How to cultivate a D. arcturi

[André Oliveira]

Hello

Will I receive a D. arcturi, do I know that her taste of the cold, here in the brasil it is hot, does have day that arrives to 33ºC, anybody me of information for me to cultivate?

thank you.

Would my idea be to leave her in the sun of the morning and to put the vase in a pot with cubes of ice, what do you find?

[Danny...]

I find (think) you've got one hack of a challenge ahead!!

What is your local lowest temperature?..have you ever seen/had snow there?

It's hard enough to grow here in holland..and we generally get rather cold (and wet!) temps...but still nowhere near the inhospitable extremes it faces on top of Mt. Wellington for example...

I hate to burst your bubble my friend, but i'm afraid you will fail this one..

I really hope i'm wrong, and wish you all the best (and lots of ice too!)

Danny...

Anybody see a chance of success in this case?..or even proof me wrong completely?

[Zlatokrt]

Well, i have got a plant of D. arcturi (Mt. Ruapehu, 1550 m) for one year. During the winter, it was able to survive in temperatures about 5 - 10 °C, but my first problem was, that in spring it sprout too soon (a month before the other plants). It survived the time till i could move all my plants in the garden and then it grew very nice with no problem in about 30 °C (or sometimes even more) in sunny days (without any cooling, just it was placed in a place, where sun glows only in the morning, afternoon it is shaded). The nights were cooler, the temperature was usually around 20 °C (sometimes a little less). Second problem is connected to the first - the plant has decided to go to dormancy in half of the summer, now it is not looking very good, i am not sure, if it will survive.

From this i think, that you have some chance - grow the plant until it goes to dormancy and then place it in refrigerator. The temperatures should be lower then mine was, but i am not sure if it can survive the freeze as for example D. rotundifolia does. During vegetation you can place it in cool places, with sun only morning and if you put it in the ice, like you write, it could simulate cool nights. I don`t see the biggest problem in vegetation, but in dormancy.

I wish you luck with this beautiful plant

Adam

Edited September 10, 2009 by Zlatokrt

[Lavindil]

It can stand 30ºC in full sun?! Its a great new to me. Here in South Brazil we have 0ºC, and are very dificult see snow.

[Zlatokrt]

Just as an extreme for a few hours a day, then it was shaded and the temperature was lower. But my plant did and grew very well. Maybe it is also a matter of origin - plants from some places can be more resistant to hot then others (e.g. plants from lower parts of mountains could be used on higher temperatures).

If you have 0 °C as a minimum, i think it could be enough to succesful growing. My did survive in higher temperatures, but remember the problem of early sprouting. If i had placed it to cooler temperatures, maybe the plant wouldn`t go dormant too soon and it wouldn`t be looking as half dead zombie now.

[mattshore]

Hi guys

Not to be a pessimist, but I think you will struggle growing D. arcturi. You will probably find your plants may survive but likely not thrive.

I have observed D. arcturi in habitat throughout NZ, including on Mt. Ruapehu. They never cease to amaze me, as they truly grow in a tough environment. As I love the mountains, I have camped near many habitats and feel like I have a good grasp of their natural growing conditions. I posted on the ICPS website about a trip into the mountains to a typical habitat (and may be a useful reference). Please see the post at the following link:

Drosera arcturi habitat

My main observations of their growth and habitat, which may provide help, are as follows:

•Light – D. arcturi grow in alpine bogs and will receive approximately 16 hrs direct sun during summer and 8 hrs in winter (but may be buried under snow for several months!). Limited higher growing vegetation is present (i.e. no shading).

•Water – The plants are typically partially or fully submerged in water (this will be very clean and cold all year round (or frozen for several months!))

•Temperature – In summer, maximum day time temperatures would be around 20 to 25 degrees due to the elevation. Even during summer, night time temperatures will be low (around 0 to 5, but lower temperatures still possible). The plants will be at sub-zero temperatures for around 3 to 5 months, with temperatures of -5 to -10 common (but typically buried under snow which will provide some insulation).

•Growing Season – Typically the plants will be under snow for at least 3 months of the year, and depending on location, up to 5 months of the year. They have a very short growing season, usually appearing late spring/early summer and entering dormancy during early to mid Autumn.

A great challenge however and that is what we enjoy! If you have success, try Drosera spatulata and Drosera stenopetala, two other NZ alpine Drosera that will grow well under the same conditions. I hope it goes well for you and will be keen to read about your progress.

Matt.

Edited September 19, 2009 by mattshore

[Lavindil]

Hi guys

Not to be a pessimist, but I think you will struggle growing D. arcturi. You will probably find your plants may survive but likely not thrive.

I have observed D. arcturi in habitat throughout NZ, including on Mt. Ruapehu. They never cease to amaze me, as they truly grow in a tough environment. As I love the mountains, I have camped near many habitats and feel like I have a good grasp of their natural growing conditions. I posted on the ICPS website about a trip into the mountains to a typical habitat (and may be a useful reference). Please see the post at the following link:

Drosera arcturi habitat

My main observations of their growth and habitat, which may provide help, are as follows:

•Light – D. arcturi grow in alpine bogs and will receive approximately 16 hrs direct sun during summer and 8 hrs in winter (but may be buried under snow for several months!). Limited higher growing vegetation is present (i.e. no shading).

•Water – The plants are typically partially or fully submerged in water (this will be very clean and cold all year round (or frozen for several months!))

•Temperature – In summer, maximum day time temperatures would be around 20 to 25 degrees due to the elevation. Even during summer, night time temperatures will be low (around 0 to 5, but lower temperatures still possible). The plants will be at sub-zero temperatures for around 3 to 5 months, with temperatures of -5 to -10 common (but typically buried under snow which will provide some insulation).

•Growing Season – Typically the plants will be under snow for at least 3 months of the year, and depending on location, up to 5 months of the year. They have a very short growing season, usually appearing late spring/early summer and entering dormancy during early to mid Autumn.

A great challenge however and that is what we enjoy! If you have success, try Drosera spatulata and Drosera stenopetala, two other NZ alpine Drosera that will grow well under the same conditions. I hope it goes well for you and will be keen to read about your progress.

Matt.

Thanks for the tip, D. spatulata is a weed here in Brazil.

[Daniel O.]

Hi all,

Matt, thanks for the information about the D. arcturii habitat, really interesting.

These point are exactely the reasons, why i´m not growing this species here in Germany.

Lavindil, perhaps a little bit offtopic, but there are excisting a lot of different forms of D. spatulata, that are perhaps not so common in Brazil, like D. spatulata ´Mt. Arthur´ and D. spatulata var. gympiensis (really a very interesting form), but also a lot more.

For only one example:

http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=33135

I don´t know, but i don´t think this form is a weed in Brazil till now.

Best regards,

Dani

Edited September 19, 2009 by Daniel O.

[André Oliveira]

Hello

Personal, thank you very much for the information.

[MFS]

Hey guys,

Not doing this to contradict you guys, but here are some observations from Tasmania, where this plant is widespread. While its typical habitat is indeed mountaintops which are often frozen solid, and cold and snowy almost year round (snowstorms are not uncommon even in summer in alpine Tasmania), D. arcturi DOES occur in lowland locations. The most famous of these are the giant forms from Melaleuca, in the coastal far southwest (very mild year round, and rarely snowy). However, you need to walk in on foot for several days or pay $250 for someone to fly you there...

BUT, I have known of lowland locations of this species for many years, and last week Spot Cullen and I re-discovered one of these and also discovered a new one, in the shores of Lake Pedder (Drosera arcturi in lowland locations).

Now the interesting thing about these populations is that they grow in areas that are frosty in winter nights, but still mild during the day, and are regularly exposed to summer daytime temperatures in excess of 30ºC. They have a much shorter dormancy than alpine forms (flower scapes were already forming, on the 1st of November). The main thread with these seems to be that they grow in almost pure gravel either in seeps (a giant lowland form) or creeks (both the giant lowland form and a dwarf stem-forming one) where their bases are continually bathed in cool water.

This might be relatively simple to set up, if you have the space, using a recirculating pump. One could make perhaps a small artificial creek-in-a-bog with a few Darlingtonia, D. arcturi, and temperate forms of D. binata (which often occur with it), as well as U. uniflora, monanthos and dichotoma. You could even leave out the Darlingtonia altogether and set up a Tasmanian mini-bog with all the wet-loving local species, and maybe D. peltata, D. pygmaea, D. glanduligera and U. lateriflora on raised peaty sides away from the gently moving water...

All that said, you'll struggle with them in Brazil, if for no other reason than their obligate winter dormancy, which is triggered by decreasing daylength... a feature that is much harder to replicate in the tropics than at higher latitudes.

Miguel.

[Zlatokrt]

I am opening this topic again, because my newest experience with D. arcturi... i tried to kept it dormant during winter frozen in the ice block, in temperatures slightly below 0°C (the strongest freeze was probably about -5°C). The hibernaculum got rotten... i potted it anyway, in case that miracle would happen, but i do not believe in it. So my experience with dormancy of this species is, that it is better to keep temps still slightly above 0°C.

Anyone has some new experience too?

[Lavindil]

I did the same, and the same thing happened.

[ada]

I have grown some from seed.It is just starting to re-grow now.It has been down to -10 degrees without rotting.

I grow it in a very gritty peat mixture topped with some sort of sphagnum.I find this mixture is free draining whilst still holding onto enough moisture for the plants to grow.

ada

[MFS]

Hi everyone,

Two observations: Being primarily an alpine plant, it would seriously dislike stagnant air conditions. They do however also live in lowland areas, but I'd say the same applies. I would think 5-10 degrees is only 2-3 degrees above the average winter minima in some of the locations where it grows. Most people I know who culture it successfully have it outdoors during winter, either exposed to frost or in a greenhouse, but in that approximate range.

Secondly, there is a post above about going dormant in the middle of summer. Lowland populations come out of dormancy in early spring (late Sep-Oct), and are going dormant after having produced some non-carnivorous leaves by mid summer (late January), especially if in draught.

[Megs]

Mine have started to grow again. Its a NZ form. I was not sure if it would survive the winter here inside the unheated greenhouse, also because it have been frozen day and night for 2,5 months! Lowest temp in the area of -11C or so. So it seems to be winter hardy. It have received good air cirkulation. Next step is if my D uniflora also have survived?

Martin