Re: D. peltata

Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)
Sat, 4 Nov 1995 12:23:09 +0000

On 3 Nov 95 at 15:50, Eric J Worden wrote:

> [about Drosera peltata]
> Yes, I know that it grows during the "winter" in its native habitat,
> which has mild winters and blazing summers, but I was wondering if, in my
> temperate maritime climate, I could grow it outdoors during the summer,
> and put in a shoebox indoors during the winter. Obviously, people in
> climates like mine grow it quite successfully during the winter. Do you
> give it extra light? What causes the onset of dormancy: photoperiod
> and/or temperature? Has anybody tried growing it during the summer?

I'm not sure I'd know how to grow the plant in Summer even if I
wanted too (other than providing artificial conditions to emulate
Winter, which defeats the object). I quite like these Winter growers,
which provide pleasure when not much else is growing. I onlt give
them whatever natural light comes through the windows into the
house, or into the greenhouse.

What are people's thoughts on what controls the cycle of D. peltata
and other similar plants?

My plants start into growth in the Autumn (Fall) - about October in
the N. hemisphere. It can't be the day-length that does it (since the
tubers are deep underground), and it can't be water, since they
come up even if I don't give them any (though I don't suppose they'd
like it if I *still* didn't water them after they came up). That
only leaves two choices: (1) the declining temperatures, or (2) the
tuber knows it's been dormant for a few months, so it must be time
to come up again.

As for the onset of dormancy, again we have choices. This time the
plant has leaves, so it can see the light and the long days of
Summer. The temperatures are high. The plant has grown it's single
stem terminated by flowers, has perhaps produced seed, has developed
one or more new tubers, so what else is it to do other than go
dormant?

-- 
Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)