flycatchers Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Alas it looks like the effect of those really cold days and nights a few weeks back are kicking in! Rather too many VFTs now showing rotten sections with some beyond help. My Red line form is worse affected (most dead) and a couple of sawtooth. Ironically the garden centre typical form shows no ill effects whatsoever. I had kept them on the drier side but the tubers were brown and soft. The traps still looked healthy on the whole but on inspecting them were no longer attached to the plant! I used to heat this smaller house to keep out the frost but stopped doing so some years back. But this winter has certainly been the worse for the last 10 or more years and earlier than that the house used to be insulated as well. Guess those milder winters lured me into a sense of security! Time to dig out that old parffin heater! Particulary as there is suppose to another really cold spell in February forecasted! bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Oh dear. Have you disturbed them at all Bill? Mine have really dug themselves into the peat for protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycatchers Posted February 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Oh dear. Have you disturbed them at all Bill? Mine have really dug themselves into the peat for protection. Hi Alexis, No I had not disturbed them and most were fairly well established. But still finding more rotten plants including ones that were housed in the greenhouse! G9 and Red Line worse affected. My new B52 does not look good either and that had yet to have a growing season! The bulbs have just rotted away- though none have been in water since last October. And add to that casualties from the other species of CPs and non CPs I am thinking that perhaps they are trying to tell me something! bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotcher Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Sounds to me that you have no air movement in your greenhouse . Either buy some side vents or leave some gaps between the glass at the sides so you get air movement also when it's windy you will get replacement of air . This way you should't loose plants due to rot . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Green Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Gotcher may have something there Bill. I've not lost any either this winter. Most have been in the greenhouse, which does have a few holes in some of the glass - so good air movment. These have been kept on the dry side. But I've also had a pot full out side all winter that have been in a tray, so if it rains they are stood in water. They've had the snow and everything, some of the top growth even rotted, but all are now sending up new growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotcher Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 What people forget when growing any kind of plants is plants need the same growing conditions as they do in the wild otherwise you stand a good chance of loosing them . All plants need air movement . Using a parffin heater will make matters worst as these produce more damp and the fumes aren't helping your plants either . If you want to heat your greenhouse you need electricity heaters as they produce dry air this avoids rot etc . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantrid Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 What people forget when growing any kind of plants is plants need the same growing conditions as they do in the wild otherwise you stand a good chance of loosing them . All plants need air movement . Using a parffin heater will make matters worst as these produce more damp and the fumes aren't helping your plants either . If you want to heat your greenhouse you need electricity heaters as they produce dry air this avoids rot etc . Ive always used paraffin heaters in small cold framed and have never had rot. Any rot is more likely to be due to saturated soil than water vapour in the air, in my opinion. So long as you dont have water in the trays the pots stand in you should be ok. Infact I think the water vapour in the air could be an advantage particularly on dry winter days as the Carolinas are not dry during the winter their climate is temperate. I do however, leave the vents open to allow circulation of the air when the heaters are on Ive never had any problems with the fumes, most of which would be carbon dioxide, which is harmless to plants. In fact they need it in the ,but as the heaters are not on in the day and they are not very active in the winter, this added bonus will not be of much use. Carbon deposits (soot) could be a problem but I dont think the amount produced or the exposure is significant, particularly as the plants are not active anyway. I have not observed any problems with, or even seen any deposits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Clemens Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 (edited) As I was going through a repotting of my collection of VFT's, I kept the bits and pieces of leaves, stems, and rhizome that I would trim off or accidentally break off when repotting. I threw them all together in an undrained plastic sandwich container. Most of the time I kept the water level in this container at or slightly above the surface of the media. Soon many of these trimmings budded and grew some plants. By the time I took this photograph this tray is at least three years old. For dormancy I simply add more water, filling it nearly to the top, then add its lid and place it into the refrigerator for a dormant rest. I never really waited for the plants to enter dormancy before placing them in the refrigerator for a three to six month rest. This tray was my most care-free assortment of VFT plants, ever. During one dormant period while it was in the refrigerator, I noticed that it was mysteriously missing. Later that day, when my wife returned from work, she explained that she had a surprise when, at work, she opened her lunch salad, only to discover my container of VFT plants. She and her co-workers had quite a kick from the discovery. Edited March 1, 2009 by Joseph Clemens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotcher Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Ive always used paraffin heaters in small cold framed and have never had rot. Any rot is more likely to be due to saturated soil than water vapour in the air, in my opinion. So long as you dont have water in the trays the pots stand in you should be ok. Infact I think the water vapour in the air could be an advantage particularly on dry winter days as the Carolinas are not dry during the winter their climate is temperate. I do however, leave the vents open to allow circulation of the air when the heaters are onIve never had any problems with the fumes, most of which would be carbon dioxide, which is harmless to plants. In fact they need it in the ,but as the heaters are not on in the day and they are not very active in the winter, this added bonus will not be of much use. Carbon deposits (soot) could be a problem but I dont think the amount produced or the exposure is significant, particularly as the plants are not active anyway. I have not observed any problems with, or even seen any deposits. Why are you using heating to grow fully hardy plants you are wasting your money . Also the vapour wil help to cause rot . I grow mine in a cold greenhouse loads of air movement and every free days in winter I look to see if they need any water . If I didn't they would soon get bone dry . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Green Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I grow mine in a cold greenhouse loads of air movement and every free days in winter I look to see if they need any water . If I didn't they would soon get bone dry . That must be one hell of a hot winter greenhouse. I doubt if I've watered (never stood in water) mine more than 3 times all winter - certainly only twice this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnivoor Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 As I was going through a repotting of my collection of VFT's, I kept the bits and pieces of leaves, stems, and rhizome that I would trim off or accidentally break off when repotting. I threw them all together in an undrained plastic sandwich container. Most of the time I kept the water level in this container at or slightly above the surface of the media. Soon many of these trimmings budded and grew some plants. By the time I took this photograph this tray is at least three years old. For dormancy I simply add more water, filling it nearly to the top, then add its lid and place it into the refrigerator for a dormant rest. I never really waited for the plants to enter dormancy before placing them in the refrigerator for a three to six month rest. This tray was my most care-free assortment of VFT plants, ever.During one dormant period while it was in the refrigerator, I noticed that it was mysteriously missing. Later that day, when my wife returned from work, she explained that she had a surprise when, at work, she opened her lunch salad, only to discover my container of VFT plants. She and her co-workers had quite a kick from the discovery. She'll never look at salad the same way again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotcher Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 That must be one hell of a hot winter greenhouse.I doubt if I've watered (never stood in water) mine more than 3 times all winter - certainly only twice this year. It's something to do with plenty of fresh air and winds . I have watered as least every two weeks though this past winter I only give a limited amount of water each time . And don't forget I live high up here whare their is plenty of wind not like lowdown kent . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I've had a few dry pots in the last week or so, so I just put them in water for half an hour. I'm wondering if the cumulative effect of two abysmal summers and a chilly winter has just weakened your plants Bill? I lost my South West Giant, although all the others are fine. Just one of those things - you can follow the guidelines to the letter but we all lose 2 or 3 plants every winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faunista Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 It seems strange to me that winter cold is the cause... I've grown many forms of VFT since 2002, inside and outside the cold greenhouse, with minimum temperatures down to -15 in a few occasions, and never lost any plant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 A short period of deep cold is probably less stressful than weeks of constant low temperatures possibly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycatchers Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Lots of interesting replies :) The ones I have lost have been a mix of outside and under glass. The greenhouse was fully ventilated with three roof vents, Louvre and double doors left wide open. I have used a paraffin heater in years gone by without any issues, but stopped using it when I realised how hardy the plants were. This has been the coldest winter since I stopped the heating though. On inspection the heart of the VFT bulb has small granulated bits of light brown rot breaking off from it. I first observed this last August on a couple of plants, which suggests the cold may have hastened their demise but not been the cause of it. I did allow quite a few plants to flower last summer to collect seed. And I have noticed that the plants that have been effected were in my peat/perlite and grit sand mix. So far ones in my older peat/silver sand mix (with or without perlite) seem better. So perhaps the change in compost and/or flowering have contributed to this issue? I think I will have to do a complete repot of at least the plants in this different mix as I have still found plants that on the surface look healthy but on unpotting have at least some serious rot to the bulb. This spring has the been the worse loss in 22 years of growing VFTs! Worse effected this time have been the G27 "Spider" form and the Red line/edge? which I have never found a very robust speciman at the best of times. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faunista Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I have noticed that VFT is a very hardy plant; some clones are more vigorous than others, but I find all of them very resistant to extreme cold weather. Winter at my home is very cold and long lasting, i can find pots frozen solid from november to march. I found that if a VFT has some problem (excluding parasites or similar), is not due to cold issues, but at 99% to bad mix (i.e. bad or contaminated peat) or bad water. In one occasion I had to repot many plants I had already repotted in new peat, because the new peat I started to use was causing some plants to rot. Maybe this could be happened to you also? Marco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Outside in pots or the ground? What are they potted in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantrid Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Why are you using heating to grow fully hardy plants you are wasting your money . Not as much as replacing your whole plant collection after a servere couple of weeks of frost, as the poster of this thread found out. I also live in on the north facing slope of a valley and in the winter the sun doesnt rise above the hill so it gets very cold indeed, much colder that what Dionaea has evolved to tolerate in the Carolinas. Also the vapour wil help to cause rot Have you used paraffin heaters to substantiate this claim. I have used them for many years and have never had rot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ada Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 I once had problems with a bad batch of peat,it caused the roots to rot but not the main bulb/rhizome.Using fresh peat cured it and i didn't loose any plants,although it did set them back quite severely. I have also used mixes with grit sand and silver sand.No problems at all with silver sand,but grit sand i found to hold on to the water and make the compost too wet and cold.I think in Britian our weather is different to europe,our winters are cold and damp,were as europe i would say is colder but a drier cold. The cold /damp we get can be harmful to some plants/clones,so i keep mine drier than i used to now. But i think we all loose a plant at sometime or other. ada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Yep, I agree. Starman - you might have had problems if they were outside AND in pots. If I was keeping potted VFTs outside I'd keep them very sheltered and use fleece and bubblewrap since they don't have the advantage of being in the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycatchers Posted August 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 Still losing loads of plants to root rot!! This started in August last year and has not let up. With loads of plants displaying a light brown rot at the heart of the bulb. And despite repotting any affected ones and removing all the rot or binning the plant if nothing left- they just keep on rotting! Wonder whether it was a fatal mistake to let so many of my plants to flower and produce seed last year for the first time? Or is the change from sharp/silver sand to grit sand a cause? Might give up on VFTs if this continues- too much stress! bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vraev Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 SOrry to hear this happening Bill. Have u ever tried using a more drastically open media?? something like 70% perlite and 30% peat?? I have grown VFTs under light in bog-like live sphagnum that is completely submurged in water...and the plant loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantrid Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 SOrry to hear this happening Bill. Have u ever tried using a more drastically open media?? something like 70% perlite and 30% peat?? I have grown VFTs under light in bog-like live sphagnum that is completely submurged in water...and the plant loved it. Also Sphagnum has an antisetic property so will also bekeeping disease at bay. I use it for leaf cuttings and have seldom lost any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted August 16, 2009 Report Share Posted August 16, 2009 Well I guess replanting into live moss could be an option, when I get a sick vft or one thats got rot issues must admit I always put them into live moss and under lights to help with the recovery (well if I manage to have enough of a plant left after removing the rot anyway)! You havent used westland peat by any chance have you? I know a few people have had problems with this? Maybe a fresh batch of peat along with more perlite would help, never been a fan of sand or grit myself. Or try live sphagnum. Keep drier too. Maybe flowering and setting seed could make an existing problem worse due to the enery expended but by itself should cause no issues at all but i'm sure you alreayd know that, if you think its made it worse dont allow to flower until you think they're at full health. Its worth a shot! a few changes or combinations of the above might just do the trick.... Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.