DBee

Are all of these in an unheated greenhouse? Maybe I can keep more than sarracenias and vft's. They all look great!

It's lovely.

Yes, they are succulent in appearance. Sigh ...

Yes, I've grown cactus before and that's what they look like to me. I'll try to get a photo, but I only have the camera on my phone. I do realise they take a really long time to mature, but it was just a bit of fun, I like propagating things, but it's a bit of a disappointment if they aren't the correct seeds.

Bought some fly trap seeds from EBay, just to have a play. Germination went well, now they're in pots in my unheated greenhouse, all look healthy, but ... no teeny traps have appeared. In the centre of the cotyledons there is a bump with long "hairs" protruding from it. I know they grow oh so slowly, but, is this normal development? They were planted on 15/4/16 and germinated within 8 days. Am I being impatient?

Looks great, I'm quite envious. What do you do with all those neps in the winter?

Many thanks.

Looking around the net I see many countries advertising CPs, can anyone explain the import regulations to me, if I buy a plant, do I need a CITES certificate or similar, if the plant is in a sealed condition, Ie, tissue culture, do these rules still apply?

I currently have two full butts of beautiful rainwater, but we have a very damp cellar in which we run a dehumidifier 24/7. I discard approx 3 pints of water per day from this, and it seems such a waste. If I run short, it would be nice to know I have a backup. Of course, if my butts have run dry, then maybe the cellar will too! Your advice is, as usual, much appreciated.

Could you use water from a condensing dehumidifier to water CP's?

This plant looks completely dead now, all the leaves have shrivelled up. I presume I just leave it in the hope it will regenerate. The temperatures have been low, but it has been frost free in the greenhouse.

Thanks guys, very helpful info.

I have some from my greenhouse roof which goes into an enclosed butt, which I don't filter, but because, amazingly, I haven't got much stored up (and having to wash substrate) I've put a bucket under a leak on my house guttering. I also have a couple of clean containers about, which seem to collect bits of crud. Moss, that sort of thing. maybe I'm being overzealous?

What can you use for filtering rainwater? I have tried I bleached coffee filters but they are very slow and clog quickly, even if you use a fine sieve to pre-filter. Anyone any other suggestions.

Repotted today. The roots had not spread into the surrounding coir so it was an easy procedure. Time will tell whether I will regret this action ...

Well I've been and bought peat, I've already got grit, horticultural sand and perlite from my other horticultural interests so I might do a very gentle repot (if there is such a thing). This is a new interest and I don't want to get things botched at this time. Thanks for the advice guys.

The other thing you could try is putting old fashioned hairnets over the pitchers. You know, the Ena Sharples type. They're cheap to buy and should just drape over easily, no DIY required.

My cacti are mainly opuntia, with a few other bits and bobs. Freda the tortoise is nine, my son was originally given two rather sickly babies, she made it and the male, Gerald, died despite huge amounts of veterinary care. Of course she's mine now, as he prefers computers. I keep thinking I'll get her a buddy but she's terribly assertive, and might bully a smaller one. I think they're pretty solitary in adulthood anyway. She seems to need a great deal of exercise, and tramps round the garden and greenhouse constantly, given the right temperatures. They have great characters don't they!

Two months ago I bought a sarracenia which I received bare rooted and I potted into E-Coco Sarracenia Growing Medium. It is growing, looks ok, and has a large flower bud formed. Reading all the bad press about sarracenias not liking coir should I repot at this stage. I have some long fibre spag moss, and some local spag moss (from the local cemetery, where it grows like a weed) or I could buy some peat moss. The plant gets loads of light and is stood in a large tray of rainwater.

Thanks again, I've already got very fond of it, and now have 5 VFT seedlings to panic about too. Cactus are so easy in comparison. I note you are keen on tortoises too - I have a hermannii sharing the greenhouse with the plants!

Thanks for your replies, I'll try not to worry.

Should I be able to grow this drosera in my greenhouse without a bottle terrarium over it? Temp in there today (fairly sunny) is 27c, my sarracenia loves it in there. They are both stood in a tray of rainwater, and both vent and door is open. When I received it bare rooted I repotted and had a bottle over it, with holes in and no lid on, since then I've cut the top off the bottle to try and acclimate it, it looks less happy and its dew has disappeared. With the bottle over it it made dew within 3 days of my repotting it. Yesterday the temp in there was 34c. It has been exposed to full sunlight since I received it and there has been no change of leaf colour (pinky red). Any advice welcomed.

I'm new to growing carnivorous plants but have bred other carnivores in the past (border terriers). I have a cold greenhouse and am proud of my one Sarracenis Flava "Maxima" and one Drosera Aliciea. I also have some VFT seeds in my heated propagator on a sunny windowsill. Sounds a bit sad, but I've been a cactus person until recently. Now reducing my prickly friends, in the interests of getting less prickled! I'm also a beekeeper, so I like and am interested in insects, carnivorous plants seems a bit of an extension of that.