Guest John Carnell Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 I have several mature Darlingtonia californica that have over wintered outside and are now starting new growth. However last year's growth although very tatty has not died down. Should I cut the old pitchers off or let the new grow through and let the old pitchers die off naturally. Your help would be appreciated. Regards, John Carnell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sheila Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 If the old growth hasn't died then leave it. Darlingtonia pitchers can last 2 or 3 years. You will find if you cut all the pitchers off the plant won't look so good this year. Sometimes the old pitchers can look a bit stressed but the new pitchers will hide that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarnivorousBlake Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 All this talk about Darlingtonia has broken me down. I have been holding off but I think I must buy one. They look too darn good and its the closest native CP to where in live. Thanks CPUK forums. haha. Now the question is should I start from seed or buy a mature specimen? I agree with Shelia, I did a lot of reading with my Sarracenias about whether to cut the old growth back. I figured if it can still photosynthesize then its a benefit to the plant. Although cosmetically it may not look as good. I just broke off the dead bits that I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sheila Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 How long can you wait for a mature plant? I would prefer at least a young plant with pitchers of 5-6 inches. From seed the wait could be years for a nice looking plant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeciFiX Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Indeed. Darlingtonia has been easy for me so far. It has two, raggedy, bad looking pitchers from Cooks Carnivores. Both the plants I got from them were in bad condition . But it's making 3 nnew growths. How long does it take for them to become fully good upright pitchers capable of trapping, killing, and absorbing insect nutrients? The bigger pitchers are about 4-5 inches. Yes! Buy a Darlingtonia, they are great! As for the first poster, um, I don't know, me, personally, would wait until new growth comes in, so there is still a good means of photosynthesis. Or just keep them if you want. I don't think I can really help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunkyhunks Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 NF, I have always been under the impression that Darlingtonia were difficult to keep. Do you do anything special for yours to make it grow so well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeciFiX Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 NF? That's a new one. They may turn hard to grow for me later, but I virtually don't even have to look at them and they'll grow. I rarely paid attention to it and it still grew --- slowly, but I've read that they aren't extremely fast growers. But, I've had it for a month or a little less than a month, and it's recovered from shipping and already has 3 new developing pitchers. I simply set it in cool water and put it towards the light, so the soil is usually always wet. It may prove harder outside, but partial shade or ice cubes would work. Though, if it proves a problem, I still have my handy dandy inside rack to take care of it. So Darlingtonia shouldn't be a big problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sheila Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 AlbinoJounin, some parts of the US do find Darlingtonia very difficult. Probably because of the extreme high temperatures that some areas suffer during the summer months, but some other parts find it quite easy. It does depend on the highs and lows in temperature you receive where you are. NeciFiX, you need to have the plant for a lot longer than 1 month to be sure of how easy it is going to be to keep. The hottest part of the summer is likely to be your most difficult time. They are notorious for dieing back for no apparent reason, though it is likely to be caused by the whole plant overheating. It may be weeks after the real heat has died away before you even notice any decline if it is going to happen. When you have managed to keep the plant for at least one complete year then you will have a better chance of knowing if you are lucky enough to be in an area where it is a simple plant to maintain. We are lucky in the UK. Our climate is perfect for them and it is as easy to keep as any Sarracenia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarnivorousBlake Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 It sounds like I will be bringing my darlingtonia inside june through august. Perhaps I won't take them out at all. In utah the temp. will reach 90-100++ F. pretty consistently during the summer. I may have to move all my CPs inside during that time. Also those temps are without rain for long periods of time. In addition to that we are in a drought year. First however, I need to get my hands on a darlingtonia. I'll keep shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas.Brinkley Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I keep my Darlings in a GH that sometimes hits 50c in the summer...and Ive had them for almost a year and theyve grown really well. I dont think theyre that fussy, as long as the roots are cool the pitchers dont mind the heat. And if you keep them under a bench they cant heat up too much... My place is about as hot as it gets in Summer, being in Southern Australia would be as hot as utah in America I reckon. Give em a shot! Theyre great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 It has two, raggedy, bad looking pitchers from Cooks Carnivores. Both the plants I got from them were in bad condition Maybe your problems with Cooks are just because of the time of year. All temperate plants will look tatty when bought over winter, wherever you get them from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 My darlingtonias have been outside all winter, ive barely checked them and they still look alive but theres no new growth.. anybody in the uk got any sign of life from them yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malifex Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 anybody in the uk got any sign of life from them yet? Flower buds on the way on mine. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 mmmmm... worrying.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-=Joel=- Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 I also have flowers popping up on my plants ... No pitchers though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 mmmmmm... double worrying.. still there alive i guess.. time to exercise a bit of patience i suppose.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ada Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 flower buds about 1 1/2 inches long outside up here in sunny sheffield. ada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FredG Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Oh dear! Another plant I never have had difficulty with. My main plant is in a largish tray of sphagnum about 3" deep. Yes the tray, no pot. It seems to do well enough. It's been happy in there for years. Probably about 4 adult plants in there now and a myriad of smaller ones. I think I removed about 15 -20 of the smaller plants last year with pitchers 4 - 6" Oh and yes the flower buds are about the same size as ada's Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimscott Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Your local Lowes ought have D. californica. As long as you get there soon after a shipment, you can repot and acclimate the plant easily enough. Mr. D'Amato says that they can grow on window sills. Another forum member, called Elgecko, has his on a window sill. So I tried that. It works. I run into problems when I put it outside. A suggestion by Tony Paroubek was to rest the plant / pot on top of another container, so that the plant pot is suspended. Then just water it and allow the excess to drain through. When the water hits the plant pot, just dump the excess water. It's like growing a nep in a basket or a planter. That worked just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speciesNUT Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 HI I HAVE GROWN THE COBRA IN TEMPS UP TO 46c OVER 2 YEARS BUT I KEEP THE ROOT SYSTEM COLD AS I HAVE CUT THE TOP OFF OF A STYRAFOAM BOX ,REFITTED THE LID & CUT A HOLE JUST LARGE ENOUGH FOR THE POT TO FIT WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BOTTOM. THE WATER IS KEPT VERY COLD BY CHANGING FREEZER BLOCKS ONCE OR TWICE DAILY DEPERDENT ON TEMP. WHEN CHANGING WATER I POUR SOME COLD THROUGH THE POT & LEAVE A FEW ICE CUBES ON TOP.COBRA IS DOING FINE,SEEMS HAPPY& JUST GONE TO SLEEP.BOXES ARE AVAILABLE AT AQUARIUMS MOSTLY FREE.HAVE FUN TRYING. HELIAMPHORA ARE TREATED THE SAME WAY BUT NOT AS COLD. BOB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 No need to shout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgecko Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 As jimscott stated, I do grow my cobra in a south facing windowsill over summer. I do place it outside in early spring and late fall when temps do not get hot. I have tried to grow 2 plants outside over the years and both have died in the summer time. I'm a little worried about my current plant. It does not look like it made it through dormancy. I hope Lowes gets some nice big ones in soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speciesNUT Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 The cold box has worked wonders both with Darlingtonia & with Heliamphora which also appear to like a cool root system. The only problem is remembering to change the ice packs each morning . speciesNUT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm82792 Posted April 11, 2007 Report Share Posted April 11, 2007 You should spray paint the pots white so that they don't absorb heat/light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasted Posted April 30, 2007 Report Share Posted April 30, 2007 Oh dear!Another plant I never have had difficulty with. My main plant is in a largish tray of sphagnum about 3" deep. Yes the tray, no pot. It seems to do well enough. It's been happy in there for years. Probably about 4 adult plants in there now and a myriad of smaller ones. I think I removed about 15 -20 of the smaller plants last year with pitchers 4 - 6" Oh and yes the flower buds are about the same size as ada's Fred Thanks.. divided and repotted into chopped sphagnum a couple of weeks ago.. i now have new growth on all divisions..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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