Guy

Thanks, but very confused. July 10th is a Tuesday!!!!!!

How does this work? Do I just turn up on the day? Guy

Here's the reply. Now we know. "Personally I d spray them and use them as decorations. But I've had some interest from people who seem to think they can harvest seeds from them. I m not sure how true that is though." Guy

Just sent him a query asking what they are used for. Guy

Wonderful time at Hampshire Carnivorous Plants yesterday. Went with a friend and we were bowled over by the quality and variety of the plants on display, the helpfulness and friendliness of the staff and the organisation of the day. The complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits were an incredibly thoughtful touch and very much appreciated. As were the two Portaloos! We came back with several plants. Including a lovely Nepethes my mate now has hanging in his greenhouse. Thank, HCP. Guy

Nice one bigphil. I'm wondering about getting one of these 'instant' greenhouses. Do people on here think they are worth bothering with, please? Guy

Deffo there tomorrow for about 10.30. Hoping to come back with a boot full of plants! Guy

My VFT 'South West Giant' is producing some very weird looking traps. It's outside, catching food, but very odd! Any thoughts? Thanks. Guy

Using my super cheapy TDS meter has shown me the rainwater in my 250l water butt has a TDS reading of just under 70. However, the rainwater which collects in the trays outdoors which have plants in reads 10. Quite a difference! This tells me my roof is really mucky. Or the water butt is leaking solids from the plastic. Or perhaps both? Thoughts would be welcome. And is water with a TDS reading of 70 OK for CPs? I've read it should be less than 100, but I've also read it should be less than 50. In a few weeks we're getting a shed put up. This will give me about 15ft of guttering to collect rain water from. Can it be collected as soon as the shed's up, or would it be best to let it go through a few hours of rain first to clean anything off the roofing felt? Thanks in advance for any comments and advice. Guy

OK. Let me start this again with an abysmally low bid of £10. Let's hope this goes all the way this time. Guy

Whenever I read about pollinating Sarracenia it seems as though they can't do it by themselves. People talk about pulling the flower to bits to do it with a paint brush. What happens in the wild? Two of my pitifully small collection of sarracenias produced flowers. Is there no chance insects will pollinate them naturally? Guy

Is it possible for Sarracenia to have too many insects? After a slow start mine are stuffed with flies. Incredible! Will this mean they'll really take off next year, having taken in so much food this year? Guy

Looks good to me. On my computer things are clearer. It's only on the front page anyway, isn't it? And it's useful just to have the first letter of my name. I often forget who I am!! Not noticed any other changes, though. It would be really good (and I know I keep saying this) to get an easy way to post photos. People have told me how to do it and I'm still convinced there must be a better way. The brewing forum I use takes photos of any size directly from my computer or 'phone. Easy peasy. Guy

OK, time to put in my ludicrously low starting bid again. Let's hope this one makes it to the end! £10. Guy

Excellent. Looking forward to it! Guy

This auction seems to have flopped, thanks to Photobucket being so (un)helpful. Feel free to disregard my bid and start the whole thing over again once the photo situation has been sorted. Guy

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. The pitcher's are now staked and look better and less likely to completely keel over and snap. A look inside showed me they are 2/3rds full of flies. Amazing! Another reason, perhaps, why they are toppling over? Guy

A while ago Hannahraptor sent me (amongst others) a S.slack's max. Thanks Hannah! It's produced a couple of lovely pitchers at just under 65cm tall. More are coming through. The plant is outside in full sun. The original two pitchers are beginning to fall over, though. Is this normal? Should I stake them or just leave them be? This is my first season with cps and, as you can tell, I know nothing! Thanks. Guy

Photos have disappeared. Photobucket strikes again. Guy

OK. I'll start this off with a possibly derisory bid of £10. Guy

Nothing happens when I click on the red 'post your bids here' bit of the post. Guy

Can you just drop the maggots into the plants? Do you need to wait until they've turned into flies? Guy