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Pinguicula 'Tina' dormancy


johns

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I have a P. 'Tina' bought at a garden center 5 months ago (actually a clump of 2 or 3 plants). It's getting colder and darker outside (and on the windowsill), but the plant doesn't seem to be interested in going dormant - it's still forming carnivorous leaves and recently put up two more flowers. During summer I watered it every two days, but now I water it every three days (top watering until water comes out at the bottom of the pot).

I'm wondering if I should reduce watering further (waiting until late november to let it keep the flowers for a while longer) or if I should just wait and see.

Also, does anyone know or have pictures of what the winter rosette looks like? I'm wondering if it might actually have gone "dormant" during the summer - there were maybe two weeks of overcast weather when it got little sun. The plant seemed to lose the old, larger leaves and formed slightly more compact (but still carnivorous) leaves. I've read that the winter leaves of P. agnata look quite similar to the summer leaves.

ptina.jpg

ptina2.jpg

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My Mexican pings, in general, are just beginning to display winter leaves. I'm not changing the watering or temps, but they are responding to the gradually declining photperiod.

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  • 5 weeks later...

My Mexican and other equatorial Pinguicula species and hybrids derived from them have never done "dormancy". Many have a heterophyllous pattern of growth, producing different shaped leaves at different seasons. Many of these plants bloom from either seasonal form and all of them continue growing new leaves no matter what the season - my definition of "dormancy" doesn't fit that behavior. This might be why their growth patterns have been accurately described as heterophyllous and not as "dormancy". I don't know how the word dormancy became associated with these wonderful plants, but I have decided not to perpetuate the error. Even some of these species that become nearly subterranean during their Winter leaf form do not stop growing new leaves and many of them bloom in this growth phase.

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My Mexican and other equatorial Pinguicula species and hybrids derived from them have never done "dormancy". Many have a heterophyllous pattern of growth, producing different shaped leaves at different seasons. Many of these plants bloom from either seasonal form and all of them continue growing new leaves no matter what the season - my definition of "dormancy" doesn't fit that behavior. This might be why their growth patterns have been accurately described as heterophyllous and not as "dormancy". I don't know how the word dormancy became associated with these wonderful plants, but I have decided not to perpetuate the error. Even some of these species that become nearly subterranean during their Winter leaf form do not stop growing new leaves and many of them bloom in this growth phase.

Thanks, I will also try to not to repeat the error. Can you also suggest a more correct (yet convenient) wording? I suppose I could have asked e.g. about "winter rosette" or "winter leaves" rather than "dormancy".

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