how am i doing so far?

[The PlantGuy]

hi there, my first attempt at Drosera!...I bought about 6 different types of seeds and sowed each species in a mix of peat/silica sand and another pot of long fiber moss. Here are some pics. I have them in a tray/dome with heater under. I wasn't sure of the germination rate so there's quite a few in there now. The first pic is syndery...Do i just keep them as they are until they get bigger? When do i need to concern about feeding? any suggestions? thanks!

 

[tje25]

Looking good! What all do you have planted there?

 

[Joseph Clemens]

It looks like you have good germination. What is the plant you call, syndery, I am not familiar with any Drosera by that name.

What I've used for feeding, at this early stage, is to make an extra dilute solution of balanced, soluble plant food, then to carefully deposit tiny drops on a few leaves of each plant, with a toothpick, being careful not to get any on the media/soil (where it can encourage moss or algae). I also use a dissecting needle or bamboo skewer to gently move apart any plants that are too close to each other.

 

[Not a Number]

Probably Drosera snyderi, one of Ivan Snyder's freaks - D. dielsiana × nidiformis. Not a valid name. Sometimes called D. × snyderi. I have no idea who coined the name.

 

[The PlantGuy]

Probably Drosera snyderi, one of Ivan Snyder's freaks - D. dielsiana × nidiformis. Not a valid name. Sometimes called D. × snyderi. I have no idea who coined the name.

yes, thats it...also have D. capensis, D. x tokaiensis [not a validly published name - the same plant is known as the registered cultivar D. 'Kansai'], D. capillaris , not sure of the spelling there..what is this soluble plant food you speak of Joseph?

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Soluble fertilizer; likely any fertilizer formulated for house plants, that is completely soluble in water. I prefer those that have added micronutrients. I've used African Violet formulations, as well as Peter's 20-20-20 (now called Jack's 20-20-20). There are various other brands available. I'm sure any would be suitable, if diluted enough.

BTW - plant names always consist of, at least two parts. Genus and specific epithet (some mistakenly call the specific epithet, the species name, only the genus and specific epithet, together are the species name) - such as Drosera capensis or D. capensis. The genus name is always initial capitalized, and the specific epithet is always, all lower case. See, writing plant names. You can check name validity and spelling, at CP Database, or CP Photofinder, and you can check for cultivars at this link, for registered cultivar names.

 

[The PlantGuy]

Soluble fertilizer; likely any fertilizer formulated for house plants, that is completely soluble in water. I prefer those that have added micronutrients. I've used African Violet formulations, as well as Peter's 20-20-20 (now called Jack's 20-20-20). There are various other brands available. I'm sure any would be suitable, if diluted enough.

BTW - plant names always consist of, at least two parts. Genus and specific epithet (some mistakenly call the specific epithet, the species name, only the genus and specific epithet, together are the species name) - such as Drosera capensis or D. capensis. The genus name is always initial capitalized, and the specific epithet is always, all lower case. See, writing plant names. You can check name validity and spelling, at CP Database, or CP Photofinder, and you can check for cultivars at this link, for registered cultivar names.

Thanks for the info, i thought you might have meant that but wanted to make sure as what I've read says to not use fertlizer....I will do more research into the names, my business is dealing with aquatic plants so I'm not too familiar on the carnivorous side of things but those links will help, thanks!.

 

[Joseph Clemens]

I did want to reiterate more details about fertilizing these tiny seedlings. Make sure to dilute the fertilizer about 1/10 or even 1/20th as strong as recommended for non-CP plants, and to use purified water for the dilution. Also to be careful to only deposit miniscule droplets onto the tiny plants developing trap leaves, with a small pointed object, like a toothpick, pin, needle, or even fine pointed forceps.

Getting some small amount on the media is not usually harmful, but to dose the media, instead of just focusing on the plant leaves, can lead to harmful overgrowth of algae, mosses, etc.

 

[The PlantGuy]

I did want to reiterate more details about fertilizing these tiny seedlings. Make sure to dilute the fertilizer about 1/10 or even 1/20th as strong as recommended for non-CP plants, and to use purified water for the dilution. Also to be careful to only deposit miniscule droplets onto the tiny plants developing trap leaves, with a small pointed object, like a toothpick, pin, needle, or even fine pointed forceps.

Getting some small amount on the media is not usually harmful, but to dose the media, instead of just focusing on the plant leaves, can lead to harmful overgrowth of algae, mosses, etc.

thanks for that.....another question. i still have all the pots in the dome under a heat pad so the humidity is quite high as well as the temp...just wondering if i should keep them like this?...normal humidity in my basement is 40% around this time of year...

 

[hcarlton]

A lot of sundews have little issue with lower humidity. Acclimate them to your basement conditions and they'll be fine. Plus, more airflow will discourage any sort of fungal growth.