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Post by snapperhead51 on Dec 29, 2015 19:36:45 GMT -5
We really struggle to grow these plants here in dry old South AU, they just don't like our climate at all , guess is why you don't see then growing in deserts huh !!.
what is the better growing mixes that are used in USA ,Canada , what is there natural soil comprised of !, and do they need roots in water or just wet or moist , and one know the root temp that works best
see if i can adapt some information to my plants to get them to be happy
thanks john
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Post by Maiden on Dec 29, 2015 21:38:18 GMT -5
I grow my darlingtonias with my cephs and my helis.
Cool temps(23/12C), strong lights, light soil mix, and massive relative humidity. I never care about cold running water to the roots. I just water them, twice a week, from the top.
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Post by snapperhead51 on Dec 29, 2015 21:45:22 GMT -5
what is the light soil mix consist of Maiden
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Post by Maiden on Dec 29, 2015 21:50:27 GMT -5
33/33/33 oak chips/peat moss/perlite
Work well. Im not a darling expert, but the key, in my setup, is the cool temperatures.
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Post by jdallas on Dec 30, 2015 10:24:13 GMT -5
We really struggle to grow these plants here in dry old South AU, they just don't like our climate at all , guess is why you don't see then growing in deserts huh !!. what is the better growing mixes that are used in USA ,Canada , what is there natural soil comprised of !, and do they need roots in water or just wet or moist , and one know the root temp that works best see if i can adapt some information to my plants to get them to be happy thanks john Hi John, You should be able to grow Darlingtonia there. I'd recommend a media of New Zealand sphagnum moss with some perlite. Be sure to top water them daily during the summer, and don't allow the containers to sit in water. Having that flow-though of water over their roots is very important for cooling and oxygenation. They can handle warm temperatures since it's frequently 90=100 degrees F in their native habitats in summer. They just need that fresh water on the roots. A drip system makes that the easiest. Some other points. Don't allow pots or planters to sit on the ground and make sure the containers are new or sterilized. Never re-use media. Darlingtonia are susceptible to two different fungal diseases, Cylindrocarpon (Black-Foot Disease) and Pythium. They can pick this up from old soil or dirty pots. Pots on the ground can get it too. These fungal diseases cause the infamous "Sudden Death Syndrome" Darlingtonia are so know for. Grow them in partial to full sun. If it's really hot in your location, some afternoon shade can be good. Just don't grow them in full shade. In nature they grow in mostly full sun, and it's not humid where most of them grow. They usually grow in springs on hillsides in opening in dry pine forests. Their soil is mostly a Serpentine clay, which makes for a very unusual plant community in and of itself. Here's a video we did a few years ago about them: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XebZMWy2SLUJeff |
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Post by snapperhead51 on Jan 2, 2016 5:51:35 GMT -5
Hi Jeff sorry for late reply , been a bit busy down here, thanks for the info and the vid too, that helps a lot cheers
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Post by jdallas on Jan 2, 2016 8:59:48 GMT -5
You're welcome John. Keep us updated on how it goes with them. We have one customer right now that does well with them in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, so South Australia sounds similar.
Jeff
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Post by snapperhead51 on Mar 17, 2016 4:41:37 GMT -5
ok as I did think mite happen with a distinct difference in climate from USA from here in South Australia, tried in vine to keep these plants alive , but the result is here to see, out temps climate and conditions are just far to extreme for these plants to be out doors growing in sun , fried chips any one, fortunately I have a lot of these still in my G/h so no real great loss, just they need cooler and more watering here to survive our climate   |
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Post by lloyd on Mar 17, 2016 5:09:18 GMT -5
Too bad. At least you have the greenhouse plants
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Post by roraima on Mar 17, 2016 13:12:05 GMT -5
I'd recommend using a mix of Live (or Dead) Sphagnum moss with a bit of perlite mixed in. Darlingtonia can germinate in peat and sand type mixes, but I believe they're really much happier in the long term in Sphagnum.
I would also recommend clay pots and and shade/part-sun for this species.
With the challenges of growing Darlingtonia in your climate you're probably going to need all the factors you can control working in your favor.
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Post by H2O on Mar 17, 2016 15:15:28 GMT -5
I use clay pots, perlite and sphagnum with live sphagnum on top. I like to give them more shade then you would. Sarracenia. The hotter it is the more shade I give them. I just posted on this topic just yesterday. islandsarracenia.wordpress.comI'll have loads more seed if you wanted some this fall. |
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Post by stevebooth on Mar 18, 2016 6:52:42 GMT -5
Clay pots would tend to keep the plants cooler due to the evaporation cooling effect, which according to some, the plants prefer. Pure Sphagnum also is good for similar reasons.
There is a thread by FredG ion carnivorous plants and friends with a temperature log taken in 2013 of his plants in a UK greenhouse, whilst I don't know what temperatures you experience they are unlikely to be very much more than those he rocords, and his are grown in shallow plastic trays with pure Sphagnum.
Its worth a look to see if you can gleen any useful information from it. High temperatures are not necessarily a bar to growing Darlingtonia.
Cheers
Steve
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Post by snapperhead51 on Mar 18, 2016 18:36:42 GMT -5
yer mix is spag and pelite,as recommended by Jeff Dallas , and every other mix and pot that have been recommended over the past 20 year or more , temps here can get over 47c and in areas that have house sun reflection up to 56C with about 2 to 8% humidity  as you can see a quite warm day the out side plants have to be shaded with min 50% cloth all summer, we have a unique weather here , only place can grow these is in the G/h in a foam box full of sphag in pots sunk in to the spag , under shade cloth with misting and fogging and fully air conditioned in summer and they sill look like demented aliens , just one of those plants we cant grow well , all though the guys up in the hills areas do very well with them so it just mu local micro climate ,probably just another plant that i put in the no grow list  |
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Post by stevebooth on Mar 21, 2016 8:44:25 GMT -5
Now that is very hot!
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Post by hackerberry on Mar 21, 2016 12:29:57 GMT -5
Just a thought but why don't you try a hydroponic style of growing just for the Darlingtonias? It's sure to cool the roots.
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