arkana123 Posted February 7, 2021 Report Share Posted February 7, 2021 Hi! I'm a complete newbie when it comes to carnivorous plants whatsoever, but I do own a bunch of orchids. I have just found out that this particular ping is a great companion to orchids, plus it looks super cute, so I thought I'd give it a shot! But before I go ahead and make a purchase online (they don't seem to be available in Finland), I tried to find some general care tips to increase my chances of success in growing this plant. Forgive my total ignorance, but from what I have already gathered, these are warm growers (perfect for me as I can only grow it on a windowsill), and they require that their soil stays damp, less so in winter. I've understood that in winter they start their dormant period and their leaves change, and as such they don't require bugs to survive. Correct me if I'm wrong - they do require some type of bug-food source to thrive outside of their dormancy, and if so, what is it that they need specifically. Are they self-sufficient during the spring-summer-fall months or do I have to do anything extra for them apart from the waterings? In summers I tend to get a lot of fruit flies, which isn't the case during fall-winter months, but will these type of flies do? Also, I've managed to find a seller of this plant online who ships from Hungary to Finland, but knowing they don't tolerate the cold, I'm worried if buying it now won't mean its certain death. What would you do? Buy or wait until it's warmer outside? Currently, it's around -10C/-15C around here. Sorry for the long and very basic questions, but I haven't been able to find anything about this, as everyone here seems to already possess the basic knowledge already! Thank you so much for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argo88 Posted February 7, 2021 Report Share Posted February 7, 2021 (edited) Hi! pinguicula x Tina is very easy to grow, but you must know some things... it is a mexican pinguicula and it needs temperatures between 5 and 35 C... so you should cultivate it indoor in colder months... It needs a lot of light but not very strong direct sunlight, but it is not a problem for you If you grow it with orchids... I suggest you to grow it in a mineral substrate (pure sand for acquarium, pure volcanic lava or mixed mineral soil). Water: always 2/5 mm in the tray when it has carnivorous leaves. When it has non carnivorous lives it is like a succulent plant and you should water it only once every lot days, when substrate is completaly dry. The harder part is decrease water when it starts to produce non carnivorous leaves and increase water when it start to produce summer leaves... but don’t be afraid: p. Xtina is very tolerant and easy to grow and mineral substrate help a lot;-) Don’t feed it, it doesn’t need it to survive and growing well... in spring and summer it will catch a lot of fungus gnat;-) If I’haven’t hanswered to all your questions don’t hesitate to write me;-) p.s.: it is very dangerous for the plant shipping it with temperatures below 4/5 C Edited February 7, 2021 by Argo88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkana123 Posted February 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2021 Thank you so much for your detailed answer, Argo! I'll have to hold off until it gets a bit warmer at nights to closer 10C then. Thank you once more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argo88 Posted February 7, 2021 Report Share Posted February 7, 2021 You are welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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