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Hello there, I am planning to buy a pinguicula, especially Mexican species fascinate me greatly. I’ve seen a lot of different opinions on the forum regarding whether watering the plant on the tray more as other carnivorous plants or from the top as cacti or succulents. So, for tropical pinguiculas, what would the suggestions be? thanks a lot in advance!

Hello The very hot UK weather has played havoc with my CPs. I went on holiday for a week, and I thought the trays would be sufficiently topped up with water to last while I was away - previous years have been fine. But I guess the hot weather this year meant that they got through the water quicker than usual. Result: I got home and everything was pretty dry. many Dionaea had started turning black, many Sarracenia had also wilted. To make matters worse, I was also out of rain water. All I could do was give them tap water - I thought that would be better than nothing. I am in London so I am aware that the water is very hard (but I also remember growing CPs on my windowsill as a child and that's all I ever gave them, and they didn't do too badly). Anyway, hopefully some rain in the next few days, plus buying some distilled water if I have to, will solve the watering issue. My question is all these plants look pretty unhealthy now - what is the prognosis for them in the long term. Assuming I can get them the right water, will they recover? And will they recover this year, or is it a write-off for this summer but hopefully they will grow back well next year? Any thoughts much appreciated. Thanks!

I'd like to pin down once and for all the infomation I'm picking up from the net about watering carnivorous plants with tap water. While I know it is bad for them and I still use filtered rain water for mine I have seen advice ranging from "It is ok now and again" to "YOU WILL TEAR APART THE FABRIC OF SPACE TIME IF YOU DO" well not that bad but have seen "Even a drop is a 100% kill for CP's". I know there are fancy filters on the market and such and even people saying to use deionised water (the type for car batteries and irons) at a push if stuck. But is tap water as a one off really that bad?

I got some nice huernia zebrinas and a hoya carnosa plant (many thanks to Stephen) all potted up in clay pots in a good free draining compost. They currently live on my south-ish facing windowsill in a central heated room but also heated by a log fire each evening at this time of year. Temps ranging from around 15-30C. I've recently noticed that the larger huernia is already show signs of new growth. My questions is what sort of watering regime should I operate for these plants? So far I haven't watered at all as I was worried about causing them to rot but I recently read somewhere that if kept totally dry over winter the roots may die off and then it's difficult to resurrect in Spring. So should I completely withhold water in Winter? If so when do I start to water again and then how much and should I also add fertiliser at the same time...I read they need plenty of water and fertiliser to encourage blooming. What exactly does "plenty" of water mean in this context? Is it recommended to water from above or below. Sorry for so many questions but these are my first asclepiads and I'm keen to succeed with them. Finally are there any online nurseries anyone can recommend where I can buy more of these plants? I had a look at a few sellers on ebay but their feedback put me off in the end. Thanks for any advice.