Drosophyllum
Robert Allen (Robert.Allen@Eng.Sun.COM)
Tue, 11 May 93 08:55:57 PDT
>>I grow mine from seed using the clay-pot and grass-fire technique (as
>>described by Adrian Slack) with some success. We had a few seeds germinate,
>>with only one surviving - apparently some seedlings fail to develop a healthy
>>root system and die off rapidly. Our surviving plant is now a few years old
>>and grow very well - the key point is to be mean with it! This plant comes
>>from semi-arid conditions, not peat bogs. The soil must not be kept wet,
>>usually you only water when the compost begins to dry out & ensure good
>>drainage in the pot. Damping off is another of the killers of this plant,
>>although it is much easier to grow than the similar Drosophyllum (which is a
>>real hassle to grow IMO! - I have yet to succeed with it)
I'm on my second year of blooms w/ drosophyllum, the
plant which is sometimes described as an annual. It's
not huge, but it's survived at least one squirrel attack
and two Bay Area winters outdoors, in temps down to 30 or
so. I believe that a simple, well-drained, medium, and
Slack-potting (double potting) for watering are the keys.
My plant is growing in a mixture of perlite, sand, and
peat.
R.