Greg Allan Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I've just been lucky enough to receive a P gypsicola. Does anyone have any tips for success with this species? Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markus Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Hi Greg, P. gypsicola is not much more difficult to grow than most other mexican species. Keep it damp in summer at a bright place and completely dry in winter. The best soil mix for this species is noted on Eric's webiste in the species profile. Cheers, Markus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingman Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 For me this species is in it's winter from for a very long time, probably at least 9 months of the year. For about 2-3 months in the summer it will grow its long summer leaves. I keep in the water tray then completely dry in winter. Very curious species! Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-Rah Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I grow mine on a lump of tufa (no soil). It makes it impossible to overwater. The tufa stands in the water trays when the plant is in summer growth, and sits out of them, compeltely dry, the rest of the year. This was the plants emerging from dormancy last year. They are - of course - currently dormant: Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAJ Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Quote 'The best soil mix for this species is noted on Eric's webiste in the species profile. ' ?? A link please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aidan Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 http://www.pinguicula.org/pages/pages_prin...es/content.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAJ Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Thank you Aidan. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimscott Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 I have my plant on an unheated window sill. What happens if you put some water in the tray, when it dries out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-Rah Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 P. gypsicola is a real bone-dry dormancy plant. It grows in xerophytic conditions (not the nice, moist, mossy rocks that many other Mexican pings hang out on). I lost one to the barest of moisture in winter (hence I moved to tufa growing). But then again, I grow with cold winters (2C perhaps). Indoors it may do better. I woulnd't personally leave it sitting in wet soil when in doprmant rosette though :-/ Incidentally, the plant in the middle of your pic looks very unhappy..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimscott Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 1713? That's just a winter rosette, with several leaf cuttings. Really, it's okay. With regard to P. gypsicola, I think I must have just been fortunate. I let the tray go dry and add water. Although techinically, this is the beginning of the new growing season, from what I've read, "Sleepy gypsicola" topic, this plant may remain dormant for a few more months. Is that right? How much longer should it remain in dry conditions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-Rah Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I let the plants tell me when to water them. When they start putting out summer leaves (and therefore the roots that take up moisture) then I start watering. My gypsicola usually doesn't start until around the start of June or later. I have had too much rot in winter rosette of Mexican pings to ever attempt any other mode of watering at all now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Clemens Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I keep mine soaking in water, year-round. They grow well with good artificial light. I've achieved my best growth of this species, with the plant in an 8.25 cm tall, 5.5 cmX 5.5 cm plastic pot, in a rocks glass kept filled with water. Media: silica sand with a pinch of sand-sized coral mixed into the sand near the roots. and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Jim, are you sure that's P. gypsicola? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimscott Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Yup! I got it from Joseph this past fall. It just formed winter rosettes. Reading Rob's and Joseph's posts are difficult to reconcile... and they're both far more experienced than me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-Rah Posted March 23, 2007 Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Joseph's ability to keep his pings amazingly happy despite (or maybe because of) using conditions that have led to the deaths of plants of many of the rest of us has been a source of much interest and lively debate on this forum for a number of years if memory serves! Just do a quick search of topics. :-) I believe Vic was doing some comparative testing with conditions with some of his plants after seeing how well Joseph's do as well. I think the theory has something about the presence of microorganisms/nematodes in the soil, but I forget....... However, for me, and note again that I grow with cold and comparitively dark UK winters, I have only had rot and death when I allowed properly dormant plants moisture in dormancy. The trickiest time for me has been spring, knowing when it is safe to start watering. I have very few Mexican pings (any more)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 In Arizona under lights in a greenhouse I'd probably keep mine wet all year too. Here in CA on the coast where it's cool and moist during the winter, I do the bone dry thing with that species as well. Mine are just now sending out summer leaves and this time they are planted on decomposed granite to see if I can get better growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic brown Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 'I believe Vic was doing some comparative testing with conditions with some of his plants after seeing how well Joseph's do as well. Unfortunately, I didn't have a couple of spare P. gypsicola to include, mine are all planted on a large lump of tufa, kept dry all winter. http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16816 As far as I'm aware no plant has died being kept continuously wet or completely dry, all winter - I haven't poked about in the P. medusina pots though - so won't know until they start to emerge. Expect a full report on the experiment in a couple of months. Vic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimscott Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I just moved my plant to a closet, under a fluorescent light, 21 C, open tray. That just upped the photoperiod by a few hours. I also have a baggie with 7 leaf cuttings, as backups, just in case. 4 of them have sprouted. I'm sure my winter conditions, while cold enough and reflecting declining photoperiod, were wetter than what most would have done. So far it hasn't changed appearance other than losing whatever summer leaves and redness it arrived with. I understand that the waking up isn't as straight forward as with other Mexican pings (Sleepy Gypsicola topic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sheila Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I understand that the waking up isn't as straight forward as with other Mexican pings (Sleepy Gypsicola topic). No it's like a typical teenager, likes to stay in bed till lunchtime Mine doesn't usually wake up until around the end of April or even early May sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Allan Posted March 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 Thanks for all of the tips/advice. It's turned out to be a mammoth thread. Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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