It looks like most of the carnivorous plants survived over-wintering on the balcony in Germany, Zone 7b. I am now prepping soil for divisions and repotting. There are three generations of Venus Flytraps with a small fourth generation seeding to start soon (I have a lot of seeds from last year's harvest and need to test a few).
#CarnivorousPlants #plants #gardening #florespondence #plants #Mosstodon #zone7b #BogPlants
And the current indoor setup for a new Californica Darlingtonia (Cobra Lily). It's not ready to go outdoors yet with the rest of them and it isn't dormant so trying this. I am using a USB fan for root cooling. These are sensitive to shock when conditions drastically change so trying to keep close to store and cultivation conditions. When it is established I will start transitioning it to outdoor.
Prepping the potting medium. I no longer use large commercial brands for carnivores unless I need something in a hurry. This is from a garden shop in Italy and should last a long time in storage. It is not pre-wetted or filtered so it takes more time until it can be used but I like it a lot more. It does need some extra handling though and you can't really stick a plant in it and then add water, it needs to fully absorb it first, then filtered a few times with mineral-free water.
More on preparing potting medium for carnivorous plants here: https://layer8.space/@chillicampari/114134123170944971
Commercial brands generally use a wetting agent and preservatives to keep it moist and easy to use, but those tend to create problems later. Untreated dry medium is hydrophobic so it needs to be soaked to saturation and rinsed a few times first. It works best in a fermentation jar in a warm room but I am doing a larger batch this time. It will probably be slower but end result should be the same.
Attached: 4 images I'm preparing another batch of growing medium (mix of peat and perlite). If you are new to growing carnivores, you might not know yet that the medium should be soaked and rinsed before planting. If you plant in dry medium and then water it, it may repel the water (see pic 3 where it is floating on top of the water). I'm using one of @[email protected] 's fermentation jars and periodically shaking it, breaking up barky chunks and letting it set in a warm room. #CarnivorousPlants #Plants @[email protected]
DeeAnn Little
Markus Feilner
Viss