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Hello, I must be going...
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Aestivation - dormancy or hibernation in response to high temperatures and conditions.

Thanks to the recent hot weather some of the pygmy Drosera in my collection have started to form stipule buds or aestivaculae (singular: aestivacula). Here are a few examples in various stages:

Drosera pulchella
IMGP2008_zpszsij6bws.jpg

IMGP2005_zpsnduy7kxa.jpg


D. pygmaea
IMGP2004_zpstlqvgtyc.jpg


D. verrucata (D. dichrosepala) - see CPN vol 44 no 3 (Sept 2015) and Lowrie's Carnivorous Plants of Australia - Magnus Opus.
IMGP1998_zpssucbrdds.jpg


D. helodes
IMGP1995_zpshk7zgzec.jpg
 
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It seems to me that once they go into dormancy they're more prone to rotting. I had to remove my pots from the water trays this summer to avoid losing some of them.

D. nitidula x pulchella:

IMAG1296_zpsefg8680u.jpg


D. scorpioides:

IMAG1297_zpsz5wzepyx.jpg
 
Very interesting. My pulchellas look simillar.
 
I always freak out during pygmy dormancy cause i always worry they will rott or won't come back to life next season...and the most dreaded is the woman i care for tosses the pots away thinking theirs nothing in them or that their dead!
Do u top water during dormancy? Cause i kno u said you remove them from the tray to avoid rotting. I usually top water my droseras but i would like to have advice on dormancy with pygmy dews cause im always worried they'd will dry out to much.thanx
 
They are prone to rotting while dormant. I've gotten to the point where I lose 25-50% during dormancy. The best is to try to avoid hot enough temperatures where they will go dormant but this isn't always possible depending on your climate and growing conditions. Many growers say larger, deeper pots help with survival rates but I've found no difference with large pots or small 4 inch or smaller pots. YMMV.

Larger pots would keep root temperatures more stable and less likely to dry out completely.

I rarely top water pygmy Drosera unless they are well established. Too easy to them wash away before roots are established. I keep my pots in individual trays so I just cut back on watering. It's always a tough call when some are dormant and others are not in a pot.
 
Ahrg....i kno! Since i only have a few pygmies i constantly worry about losing them every year and many i do loose and since they are hard to get as it is they usually don't do well shipping atleast in my experience but they can either perk back up or just continue to show the stress. Hopefully everyone's pygmies survive if anyone has any tips or tricks to holding off rott in dormancy we wanna kno the secret!!
 
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