Queensland sundews: an observation.
Robert Allen (Robert.Allen@Eng.Sun.COM)
Mon, 9 Sep 91 15:16:04 +1000
Not that this will come as any great surprise to most of you,
but I'm amazed at how sensitive the Queensland sundews (adelae,
schizandra, prolifera) are to light. If my prolifera gets even
an hour or so of direct sunlight, its' growth slows way down.
However, with 75% shade cloth over it, it rolls out a new leaf
at the rate of one every 5 days or so. Same thing with my adelae.
(I don't have a schizandra :-( ). I've heard that they are sensitive
to heat, but it seems that sunlight, and of course possibly the
heat generated in the leaves by the sunlight, may be a more telling
factor. Since Peter Damato grows his schizandra in the HOT area
in his greenhouse, with his lowland Nepenthes, I'm inclined to believe
that it is light/light-generated-heat, not ambient temp, which
affects these species the most.
As soon as the little plantlets are big enough, I'm going to
transplant one into my 80 degree terrarium and see how it does
in there under lights.
BTW, some live spahgnum I have in the terrarium got molded over
with grey, fuzzy, stuff. I presume this is a result of not enough
ventilation, right? But if ventilate more, the temps and humidity
go down. Any suggestions? Perhaps keep the moss more wet?