Just a few quick updates on some of the Nepenthes action here!
Here’s an update on the Nepenthes fusca hybrid cutting from Paul. Many of those cuttings are showing growth points at this stage. Woohoo!
A baby Nepenthes hamata, with a new pitcher.
Oh, the cute little teeth are becoming a little more prominent!
A Nepenthes maxima hybrid from Paul.
Nepenthes jamban, a new pitcher opening.
While most plants are dormant, there are a few that are early risers here. Perhaps it is because a few are still adjusting and out of whack from all of the shuffle last year. Also, the greenhouse I am in now has a couple hot spots. The winner of this year’s first flower goes to a complex hybrid I did a few years ago of Sarracenia moorei – Yellow River, FL x [((purpurea x flava) x flava) x minor]
Sarracenia moorei, Yellow River, FL x [(purpurea x flava) x flava)] x minor
Running not far behind are a few plants, one of which is this anthocyanin free hybrid. Not sure exactly what this one is – perhaps some combo of AF (anthocyanin free) psittacina/rubra cross. I caught this one as the sun was behind the new pitcher. It was really highlighting that glow that I love so much with AF plants. And yeah, there’s still a whole slew of dead pitchers in the background, but I’m making my rounds cleaning up each section as I get to it.
Anthocyanin free hybrid about to bloom. I suspect a psittacina/rubra hybrid.
Seeing the signs of plants breaking dormancy is exciting indeed. Like, I’m freakin’ out inside when I think about all the possibilities this year! SO much to look forward to! Again, most of the plants are dormant and just a pile of elongated crispy leaves. These plants are just a handful that are awake early. This won’t be for long though. In a matter of a few short weeks, there again will be a deluge of growth and color. And yes, it will be awesome.
Posted in Blog
Tagged 2013 will be rad, anthocyanin free, awesome, bloom, first flower, flava, minor, moorei, psittacina, purpurea, rubra, Sarracenia, Yellow River
Greetings!
Wishing you all a wonderful Happy New Year! 2013 is now here and I am so excited and look forward to so many amazing things this year. One of the things I’ve been working on and recently launched today is THE SHOP! Yeah! You’ll find my extra plants from the collection here. (Plant sales in the USA only.) You will find crosses that I’ve done, seed grown plants that I’ve grown from other brilliant growers, or perhaps even plants that are harder to find in cultivation.
At this moment, I am still going through the plants and doing a few divisions. Inventory will be updated as I find the plants for you beautiful growers. I’ll also be working on a few other non-plant items such as fine art photo prints and clothing/accessories. Check back often and keep a watch on Twitter, or Facebook for updates.
This is an ongoing project for me. If you have any questions, concerns, or if you run into any technical hiccups (yeah, this is all new for me too), please feel free to contact me.
Thank you all for your continued support! Here’s to a beautiful and wonderful 2013 for us all. Let’s grow. Cheers!
Posted in Blog
Tagged 2013, awesome, Buy Carnivorous Plants, Carnivorous plants, January 1, Launch, Main Menu, new year, Sarracenia, Where to Buy
2012 has been a year marked with intense transition from one place to another, both personally and botanically. Indeed, this year was challenging. Each move was a monumental undertaking and ultimately resulted in increasing formidable awesomeness. I am thankful for it all and look forward to what the next season will bring.
To sum it all up…
January, 2012.
August, 2012.
On this eve of a new year I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude and say “thank you” for making 2012 so memorable. I am thankful for my family, friends, and you readers out there. (Yeah, I see you!) I really couldn’t of done 2012 without your continued support and encouragement. I wish you all continued success and growth in 2013. Cheers!
Tagged 2012, bring it on 2013, greenhouse, Growth, Move, new year, thankful, YOU ALL ARE AWESOME!
Growing from seed is awesome. Under those tiny husks lie the dream of new and great plants, the hope of genetic preservation, and the culmination of ideas made tangible and manifest.
Oh, but when fungus/botrytis attacks: that’s when it’s totally UNAWESOME. Dude, it sucks! You gotta be very vigilant because once some of that fuzzy crap hits, it can spread like crazy. A few causes of this could be things like over crowding, poor water quality, poor air circulation, and/or a combination of all of the above. Seeds and media have the potential to carry nasty spores that will jump at the chance to grow when provided the opportunity. Prevention is key here. Now that I have space, I plan on giving my next year’s crop lots of space to allow air and light to penetrate.
I’ve had to move the plants and seeds from one location to another this past year and no doubt the stress, the conditions, and crowding contributed to the outbreak. Hey, it happens!
The crop below is of an anthocyanin free (AF) cross I did using Sarracenia ((purpurea ssp. purpurea f. heterophylla x rubra ssp. jonesii) x (leucophylla x rubra ssp. gulfensis)) x mitchelliana – AF clone. Yeah, I know. I love ’em greens.
Ugh, gross!
So, how did I deal with it? I’ve tried to use a sulfur based fungicide, but that does not always do the trick. Once that botrytis fungus hits, it can be a huge pain to get rid of and spraying may not always work. Many of the seedlings as you can see have succumbed to the f*ckin’ grossness, yet a few of the plants still look salvageable. First off, I was sure to glove up as I posted about here.
Next, I began to separate and trim off the crappy dead foliage. I make sure that the foliage is disposed of in an area far away from the growing area when all done.
An important note here is that after the use of the trimming apparatus it is a good practice to clean/sterilize the clippers. Simple use of a 1 to 10 ratio bleach / water solution, or even something like Clorox cleaning wipes can do the trick. I did not have my lighter on me at the time, but I would imagine dousing the tools in alcohol + flame would work just as fine. You don’t want to spread any Sarracenially Transmitted Diseases…
I separate the salvaged seedlings out in a separate working tray and begin to pot these up in fresh media and giving them plenty of room. Some folks say that at this young age, the young plants are “too fragile” to be moved about. In my experience the young plants could more than handle all of this jostling about. I mean, check out those young and strong healthy root systems!
Salvaged seedlings.
Next I fill a pot with fresh potting media. My typical mix is a rough 1 part peat to 1 part perlite ratio. In the shot below, I threw in a little bit of horticultural sand. I dig a hole using the label, (a pencil also works) and gently lower the roots in. I’ll then use the label to also gently guide the roots in. Next I backfill the hole and give it a nice press to ensure the roots are happy and snug.
Potting up the cleaned and salvaged seedlings.
Gotta be sure to give these guys room for light and air. I used a 3.5 inch pot and put 4-5 seedlings in each pot. They should be good for another year or two at this stage. I’ll then give them a nice watering and set them aside in a separate quarantine area of the greenhouse away from the rest of the plants to monitor their growth and (hopefully) speedy recovery.
All clean and happy!
After I was done with this salvage project, I was sure to clean up my garden area and tools. Gloves were then disposed, and I wiped down with some hand sanitizer. I’ll update you in the coming weeks as to how these babies fare! Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
***
Photo credit: All photos in this post were taken by my talented and musical niece, Khadijah. Since I was gloved up with fungus covered gloves, I was not too keen on handling the camera. Thanks again, Khadijah! You rock!
Tagged anthocyanin free, Fungus, Salvage, Sarracenia, Save, seedlings
Khadijah rocks the plants.
I had my very talented niece, Khadijah, and her guitar over at the greenhouse yesterday. It was flippin’ awesome to have some live music to work by (as well as a photo assistant.) Dude. She rocked the plants! I’m thinkin’ of having the greenhouse double as a concert hall… or mosh pit! Thanks again for all your help yesterday Khadijah!
I’m getting around to repotting a few plants here and there and thought I would share a quick little tip on keeping the dust down when working with perlite (or any dusty media material for that matter). In my potting mix, I use a rough one part peat to one part perlite mix. Sometimes I use more peat in the mix, or even pure peat as my potting medium… but yeah, the Sarrs don’t seem picky.
I hope that those of you out there that work with perlite don’t be a puff-puffin’ on the stuff in hopes of getting your garden fix. You’ll have better luck with other white powdery stuff. Uhhhh ok. So anyway… when you work with perlite, please take precaution! DO NOT to breath that dust in. It can irritate your respiratory system, and the stuff may contain crystalline silica. Inhaling that can lead to some nasty respiratory issues. You may want to wear something like the last photo in this public service announcement safety post.
How do I deal with it? A quick and simple trick is once you open up the bag, run water through it to keep the dust down. That’s it! Nice and simple. Gardening is awesome, but little things like this will help ensure a healthier garden experience. Remember, practice safe gardening.
Practice safe gardening. Moisten your perlite.
