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Lack of coloration


Marko.D

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Hello!

I'm Marko and I'm a new member of this forum. I grow Venus Flytraps for few years.

Here are some photos:

cvjetanje_199.jpg

dionaeae_996.jpg

dionaae3.jpg

velika_s_uspravnim_listovima.jpg

I think my plants are doing good except one thing: they have a weak coloration.

They get few bright red traps, but that's very rare.

CLONES: You might think i have greener clones and that is what i thought until i didn't

exchanged plants. My friend from Belgrade has plants with bright red traps and when we exchanged plants,

they became pink-green. She took a photo of her plants:

IMG_6176.jpg

and here the same plants in my cultivation

obi__na_od_dionaeae.jpg

LIGHT: my plants are in a bright sun (spring-autumn) from sunrise till sunset ...Sarracenias that i also grow

get different strong coloration.

WATER: plants are always in a few cm of water. I use spring water or sometimes rainwater.

I was thinking that spring water might be bad for them so for experiment i used distilled water. They looked the same.

SOIL: I use pure white peat, or sometimes i mix it with perlite. I don't think soil is the problem.

DORMANCY: plants always have good winter rest, and my friend's plants (she sent me) spent winter outside (with minimum protection).

DISEASE: i had problems with fungus that causes mosaic look. I removed infected plants and i don't think weak

colour is a result of infection because i have fungus from last year and i never had bright red coloration.

I'm sorry for my bad grammar. Hope you have some ideas how to improve my coloration.

Thank you 

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Firslty welcome to cpuk!

You say it is bright sun - is it full direct bright sun?? Does the person you exchanged with grow in a greenhouse?

Also it seems the friend you mention is growing several clones in that big pot - which ones did she send you? Some of hers had bright red traps buit some were only pink in the traps - perhaps you got the ones that were pink? In which case yours dont look much different. Perhaps try a clone that you know gets very red traps?

Heather

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Thank you for the welcome and reply!

Sun is direct (no shading or filtered). In july and august it gets so hot that

Sempervivums(that I grow near by) shrivel. Dionaea-s are most beautiful at this time.

My friend keeps her plants in the same conditions. She doesn't have a greenhouse.

I know she sent me red clones.

She also sent me clones with red teeth, but as you can presume...plants in my cultivation

have only green teeth.

Also, few years ago i bought plant that had bright red traps. New leafs lost coloration

and i wasn't able to achieve such coloration ever again. This plant gets few bright red traps

from time to time but that is not a rule.

Next spring I will try to get some of the all red clones so we'll see how will they look.

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Also, few years ago i bought plant that had bright red traps. New leafs lost coloration

and i wasn't able to achieve such coloration ever again.

A good red coloration is promoted by

- lower average temperatures and

- a good temperature drop at night

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A good red coloration is promoted by

- lower average temperatures and

- a good temperature drop at night

I suspected they could be too hot. The growth is very good where i keep them

and i supposed instantly those are the perfect conditions.

I will replace some of them to the less hotter position next spring.

:wink: jesse!

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Hi Marco,i can be very wrong but can you see how match PH you have in your peat?If to high plants make no color at all,i not think this problem is the liht or the temps!

i not know what you main whit spring water but this can hold match fertilizer or calc,the best is give allways rainwater.Meaby you can mix some spar needles to your mix it s making this more acid,

cheers Will

Edited by will9
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Hi Will!

I never measured pH of my peat but your words sound reasonable to me.

I had experiment with other water but this was demineralised water from the store, and

this water could also had some chemicals added that could change pH.

I had the most bright red traps in autumn when rains came and i could collect larger amount

of rainwater, but also temperatures went lower.

Next year i will have to make experiment both with water and temperatures.

Thank you Will! :tu:

I also had theory that my plants eat a lot, so they don't have to waste their energy in

producing red traps.

That theory sounded very good till i didn't try to grow Venus Flytraps on 17'th floor balcony.

There is much less bugs and i thought plants will have to produce red traps to attract more.

Traps were the same...

Edited by Marko.D
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A good red coloration is promoted by

- lower average temperatures and

- a good temperature drop at night

the difference between the temperature of day and night it's very important for the colour of the VFT.

my clone are more red in september, than in august.

red clone become brown...

about humidity???

Edited by publicizer
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This is an interesting subject for me.Here in england my dionaea colour up best when there is most sunshine.Normaly mid summer.There you clearly have an abundance of sunshine judging by the outdoor cactus!So it must be a different problem for you.It will be very interesting to find out the exact reason why your plants are not colouring up.Once we all know the answer maybe we can all get our own plants to colour up better!

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This is an interesting subject for me.Here in england my dionaea colour up best when there is most sunshine.Normaly mid summer.There you clearly have an abundance of sunshine judging by the outdoor cactus!So it must be a different problem for you.It will be very interesting to find out the exact reason why your plants are not colouring up.Once we all know the answer maybe we can all get our own plants to colour up better!

I think i will have to make more experiments in the future. I will let you know my results for sure.

the humidity is the last factor.

if have test with different water, peat, place..the last element that we have no speak about is humidity.

How important is pH and water for coloration? Did you get any other results or

difference in temperatures between night and day is the only important factor? (except bright sun of course)

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I think PH is the most important factor for give color to the plants,temp? i think this is not test out and so far i know not proof ,but i think it s of no matter,this is only matter for dormancy.Plants that go in dormancy can also chance color.

Whit PH i am sure ,it s for all plants ,set buxus in acid soil and you have after a time yellow plants ,cactus the same ,set this in calc ground and you become also yellow plants.

This is only my opinion and what i experience whit garden plants and cactus,i don t know if this is so for carnivores to but i supoose it s the same,meaby other growers have other experiences and i like it to hear,it s allways good to hear some other opinions for learning from.

So i think your plants looks very liht green ,allmost yellow.There for i think it s your PH thats not riht,but meaby i am wrong and it s something else,

Cheers Willy

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