Tim Bailey

Dear all. An update on the ICPS 2016 Conference. Please note: you do not need to be a member of The CPS or of any other cp society to attend the Conference. Best wishes Tim ICPS Conference 2016: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew London Please note: the ICPS dates originally proposed have now changed. The Conference will now take place 5th to 7th August (Fri-Sun). A field trip to Down House, the home of Charles Darwin, is planned for Mon 8th August. There are no restrictions on numbers planned for this trip. The CPS expects to run a field trip between 10th and 12th of August. Tuesday 9th would be a travel day to the location. The field trip would take place in the New Forest area (Hampshire) and Dorset. The carnivorous plants, which would be seen growing in the wild are: Drosera rotundifolia Drosera intermedia Drosera anglica Drosera x eloisiana (previously named D. x belezeana) Drosera x obovata Utricularia minor Utricularia australis Utricularia stygia Utricularia intermedia Utricularia bremii Pinguicula lusitanica Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea Sarracenia purpurea ssp. f. heterophylla The trip will encompass some of the most beautiful countryside within Hampshire and Dorset, with the best cp sites selected from several years of study. Within the time available, we can look to run an excursion to Stonehenge if wanted and/or to a commercial nursery. There will be a restriction on the number of participants given the ecological sensitivity of many of the sites, but we will aim to be as flexible as we can on numbers. For instance, running two groups in reverse. The scientific lecture programme will span the 3 days of the Conference based around the general theme: The World of Carnivorous Plants. Details will follow, but our expectation is to provide a programme with a similar number of lectures and structure to the recent 2014 Cairns ICPS Conference. There will also be opportunities for Conference delegates to see cp material kept behind the scenes, such as Kew’s herbarium. It is likely Kew will run an additional public/scientific engagement carnivorous plant event a few days prior to and during the time of the Conference, e.g. from the Weds. Should this come to fruition then it would a substantial additional benefit to Conference visitors. With a very busy lecture programme, visiting a day or two earlier would give more opportunity to explore all the Kew has to offer and the other cp offerings under discussion. As is normal we have carnivorous plant displays and a seller’s area planned, within which our expectation is to assemble the greatest number of genera, species, forms and varieties ever presented. Assuming Kew’s extended cp activities happen, we would look to make the sellers and display available for those days too. This may even give us an opportunity to add in some bonus lectures. For those who like to plan well in advance we are sorry we can’t 100% guarantee Kew’s extra activities, but will endeavor to let you know ASAP. The customary evening meal is planned for the evening of the 6th August (Sat) at a venue (Italian - up to 120 places) within a very short walk of Kew. We are in detailed discussions with Kew on many specifics, which we will circulate ASAP as they are confirmed. It is too early for us to announce specific costs, such as the Conference fee, though we are working hard to keep any necessary charges to the bare minimum. Summary: Key ICPS 2016 Conference dates Location: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Duration: 5-7th August 2016 Evening meal: 6th August 2016 Down House Field Trip: 8th August 2016 CP Field Trip: 10-12th August 2016 If you have a query at this time please contact: http://www.thecps.org.uk/contact.php

Hi Steve Sorting out a cover with Stew at the moment and as you say not yet posted on the Redfern site. Cost, please don't hold me to it, I'm guessing will be around £19.99. Cheers Tim

Nice one Elvis I'm a frequent visitor to the New Forest and Dorset bogs. Keep an eye out for the forthcoming book on the Carnivorous Plants of Britain and Ireland (native and non-native cp's), which all going well will be available from late autumn via Redfern. We cover all the 13 native species (plus hybrids, etc), most of which can be found in The New Forest and Dorset, and will be as image rich as possible including shots of the amazing habitats they live in. The only plant I failed to locate and photograph for the book was U. ochroleuca. Cheers Tim

Be careful chopping Sphagnum moss in this way. Sphagnum can contain the fungus spore Sporotrichosis, which can be inhaled in the very fine dust generated with this way of processing and is not a health condition you would want to catch. As a general rule wearing plastic gloves and a face mask is recommended when handling Sphagnum moss. Lots of stuff about this on websites, including the ICPS (Barry Rice). If chopping in this way then you can reduce dust by adding a small amount of water, though add too much and it will not mill very well. Do it outside and also wear a mask, etc. Best wishes Tim

.... will aim to have the detail soon after Christmas.

Hi ada Poorer soil mixtures? Would hope others in different parts of the country,etc will replicate some of the comparison trials and feed into the project as beyond our resources to do this alone. Over the winter I'll finalise the mixtures, plants, growing conditions, etc., and share to help enable this. Tim

Cracking stuff to see your plants growing as well as this!! Been caught up in a million and one things recently, which have steered me away from the Forum for a while. Got our experimental polytunnel (The CPS) up now for our comparison peat-free/sustainable medium trials, which will start in the spring. Just in the process of connecting some guttering and water-butts. Will have to try some shaving myself based on this. Will also soon have a peat-free cultivation draft up on the CPS website. Look forward to seeing some more of the same, and will post pictures of the trials as next season progresses.

Cracking stuff to see your plants growing as well as this!! Been caught up in a million and one things recently, which have steered me away from the Forum for a while. Got our experimental polytunnel (The CPS) up now for our comparison peat-free/sustainable medium trials, which will start in the spring. Just in the process of connected some guttering and water-butts. Will have to try some shaving myself based on this. Will also soon have a peat-free cultivation draft up on the CPS website. Look forward to seeing some more of the same, and will post pictures of the trials as next season progresses.

For what it's worth this late into the thread, I just sent a plant parcel off to Germany today and they happily accepted it and charged me just under £7. I told them it was a plant with trepidation having read all this first. Best wishes Tim

Totally echo that! Great three days, a great credit to all involved and a massive thanks to all our French friends who put together an event that will be long remembered. The quality of plants on sale (and on display) was also extremely good and a lot of people went home very happy, including myself. Can't wait until the next EEE. Tim

I think the best way to face critics is to be proactive on the subject. If trials the CPS and others do show that for some species that peat is still essential then we can support that position from a place of strength, particularly for species conservation. It's impossible to defend something without evidence to the contrary. As can be seen from a few posts already experience with peat-free ingredients is mixed and evidence is very subjective. The CPS trials will be comparative and will help improve our evidence base either way on the subject. As a Society (with my Chairman's hat on) we will then be in a better position to inform both sides of the debate, including the continued use of peat until such a time as safe, productive and cost effective alternatives become available (if ever).

Hi Adam Agree with all your comments. We will have to start off with Sarracenia, VFT and some of most commonly grown Drosera and to build from there as we will have limited resources. Over time we will add a larger number of more specialised genera/species. We will also need plant donations. At the moment I'll be using divisions from my collection, Ian Salter's and a few from Dennis Balsden. One of the mixes will be coir and 'sustainable' Sphagnum as I share a similar view, in particular by helping maintain a suitable pH for one. You can add VFTs, which in places grow in quartzite sand with low organic matter. When in N and S Carolina last summer I took care to look closely at the soil to around 10 cm, and took some pictures. Nepenthes are also commonly cultivated in a well washed coir-based medium.

Should have added that typical soft water is around 140-300 microS/cm (approx. 70-150 TDS) to make more sense to people, unless I need correcting?

The tests on coir will include pH and EC as we will need to differentiate between washed and unwashed coir. Can include TDS. FYI the Fertile Fibre Organic Coir has a pH of 6.4 and a EC of 240 microS/cm (last analysis they sent me) Difficult to go beyond this re very lack of money available, but open to further suggestions.

Not at the moment mobile, but one to consider along the road! Tim