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Massive Cobra Plant

I just posted a new thread about this in the Conservancy section, but to summarize-I just got home from Lowe's with a gigantic Cobra plant (main pitcher around a foot tall) and while I'm starting to really question the origins of the plant, I do have it now so I need to make sure that if it was poached, that it not die in vain.

I've grown them before with varying degrees of success and even had one through the winter do well under lights only to die in the summer heat. Obviously, for this picky a plant to grow to this size, it has to have been in good conditions for a while. My question: should I wean it from the death tube and let it go dormant and hope that it had a healthy summer?

I was thinking of weaning it, growing it under some lights for a month or so before putting it in the fridge for a shortened dormancy of a few months. Any thoughts? I don't want to subject it to a north Ohio winter right now.
 
I really, really doubt it was poached. There are so FEW wild stands left; imagine the quantity required to stock plants in every Lowes store-- and you are in Ohio. That's along way from CA. Be assured, it's a TC plant. Death cube a foot tall? Wow. o.0

I'm not the best to answer weaning questions, but (in my case) I would just take it out of the "cube" and put it in a shallow water tray in a cool window. It ought to go dormant soon. Remember YMMV!!!
 
I'm stratifying some cobra seeds right now, I'll sow some in mid January indoors. I never seen a cobra at my Lowes.
 
All of my cobra's have been purchased from Lowe's around this time. I didn't worry about a true dormancy, I just threw them in a sun lit terrarium by my window for the winter and brought them outside in the spring, and they've been fine since. Just make sure you give them a proper dormancy next winter.

If your plan is to put them under lights (as opposed to a window), I would suggest lowering the light schedule back a couple hours so they aren't actively growing and are getting some type of rest.

I have found they key to success in growing cobras is blocking out hot western/afternoon sun. I grow mine on a south facing porch directly next to a pillar that blocks out the west sun in the afternoon. I've found this to eliminate the heat problems I was previously experiencing when growing them in full sun. I now treat them no differently then I would a Sarr; e.g, no ice cubes or chilled water.

Good luck with your new plant!
 
Divisions from stolon runners grow amazingly fast. I've had a division with 3-4 inch tall traps grow to flowering size with 12+ inch adult pitchers (straight up without the curve at the bottom) in less than two years. It came in the fall of 2007 in a 3 inch pot and I repotted it into a 8 inch pot the following spring. It's going into a 12 inch pot next spring.
 
I agree with lilstinkpot. Not likely that this is a poached plant, especially since it's on the mass market in a store like Lowe's. AgriStarts attempted tissue culture of Darlingtonia a few years back and gave up on it after a bit. I think the temps in Central FL were too much for the plants and AS didn't want to go to the effort to keep the plants cool. I've heard rumors of someone in HI tissue culturing cobra plants, but can't pinpoint who is doing it. Most likely, the plants are coming from division and not tc.
 
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