Jeff

Hey guys, Got a few questions here about Pet Complex Drosera. Firstly, I have a terrarium with a Caduca, Fulva, Dilatato, Paradoxa and a Derbyensis. I had a Lanata but it died. The leaf tips turned gray and the gray color slowly spread throughout the entire plant until the plant was just dead. I originally thought the terrarium was too wet so I adjusted the water levels and assumed that would fix it. However, now my Derbyensis seems to be dying in the same manner and the water level is as low as can be for non dormancy. Both my dead Lanata and the almost dead Derbyensis were doing great for many weeks when first added to my terrarium. And all my other species look healthy as can be. Now all of the sudden my Derbyensis (there's actually 2 of them) look like they're moments away from death. As I mentioned, the water level is pretty low. Maybe I have triggered dormancy?! 2 points against that though is this doesn't look like dormancy, it looks like death, just like what happened to my Lanata, and my other plants all seem to be doing great. Maybe someone can take a look at the photos I provided and help me figure this out? In the photos are my dying Derbyensis and my healthy Dilatato and Fulva for comparison. Next questions I have are probably easier to answer... How low does the water level need to be for dormancy? In other words, how dry should the substrate be exactly? Really dry? And over what period of time do you let the soil dry out? I suppose it's not all at once and the soil should dry out over a certain period of time as opposed to all at once. I ask because my tank gets dry fast so I have to manually alter the water level every few days. How long should I let the soil be dry for and dormancy occur? In other words, how many months should the soil be dry before raising the water level again? I basically need a time table and instruction on how to properly go in to and come out of dormancy. Any help would be appreciated and the more detail the better. And just fyi, before the obvious questions are asked... I keep the plants at or around 30° Celsius and have around 85-90% humidity. The plants are kept under strong light. 3000k now, because it's autumn, same in winter, and 6500k in spring and summer. My temps stay about the same in all seasons but my lights run for 18hrs. in June-July. 16hrs. in August-September and April-May. 14hrs. in October-November and February-March. And 12hrs. December-January. Currently my substrate is dry for about a 2cm depth but beyond that point it's moist. No moisture is apparent for the first 2cm of depth. There is no standing water currently in the bottom fill area. But in Spring I usually keep a few cm of water standing in the bottom. If anything is wrong with what I'm doing please let me know. Thanks in advance!

I have some various Drosera seeds germinating that have developed white mold/mildew on the soil surface. Some of the pots have quite significant mold growth and others just a little. I've read that white mold doesn't hurt the seedling (don't even know if that's true but read it on numerous sites) but I can't find any info on if it will hurt the seeds before germination occurs. Can anyone help with this topic?

Hey all, I have a Drosera Squamosa that all of the sudden decided to hibernate despite all criteria for it's growing cycle being met. It was kept quite cool (about 17 degrees Celsius and below) and wet and was growing beautifully for about 6-7 weeks. Then out of nowhere it died off. I cut its water intake and moved it to my warmest room and just checked the tuber yesterday (one month after apparent death). The tuber looks really healthy! I have no idea why it decided to hibernate for no reason at all. But my real concern is what to do now. The days are getting longer but the weather here is freezing and will remain within the plant's growing season for several months. Do I try to grow the tuber again or let it sleep until next year? Also, if I let it sleep, how should I do so? Collect the tuber or leave it be? How dry do I need to keep it without being too dry? Any advice on how to go about a watering regimen to keep it at the correct dampness for hibernation? This is my first tuberous plant and also my favorite. A detailed answer on this for a novice would be appreciated. Thanks.

That's in the winter months, right? Just way less water and slightly lower temps? Also, can you recommend a fungicide that's safe for seeds and seedlings? Thanks.

Thanks for the reply! Just to clarify... It will be fine for me to just leave my seedlings in the humidity dome with the other seeds until they too have time to germinate and taking the seedlings out of the dome isn't a necessity?! I would also like to mention these are grown indoors with more than adequate lighting and I will not be giving them dormancy.

Does leaving them in the dome for a long while cause any issues? I.E. If I leave them in there for another 5 to 6 weeks, will it hurt them in any way? Can I leave them in there indefinitely?

Hey all, I have some Petiolaris seedlings starting to sprout and I have some questions I can't seem to find answers to. My first questions are about transplantation. My seeds have been germinated in a germination dome, on a heating mat, at 100% humidity. Keep in mind my seedlings are extremely tiny, barely visible to the naked eye. Also keep in mind some of the partitions in the dome contain seeds that have not yet germinated (some species have germinated faster than others). At what point do I need to remove the seedlings from the dome and begin acclimation? Better yet, how long can the seedlings be left in the dome with no Ill effects? My concern is that I have several partitions with seeds that have yet to germinate and I'd also imagine that the seeds that have sprouted will soon have brothers and sisters growing alongside them in their respective partition. I have read that they can/should be removed and transplanted once they sprout, but how long can they stay without removing them from the dome? Will it hurt them to stay there for a while until the others have time to sprout? My last question is about algae. I have some green slime (for lack of better words) growing in 2 or 3 partitions. I don't think it's mold. Maybe algae, moss??! Anyway, my question is can it kill my seeds? I will forgo uploading pics because I'm sure anyone familiar with germination knows what I'm talking about when I say "green slime".