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Post by Apoplast on Nov 10, 2013 14:37:51 GMT -5
Hi all - I just, moment ago, harvested the turions from my plants. Probably not the best year productivity-wise; I harvested just over double the number of turions that I received in the spring. I placed them in a canning jar with their water in the fridge, and there they will stay for the winter. I'm looking for a cheap mini-fridge that I can put a small LED light into on a timer, but for now they'll have to live in the dark.
I decided to harvest then now mostly because we are going to get a few days where we won't be above freezing and I am worried that the bucket would freeze entirely, and I am not certain how well they will survive that - though I want to test it in the future. They've been under the ice for about a week, but we got a couple warm days in a row and most of the ice is gone right now. Some of the turions were already falling off, so I have a feeling they are 'ripe'. I had to pluck a few from their stems, but the buds seemed well formed. Cold work, but gratifying.
That's the update for anyone interested. I've heard that the turion loss over winter can be pretty high. I'm hoping I still come out on top by the spring. Now off the to UMCPS meeting where I further crow about not having killed them off during the growing season!
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Post by Apoplast on Nov 20, 2013 12:25:06 GMT -5
Hi all - It's been quiet here the last couple days, so I thought I load a couple pictures of the Aldrovanda turions I collected this year. I was pretty worried about them because they are supposed to be sensitive to freezing and two days after I put them in the fridge, I noticed the water they are in was nearly, completely frozen. All of the turions were at least partly encased in ice. Nothing else in the fridge was frozen, so the good news it that it looks like my water is pretty pure. I turned the temp down and put them back to slowly thaw. I think they have survived the partial freeze. Let me know what you think. Here they are floating on the surface. I was under the impression they were supposed to sink, but so far they are all floaters. I'm not sure what that means. This is the little jar they will be confined to for the duration of the winter. I'm planning on opening it from time to time in order to refresh the air in there. I realize their metabolic rates are likely going to be quite low given the temperatures. But they are sitting in the dark fridge and must be respiring some. All told I ended up with 25 turions - though some are quite small. I received 10 in the spring, so it seems like it wasn't too bad a year, for my first. Thanks for looking!
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Post by lloyd on Nov 20, 2013 14:59:42 GMT -5
I just looked at my aldrovanda container last night. There were little white swimming things in there. The algae seems to be slowing down and the plants seem to be growing with some flower buds.
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Post by shoggoths on Nov 20, 2013 17:37:12 GMT -5
Good job Apoplast. Turions seems alright to me. I don't have experience with aldrovanda one, only with gibba but they are still all green.
I think they would turn black if not in good shape (?)
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Post by Apoplast on Nov 21, 2013 9:59:14 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd - Sounds like your plants are doing really well! How long have you had them? Sounds like you have a tropical type. Mine did not flower this year, but I am hoping for next year.
Hi Shogg - Thanks for your thoughts! I think the turions might be okay too. They are still green like you said and look solid. They are from a Polish population so I am hoping they are accustomed to a cold winter and might shrug it all off. My big concern is that they just aren't sinking like they are supposed to. Only spring will tell I guess.
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Post by lloyd on Nov 21, 2013 12:42:34 GMT -5
I got my plants from Bonfield in mid October. So far they seem to be Ok, if not thriving. At least they didn't just die like the last time I tried them.
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Post by Apoplast on Nov 21, 2013 17:34:49 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd - Ah, got it! I'm glad you are having more success this time. I think you were onto something with your observations of U. gibba. Aquatic CP's seem to desire a degree of neglect. I'm sure gibba is an extreme case, but I found the less I fussed over my Aldrovanda the better they did. After moving, I essentially forgot about them for a month and a half and when I did finally check them they were coated in algae but growing well. Then they sloughed off the algae and started really looking nice. I didn't have any little critters in the bucket that I saw, but the bucket was outside and I suspect with all the lakes around something colonizes it. Good luck with your Aldrovanda! Let's me know how it goes.
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Post by Apoplast on May 10, 2014 22:57:37 GMT -5
Good day all - I've not been around a for awhile. This last semester was, well... Intense. I've missed my interactions with you all on here. The good news is that I've been keeping sane by taking occasional breaks to work on my plants. I've got a grow room update for later... But for now, I am excited that spring seems to have finally sprung here. Which for someone who primarily grows their carnivorous plants in the basement really only means that I get to put my one outdoor species out - my Aldrovanda! All of the turions survived the 7 months in the fridge! I pulled them out from under the ice and then I mistakenly put them too near the cold air vent in the fridge, where they froze solid. Still, every last one made it! I got them started in my grow room (more on that later), in a little bucket while I waited for the bucket outside to warm: Their companion plant made it over the winter despite being above ground and it getting to -35C this winter. So this is what it looked like when I set them out today: I've cut down a tree, so they should have more light this summer. I'm hoping to do better than the doubling I got last year in partial shade. Next step is to get the Aldrovanda seeds going from Australia. I'll have to see if they are anywhere near as hardy as this strain from Poland. Thanks for looking!
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Post by shoggoths on May 11, 2014 8:17:40 GMT -5
I Apoplast. I'm glad to hear from you again and I'm looking forward to your grow room post ! I'm always looking for new idea to improve my set-up I'm also glad you Aldrovanda made it outside and inside. That's good to know. I lost my own last year inside so this year, I'll keep some outside like you do and hope for a 'doubling' Will you do something for the algae in the bucket ? Can this be an issue ?
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Post by Apoplast on May 11, 2014 22:28:46 GMT -5
Salut Shogg - Merci! It's good to be back. I may not have expressed myself well in my last post. I didn't leave any of the turions outdoors this last winter. Only the companion plant stayed in the bucket (Acorus americanus). I harvested twice the number of turions last autumn as went into the bucket last spring. All of the turions went into the fridge in a jar, and of those, I didn't lose a single turion. After giving them a head start inside, they are now happily back in their bucket again for the season.
As far as the algae goes, it was there last year too. I used Salvinia fern to help shade it out a bit, but this year I am hoping to just pull the filamentous stuff out with my hands if it gets too bad. Hopefully that will work.
I'll try to post the grow room update tomorrow. It's already going to have to get modified. It's a work in progress.
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Post by Apoplast on May 15, 2016 10:16:54 GMT -5
Sad news. Last night the forecast was changed late and we were to expect a solid freeze. I already had my Sarrs in, so I ran out and piled plastic around my Aldrovanda bucket in hopes the thermal mass would be enough to prevent the emerging turions from freezing. I tried to find them in the dark, but with no luck - so insulation was my only chance. Unfortunately, upon uncovering the bucket this morning after the sun had a chance to warm it, the turions had all become brown. They appear dead. I had them for 3 summers. Aldrovanda is a fantastic species to grow, and I will try to get some more going (I have some seeds from another population). But the first bucket is now over. Thus concludes this thread.
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Post by Tarantulalover on May 15, 2016 14:39:26 GMT -5
Sorry to here about your plants so sad to see them get destroyed overnight after 3 years.
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Post by amanitovirosa on May 15, 2016 23:22:44 GMT -5
...that is so unfortunate!, I am sorry for your loss AP! So much time and work invested! It snowed briefly here today and night temps are not expected to get above 0, colder than that of course with the wind chill, which I think is worse for the plants than the actual temps. It would kill me to find my outside plants frozen tomorrow, they have taken quite a beating already! I am not a religious man but maybe a bit spiritual, will say a prayer tonight. I believe that weather will eventually lead to man's demise here on earth. So sad!
AV.
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Post by Apoplast on May 16, 2016 20:34:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the condolences guys! It's comforting to be able to share losses here as well with folks who know and understand the frustration.
AV - Good luck with your appeals, I hope they work!
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