Runts in a litter?

[jimscott]

Every time I get a batch of B. liniflora to germinate, after a few weeks, I get a dieoff. Yeah I'll get a survivor or two or four but most of the seedlings die within a month. Is that just peculiar to me? Am I doing something wrong? Anyone else expereince this phenomenon?

 

[Not a Number]

I'm a first time grower of these myself. The pot I bought had reseeded on its own when I got it so I have no idea what the survival rate is like. I have yet to start a new pot from the seeds I saved.

What's your potting mix? They're supposed to like lighter mixes like 2/1 sand/peat or 1/1/1 sand/perlite/peat and light watering (tray dryout between watering).

 

[jimscott]

It's more sand than peat, thinking it like what a pygmy sundew likes. I generally water once a week, or as soon as I notice the "tray" is dry. Not sure why they behave the way they do.

This is one from the batch od seeds you sent me:

And here is the lone survivor from a previous batch, one where I tried with and without the 10% bleach solution, as well as the cold storage vs. fresh:

 

[dewy]

Generally when this happens it is a result of a fungus in the soil, occurring when the plants are kept to wet. To prevent this, I will sometimes microwave the soil, but if you grow them drier you will not need to worry about it. I have grown mine without any water in a tray, similar to the way neps are grown, and this method works fairly well for me.

 

[Fryster]

Same happens to me as Jim.

Germination and then a die-off. I presumed it was due to mold in the peat too.

But I nuked the peat/perlite mix and used an anti-fungal spray.

I figure I kept it all too wet and not enough ventilation in the gallon baggie.

Now I know next time......


(I used a very mild gibberellic acid solution; so I had a 100% germination rate...)

 

[jm82792]

So I have some byblis seed sown in a very tall pot with a very open media,
should I put a baggy over it

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

Yo JIM! My petiolaris complex dews look like yours! LOL Lanata and petiolaris both look like yours.

Sorry cannot comment on the Bylis though.

 

[Not a Number]

Barry Rice's FAQ says moisture doesn't seem to be that much of an issue as he's seen them grow equally well on wet LFS and dry sandy peat. He does note that along with not caring for root disturbance: "Another problem with these plants is that until they are a few cm tall, they are very prone to fungal death."

http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq5100.html

 

[jimscott]

Is fungal death the same phenomenon referred to as damp-off, as in the what to expect from Drosphyllum?

In one batch of liniflora seedlings (my first), I believe every single seed germinated and I did absolutely nothing special to them to achieve germination. Beginner's luck I presume. A few weeks later I had the dieoff. I thought that the "tray" got too dry.

Two batches later I combined the survivors in a tray of undrained, swampy, live LFS. They thrived until a Nep hanging basket crashed into the pot, knocking it to the floor. Here's how they looked:

Basically, I had the same results, no matter how they were kept.

As to Petiolaris complex... here's more beginner's luck:

 

[Not a Number]

Maybe a top mulch of finely milled LFS on the seedling pot? They sell this as "NoDampOff" since LFS has some anti-fungal properties. Just chop some LFS up in a food processor or scrub it over a fine wire mesh to make your own.

http://mosserlee.com/products/nodampoff.html

 

[jimscott]

I can do that! In the meantime, as of yesterday, that seedling just lost its dew. In contrast, even the bottommost leaves on the mature plant are still dew-laden. So I guess I am experiencing dampoff?

 

[jm82792]

I will do that
I will purea the stuff to a then spread a very thin layer onyop of the seed

 

[Not a Number]

Be sure to wear a mask when dealing with the milled LFS - sporotrichosis mind you - besides the stuff can get all over the place. Mist it lightly to get it set in place.

I'd try the mulch as well as drier conditions until the seedlings get bigger.

It's probably ok to germinate in a bag but I'd lose the bag as soon as the seeds start to sprout.

FWIW my mature plants are dying off after having set seed. They die from the bottom up. I'll keep an eye on the seedlings in the pot which are from 0.25 - 1.5 inches..