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  • #21
Very inspiring. To tell you the truth I would ask for some seed except I am not sure if I could do it. I have had 4 nepenthes that I have killed 2 of so far. However my other two after dieing back are starting to get new growth and one of them I got from meijers and was half dead but now has several new growth points!
 
  • #22
William, I will take any and all Brazillian species you can send this way. I have been hankering for Brazillians for 15 years, and as you have said, if you aren't the "inner circle" (what crap!) you just don't rate. I have refused to put my nose where the inner circle King wanted me to put it, so my rating with this clown is 0. I would like to get as many of these into cultivation as I can, and take the stranglehold off of the distribution of these incredible species. Down with the Mad Hoarder of Brazillian species!! Long live William, and the act of giving freely. (Like the NASC will, eh wot??)
 
  • #23
Wow, very nice! Good luck William on getting the seed... And good luck to everyone who thinks they can grow them. I won't be able to give it a try as my enviroment is waaay too hot. But it will be a almost just as nice gift to see pictures of those who do grow them. *fingers crossed, wishbone broke, horseshoe hung, rabbits foot picked up, four leaf clover picked...* and make sure to not do any of the following.... *Walk Under a Ladder, spill salt, let a black cat cross your path, break a mirror, and don't open an umbrella indoors.*
Andrew
 
  • #24
Well William. Finally this rarities will start being available.

I'd be very very happy if your friend can write a postcar about his trip, and will be very honored to have it in my website.

Regards,

Sebastian
 
  • #25
I am very happy for you William (and for the rest of us as well
smile_m_32.gif
). You have worked very hard and hopefully it is starting to pay off.

I should get with you about natural methods of pest control (read about your aphids) as I also do not care to use poisons.
 
  • #26
Copper,

I threw in the towel after discovering scale on some plants. I doused them all with Orthene, with great trepidation. It turns out I worried for nothing. The product left even my most sensitive Drosera completely unaffected. Not even a slight loss of dew, and now the plants already seem more perky. I had heard the odor was terrible, but really it was not bad at all. If it proves effective, I would recommend the product unreservedly. I may even consider using it as a preventitive measure.

Thanks for the kind words. We are getting closer to seeing these plants made available. I now am working on a business plan that will allow me to apply the profits from mineral and gem sales to support the plant operation, using my many contacts over the world to acquire material for resale.

Things are looking promising! Phill Mann's best friend in Oz is one of the biggest collecters there, and Robert Gibson is a geologist. A good friend lives in the heart of the gem area in Brazil. I have made new friends in South Africa and India, and all these locales are fmaous for their beautiful minerals and gems. I will need some sort of income since my goal is to double my current growing capacity.
 
  • #27
Tamlin, glad the Orthene is working well for you. I told ya it worked for me with zero problems on all my plants...
smile.gif
I'm glad it did the same for you. For those of you interested in trying it, look for "Orthene 75 SP" as the SP stands for it is a powder which you mix in water then spray the plants. It is systemic which means it gets in the plant and when bugs eat the plant, they die! HEHE
 
  • #28
Tamlin,

I would love the chance to kill some South American sundews. LOL!

My senior research project was on, "The Seed Morphology of the Genus Drosera."

I used image analysis software to compile several parameters(area, diameter, size etc) on the seeds from several continents.

I also made slides under magnification.

Contrary to published opinions on the web, I was able to discern individual species by visual means alone(under magnification).

I understand you are attempting to catalog the genus similarly.

Tweek
 
  • #29
Pretty enterprising Tamlin =)
How are you going to do that? Buyng loads of rocks and reselling them? If you have anything interesting, tell me abut it! I run a rock collection =) , fairly smal and unimpressive, but they're nice, pretty stones ^_^.
 
  • #30
Tweek,

If you have interest in Drosera taxonomy I would say we are destined to become good friends!

It is certainly possible to do observational taxonomy with the genus, so whatever contrary opinions you encountered are a bunch of hooey (let me guess, it was on the CP Listserve)! The seed is highly diagnostic, if you can observe the seed testa and take micromorphic measurements. I have been studying seeds for a few years, and was indeed working on a seed testa reference. Since my good friend Robert Gibson has taken an interest, I have surrendered the project to him and George Caspar who is photographing the material. There is also some very excellent work being done and posted on the German International Seedbank. Having a seed reference will greatly reduce the ID confusion in collections, as well as the frustrations of growers who will be able to discern if they have a good species before having to grow it for 8 months.

I will certainly consider you for some seed, if I am so fortunate to actually get it. Right now, all is hope and waiting. Hopefully we will be able to circumvent the killing off of your plants, and give you a good chance at Brazillian Drosera cultivation. Welcome to the Forum, and I hope we will have many good discussions! I rarely meet anyone with an interest in the taxonomy and phylogeny of Drosera, so I am looking forward to this.


Sszvein,

That is essentially my plan. BEing able to purchase them in their native countries close to their source means there might be a profit margin there. My own collection is quite humble as well, nothing much valuable there, yet! At worst I will be a little poorer and have a remarkably fine collection. I am going after the good stuff, and look forward to bringing fine specimens here at a good price. MAybe you will be a customer, lol.

I am always looking to trade for rocks, so if you have extra material out in the garage or something.........
 
  • #31
I doubt you will pe impressed with my humble collection. I started it when I was about 12, so what I have is essentially what can be found in local store, plus a few I picked up from the ground when I traveled with my parents, plus one pack of rocks I won for something. So it's pretty common stuff, like amethysts, quartz, calcites...
 
  • #32
Hahaha, that's the way it starts, Most of my collection is similar, although I have made it a point over the years to visit whatever was reachable, and have bashed my share of rock. The other alternative is to purchase specimens. There are a lot of specimens and not much money, so my collection is nothing that would stop a clock. LAtely things have been going well, thanks to many kind forum members and a lot of begging and trading. I have also found that CP enthusiasts also have an appreciation for all forms of natural beauty and just as with the plants are willing to share. My buddy Phill Mann in Australia mentioned my luck was as good as ever: his best friend has a collection of millions of specimens with a concentration in crystals, and I can look forward to a box eventually! Having so many friends all over the world has some real advantages! The things we love are what make us feel most alive, and I am fortunate to get tuned on by common bits of rock. They're better than popcorn for me.
 
  • #33
let me know if you get some stuff from Brazil. i have a feeling our South African source is the same. good luck on getting the seeds.

Rattler
 
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