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Hi everyone!

This is my first message here at Terraforums, and I must say I am glad to have found a nice place to get information and discuss these famous but rather uncommon plants.

So, there's something I would like your input on.

My 2 inches wide, 1 1/4 inch high Drosera Intermedia is starting to grow what appears to be a group of flower buds.  Now, I know that flowers can greatly deplete a plant of it's strenght; so I'm wondering, should I risk it and try to pollinate my plant or am I better to cut it off quickly before disaster strikes?

I do not consider myself a good gardener, I'm even surprised none of my CPs (1 Dionaea Akai ryu, 1 Dionaea Dente, 1 Dionaea typical, 1 Drosera Intermedia and 1 Drosera Capensis) has died on me yet.  (Well, maybe not the D. Capensis, it is supposed to be a resilient variety and easy to grow after all.)

So what do you think?  Should I try?
And isn't it still a bit small to be producing flowers?

Thank,
Cath
 
hon, i have seedlings who produce flowers.

no need to polinate it, they self when they close. the production of seed won't hurt, this will be a perfect opportunity for you to get some experiance under your belt with drosera seed
smile.gif
some of my drosera species have up to 5 scapes per plant right now and the speed of growth is barely noticable.
 
Welcome Cath,

The only problem that I have experienced in letting Drosera flower is that you end up with little Drosera plants coming up all over the place. The seed are extremely small and are easily dispersed. I have never noticed that flowering Drosera has any negative effect on the plant's vigor. Certainly letting it flower will not cause a disaster. A 2-inch mature D. intermedia is approaching average size.
 
Wow, that was fast! Thanks for your quick answers =)

Really? That's a surprise, pretty much every plant I have that has flowered seemed to give it's energies to the flowers rather than it's leaves.

Well, I grow my Drosera in a small pot basking in a tray of water, so if I end up with a lot of little Drosera plantlets overcrowding my pot, I can just carefully remove them and transplant them to another pot, right?

Do they really self polinate themselves? Even without bugs of the wind to help the process?

Well, since you seem so positive, I'll give it a try and keep you informed.
 
I have let my sundews flower too this year for the first time, and didn't notice much difference. A small difference with my D. Rotundifolia, but nothing major. Flowering can have quite an effect on a venus fly traps, but from what I have read on here, sundews are fine.

Welcome to the forums!
 
This species does self pollinate. I generally let all my Drosera flower as they will, but I have noticed a depletion of energy in some species, and a tendency for many to rest after flowering. The plants most affected in my collection are Drosera brevifolia, capillaris and many of the South african species but especially D. collinsiae and D. natalensis. D. adelae is also famous for dying back after flowering, and some research has shown a sbetter survival rate amongst the pygmy sundew species if some of the scapes are removed.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Sszvein @ Aug. 04 2004,4:11)]Do they really self polinate themselves?  Even without bugs of the wind to help the process?
most drosera self without need for wind or insects. some drosera must be pollinated manually, like pings, and some drosera need pollen from a seperate clone for fertilization, such as members of the binata complex.
 
I agree with Tamlin; some drosera species will slow down a bit when flowering. My D.intermedias have numerous scapes right now and they've definitely slowed down somewhat. My D.capensis are also sporting two good size scapes each and they've slowed down too. I'd still leave the scapes on though. Flowering doesn't effect drosera that significantly like it does dionea. They do self-pollinate so just relax and wait for the new arrivals. Good luck!
 
Well, sounds easy enough...
So, how fast is the growth for the seed to become a big and strong plant?
 
  • #10
It would be an interesting experiment to have a number of individuals of the same species growing side by side under identical conditions and let some flower and others where the flower is removed. I expect that some species will show a dramatic difference and others will not. Some species flower seasonally and a slow-down in growth may be a normal seasonal process that coincides with flowering, but not caused by the flowering itself. In annual species, production of flowers is in preparation for oncoming death and growth rate may not matter whether flowering is successful or not.
 
  • #11
Hi Cath, and welcome to the forums! This is my first year of true CP cultivation and I have some of my Droseras flower. My intermedia, spatulata, anglica don't seem to mind the process. My capensis 'alba', however, looks very haggard. I cut its scape several weeks ago and it is finally sending up normal, new leaves.
 
  • #12
Sszvein, To answer your qusetion about "how long" for mature plants; I've found 3 years to be average for the species you've listed. I've got a slew of tiny capes that I started from seed last fall. They're about 1/4 inch across now. My 2nd year capes are about an inch or so high.
 
  • #13
To answer the question "How long from seed to plant?" you would need to go species by species as they differ. Some like D. spatulata mature within a single year. Others take longer, maybe a year and a half to flowering size granting good growing conditions.

The thing with seed is to keep sowing it in a regular process. That way there are always different species in different stages of growth, and you don't get frustra ted waiting for something to happen. I keep sowing and checking, and there is always something happening.

I like Bob's idea for that experiment. I think that it's true that some species will be indifferent to the scape removal. My own feelings are that flowering and seed set are part of the natural cycle of a plant species, and a well grown plant will not be deeply affected by flowering - or, if it is, then this is the natural consequence. With all these seedy Drosera species, it is best to maintain a regular cycle of sowing and growing to maintain the species in the collection, also caring as much as possible for the mother plants since with age comes character.

BTW, I regularly let my Dionaea flower without any discernable effect in the majority of instances, (there are exceptions to very rule).

In less ideal conditions, it might be another matter entirely, and scape removal may be justified. These are all worthy questions to be explored and discussed.
 
  • #14
To answer your question about maturity I have heard D.intermidia reach maturity (at which point flowering occurs madly), in no less than three months, at optimal conditions. It all matters on how you grow it. Hmmm...now that I think about it, how do you tell if a plant reaches maturity?

Good luck with the seeds, if you get them.
smile.gif
 
  • #15
Right. *Taking notes*
So answers range from a few months to a few years, ok then.

Experiment are always very useful, as it give accurate, reliable data to work with to get better understanding, and thus better result.
I will try to obtain some D. venusta seeds from Tamlin if he still has some left and try to grow half of them normally, and then half of them through tissue culture. (I am a science student after and have access to a lab, if not, I'll just have to do it home-style in my kitchen, bless those chemistry classes!)
I'll compare growth speed, hardiness and development differences between the two. I'll send you the data as I go. (if it works, of course!)
 
  • #16
i find that cuttings usually leed to mature plants faster than seed on most
 
  • #17
Which makes sense because it's already "partly grown".
 
  • #18
You sound like a cross between Darcie and Flytrapgurl - scientist and asterisks
smile.gif
 
  • #19
Well, you'll have to enlighten me on this one...as I have absolutly no idea who Darcie and Flytrapgurl may be. Members of this forum perhaps?
 
  • #20
Yes! Darcie is a student with a scientific bent. She can spout off "snooty words" like no tomorrow. Flytrapgurl, heretofore referred as FTG is known for a few things. One of them is being the #1 Kenny chesney fan(atic). I know, wjo is Kenny Chesney? That's not important. The other is her use of astreisks bracketing an underlying thought. What was the phrase she is known by? Ah yes, "*Dances around the floor like an idiot*" FTG has a highly animated personality. Both are VFT freaks.
 
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