Wednesday, October 30, 2002
Another shot from Barry.
Drosera hartmeyerorum - Barry took some interesting pictures of Drosera hartmeyerorum with an emphasis on the yellow, moriform structures that characterize this species.
Monday, October 21, 2002
The Carnivorous Plant FAQ: human digestion - I guess it had to be done...Barry Rice did the unthinkable and experimented with feeding a Venus Fly Trap human flesh. The results are disturbing. Not for the feint of heart....the pictures and description are pretty gross.
Friday, October 11, 2002
Greenhouse Gallery - Ah, to have a greenhouse - or two. This is Mike King's setup in the UK. Just tons of beautiful Sarracenia
Organic Matter Soil Amendments from Home Harvest® - Another place that carries "Leaf Mold".
Thursday, October 10, 2002
Pet Flytrap Discussion Forums - Yet another CP forum. Quite a bit of traffic.
CPUK Forum - A UK based CP forum. Looks like it's starting to generate some traffic.
Greenhouse, Nursery & Garden Center - Mellingers Garden Catalog - Leaf mold! Hopefully this is what Robert Shands was talking about.
This was a post to the carnivorous plant mailing list from an old time CP hunter. Robert has some cool first hand observations about seeing CPs in the wild:From: reshands@xxxxx.net (Robert Shands)
Subject: growing CephalotusIf you get out a map of Australia and look at the bottom, you will see the Great Australian Bight. This is where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. Over in West Australia in the Bight the Cephalotus grows in the wild. It is a sparsely populated place with forests of Banksias growing in the wild and flights of brightly colored parrots flying overhead. The Antarctic Ocean sends storms crashing up on its shores. This is where the man in the gray suit (Aussie for the Great White Shark) comes very close to shore. You could easily imagine dinosaurs stealthily darting across the road. It is like no other place on earth, and I love it so.
I used to go there every year looking for carnivorous plants. I have collected Cephalotus and Drosera in the wild from Albany to Bremer Bay and around to Esperance. I have noticed how they were growing and what they were growing in. I found out that they like growing close to the coast. Many times I found them growing underneath the W. A. Wattle tree in a lot of leaf mold. These were big green pitchers. The others--smaller red pitchers-- were growing so very close to the beach that the huge waves that pounded had to be sending salt spray over them with no ill effects.
I brought some back to Queensland; those that did not die started growing smaller pitchers. This puzzled me. I returned a year later and took soil samples and talked to a local nurseryman. Then I came up with my own potting mixture. This turned the corner for me. I know this is going to raise some eyebrows, but I am going to spell it out anyway.
First let me say what I have always said: "We DON'T grow plants. What we do is provide the right soil, water, temperature, and light, and they do the growing. We try to duplicate nature and they do the rest. Okay, here goes--1/3 peat, 1/3 leaf mold, and 1/3 sand from the seaside. I don't mean from the edge of the tide, but beyond the beach--even over the hill. A man who owned the plant shop in Albany told me that a little salt keeps down the fungus that they are so susceptible to. Randall Schwartz in his book Carnivorous Plants (1974) on page 80 wrote, and I quote, " While many people grow Cephalotus, real success is rare. Occasionally, the plant flowers and flourishes in captivity, but vigor seems sporadic. There's some talk of a need for some salt in their diet, but I can't seem to pin down the rumors."
If you want to boo and hiss, go ahead....Now for the fungus that kills them so fast. One of the carnivorous plant clubs that I belonged to did a lot of tests on fungicides to find which one was the best. I can't remember if it was the Brisbane CPS or the LACPS--or even the name of the fungicide. If it comes to me, I will post it. ........Later, Robert
Wednesday, October 09, 2002
Drosera hartmeyerorum - By pure blind luck, it turns out I have this plant in my collection - even before it was discovered as a new species. Here are some tips on growing Drosera hartmeyerorum with some nice pictures of the "mystery organs".
Monday, October 07, 2002
Welcome to the Bug Farm - Live bugs and critters to feed your plants. I think they expect people to buy this stuff for their reptiles and fish..
