I need to use a fungicide? On another note, I'm tryin to see what forms of binata I have. The two plants that are flowering seem to be different clones, as one has a leaf and stem ration of almost 1:1, and the other has a ratio of about 3:2. The first has leaf stems of a light green, and the second is more of an olive green. The flower stalk on the first one is more of a red, and the second is more of a olive green and purplish. The first one opened up a white flower today, but I'm still waiting on the second. Hopefuly, I can get some good binata form hybrid seedlings

. And, the other plant that kind of looks like D. intermedia has purple flowers...

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

You may have done better to wait a bit on sowing the D. intermedia if it is a temperate form, since now is the time of natural dormancy. Try to give the seedlings a long photoperiod if you get germination. I usually sow temperate Drosera seed around December, after the daylength begins to increase.

If the flower is purple on the "D. intermedia llook alike" it is not that species. D. intermedia is invariable red. There aren't too many upright Drosera with pink flowers: D. capillaris long arm form is a likely candidate, as are D. nidiformis and D. collinsiae.

There is no way to tell if you have different clones of D. binata from your description. You could attempt to hand polliate the 2 and hope for the best. The form with a slightly pink flower in my collection always sets seeds (more prolifically than D. capensis&#33

without any action on my part, but the white flowered forms are not as reliable.

 

[Guest]

well, i just crossed one of the binatas with what i now believe to be D. collinsiae. Should make an interesting hybrid

. Now i just got to wait on the second D. binata...

 

[Guest]

Hmm, it apears the third binata (almost certain it is the typical form) is sending up a flower, and the other two are making second flower stalks. Should I let theese other flowers come up, and try to get seed, or should I cut them off to save energy? I also have a little drosera (i think its a pygmy) that has little white flowers... All theese flowers are crazy

.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

I always let my plants flower: D. binata is a powerhouse and flowering in no way affects the plants vigor. The flowers are quite large and showy.