rosolis76

Hello Tanqueray, Thank you the comments, I slightly modified the sentence related to the origin of these plants ;-) Kindest regards.

Hello, Through this short article, I would like to share my method of growing pygmy sundews, which has begun to give quite satisfactory results in recent years. Most of these Drosera are endemic to Australia where they mainly occur in the western part of the country. The climate is rather subtropical with hot and dry summers, and fairly cool and humid winters, although temperatures are very rarely negative. The vegetative cycle of the miniature Drosera consists of two main phases. Plants develop carnivorous leaves especially in autumn and winter, when soil and air humidity is high and days are short. On the other hand, the gradual arrival of summer temperatures combined with the drying of the surface layers and the lengthening of days cause the plants to enter into dormancy. The plants stop the production of new leaves and form a small and more or less hairy bud at the top of the rosette. Reducing the leaf surface exposed to dry winds and intense sunlight on the hottest days prevents the cells from drying out. The return of rains in the autumn also coincides with the formation of small spreading organs called gemmae, which once ripe, are dispersed by wind and water over the surrounding areas. Weather conditions permitting, a root emerges within a few days allowing the propagule to anchor in the soil, a phase quickly followed by the formation of the first carnivorous leaves. This "natural cloning" is an effective and fast means of reproduction. Most species are easy to grow but it can sometimes be difficult to conserve some Drosera for more than one or two seasons. Watering is an important point. Pygmy Drosera require a very wet substrate during the growing season (autumn, winter and spring) while it should be kept barely wet during the resting period in summer. After many tests, I found that the use of tall pots (18 to 20 cm) greatly facilitated the management of substrate moisture and optimized the proper development of plants. Pygmy Drosera form roots that are remarkably long in relation to their size to exploit the lower layers of the soil that retain some moisture during the driest months. With such high pots, it is possible to leave a 4 or 5 cm depth of water in a large saucer to keep the substrate very wet during growth. The water supply can be reduced in spring by maintaining less than 1 cm or by letting the saucer dry completely from time to time in summer. The substrate must be fairly draining, composed for example of sand and peat (50/50). The ideal temperature range during growth (October to May in the northern hemisphere) is between 5°C and 20°C. Plants can occasionally tolerate slightly negative night temperatures, provided the condition get significantly warmer during the day. In summer, Pygmy Drosera can withstand temperatures above 40°C but care must be taken to ensure that the substrate never dries completely and pot is kept from direct sunlight. Pygmy Drosera enjoy full sunlight exposure. Artificial lighting devices such as fluorescent tubes or LED tubes also give good results, provided they provide sufficient power. The lighting duration should be between 12 and 14 hours in summer and between 8 and 10 hours in winter. Sincerely, Damien

Hello, I would like to share with you my little experience of growing Drosera of the Petiolaris group. These magnificent plants are found mainly in northern Australia. The climate consists of a hot period with sometimes very high temperatures (over 35°C) and a high level of soil and air humidity. It is during this period that the Drosera develop their carnivorous leaves. The other part of the year, temperatures are cooler (especially at night) but often remain above 10-15°C while daytime temperatures remain quite high (+25°C). In addition, rains are almost completely absent for several months and only slight humidity subsist in the lower layers of the soil. At this time, the leaves of the Drosera of the Petiolaris complex disappear and give way to a central bud, more or less woolly in appearance. This allows the plant to protect itself from the wind and sun during dry periods. To grow them in Europe, it is most convenient to keep them in a heated greenhouse or terrarium. I personally opted for this second alternative. For reasons of economy but also for better thermal insulation, my terrarium was made from extruded polystyrene. The upper part (the "roof") is of course made of glass to allow artificial light to pass through. Several lighting devices give very good results. In the past, I used classic T8 fluorescent tubes, which are inexpensive to buy but moderately efficient in relation to their electricity consumption. T5 fluorescent tubes, in my experience, give better growing results because they produce more heat and light than T8s at the same operating cost. Plants should be placed less than 30 cm (or even 20 cm) from the tubes in order to make the most of the tubes' power. For heating, waterproof silicone heating cables offer a very good solution, but it is also possible to use an aquarium heater placed in a large water container that will produce heat and increase air humidity at the same time. The disadvantage of this second solution is that the water level around the resistance must be checked regularly so that it remains well submerged. Watering is probably the point that requires the most attention. In summer, it is possible to let the pot bathe in a few centimetres of water. On the other hand, the substrate should be kept slightly moist during the rest period, but not completely dry. Tall pots are very useful because they allow the roots to develop properly, which are often quite long. They also help to keep moisture deep down when the pots are no longer immersed in water. The susbtrate consists of a mixture of peat (60%), sand (30%) and perlite (10%). We hope that this information will be useful to you. Best regards, Damien

Jeff, You can try not giving them dormancy but they will reduce growth anyway ;-). In my experience, D.paradoxa (and hybrids) is the only species that can grow all year without a true dormancy but other species will require it for an healthy development and a long term conservation (more than 2 years). Kindest regards. Damien

Hello Jeff, You can move your seedlings in another pot if you keep enough substrate around the roots. To avoid too much stress, it is always better to consider enough space between each seeds during sowing and not putting too many of them in one pot. I agree with Marcel, heat and high RH are ok if you provide enough light. To me, the biggest challenge with young Pet.sundews is to keep them alive during their first dormancy period when they have only 1 cm in diameter. Good luck ;-) Kindest regards. Damien

Hello Jeff, You can move your seedlings in another pot if you keep enough substrate around the roots. To avoid too much stress, it is always better to consider enough space between each seeds during sowing and not putting too many of them in one pot. I agree with Marcel, heat and high RH are ok if you provide enough light. To me, the biggest challenge with young Pet.sundews is to keep them alive during their first dormancy period when they have only 1 cm in diameter. Good luck ;-) Kindest regards. Damien

Nice report! Thank you very much for sharing it. All the best.

Toujours aussi spectaculaire! You are a master JP! Friendly, Damien Toujours aussi spectaculaire! You are a master JP! Friendly, Damien

Amazing Prompt! Congratulations!

Hi everyone, Nice topic Rodrigo! Genlisea are so amazing plants! Dead Sphagnum can work well including with G.africana. When I was in Angola, I saw some populations of this last species growing amount living and dead sphagnum whereas other populations were growing on sandy soils. I cultivation, I noticed that dead sphagnum can be really usefull when growing conditions deal with high temperatures and high humidity all year round (in a tropical terrarium for example). However a more "classical" growing media like a mix of peat and sand also works really well in the most cases. All the best, Damien

Wonderful Christian, many thanks for sharing!

Dear growers, To start the year, I would like to share with you some pictures I took today. First, a beautiful flower of U.fulva: U.pubescens: Then, some pictures of Drosera which is one of my favourite genus: The rare D.chimaera growing slowly: D.roraimae from Serra do Araca and its amazing pink-red colour: A nice form of D.latifolia: A nice group of D.capensis WF x aliciae I hope you like them. All the best, Damien

I wish you all the best for this new year! Let's grow!!!

Dear Daniel, I am also really really sorry about what happened to you and your family, I was really schocked by the videos of the fire. I send you all my postivie thinkings to overcome this dificult time. Of course, you can also count on me to rebuilt your collection when the situation will be better. Friendly, Damien

Dear growers, I would like to share a strange observation I made with one of my Genlisea clone from Angola. As you can see on the following picture, all the leave of this plant have small white trichomes on their surface: This clone was supposed to be G.hispidula, at least, flowers were really similar to those from the description of this species. It was growing in the Central Region of Angola at about 1.800 m above see level in pure laterite with U.welwitshchii and madagascariensis. I hope you enjoyed this strange Genlisea. Pictures of the flowers will follow soon if they want to open one day :-) All the best, Damien