I have a few different kinds of carnivorous plant seeds, and I was wondering if anyone has any tips on growing them. I think I have some pitcher plants and sundew seeds. Is there a particular time of year that is good to start them? Should I give them bottom heat? How long do they generally take to germinate?
Carnivorous Plants from Seed
I am by no means the expert, or even an informed novice...
I put down some Nepenthes seeds on 2/20. I didn't know exactly what I should do either, so I treated them much like the gessie seeds I have started in the past. I made a fairly light mix of 1 part peat, 1 part vermiculite, and 2 parts perlite. Once the mix was well moisten, i just sprinkled the seeds on top, and misted them. The container is covered, and is under a grow light. I don't have bottom heat per se, but I have the container on one shelf and there is another grow light beneath it, so it ultimately gets some warmth from that during the day. I can only see one sprout so far, out of approx. 30 seeds. Doesn't sound great, but I'm not sure what the germnination should be.
Hope this will help... or better yet, I hope someone offeres better and more advice.
Thanks for sharing your experience :) I have been meaning to do some research so I can get them going, but I am busy and I don't want to start them and find out I am leaving for the summer. I guess I will do research when I am not so busy and find out where I will be in May. I will definitely keep posting here on how I am doing with them. Maybe it will help someone else out! Keep me posted on how yours are doing!
Hi there,
Do you know what type of seeds you have? How old are they? Have they been stratified?
I am asking because if you have Sarracenia Seeds, they need to be stratified. Kept cool and moist for two months so they will germinate. I am in a warm place, so I spread my seeds on a paper towel, spray with distilled water or rain water, spray with a fungacide, fold the paper towel, put it in a ziplock and put it in the fridge with a date on it.
Since you are in a cold place, you can put them on a layer of fertilizer free peat in a pot, spray lightly, use fungacide, and put them in a cool place like a basement. In two months, when it warms up, put them outside. They sprout pretty quickly as long as they have been stratified. Sarracenia and temperate Sundew need to be stratified. There are a few others too.
If you have tropical seeds, you do not need to stratify. For example, the Nepenthes, do not need to be stratified. I haven't grown them from seed, so I can't offer advice, but I can send you in the right direction.
Since I am new here, can you tell me the protocol for giving out book titles, websites. . . . is it okay? If so, I can get you right on track. Let me know. :) Thanks.
I don't think it's a problem to mention book titles when trying to help people out.
As for websites, most people just copy and paste the link to a site they are suggesting, etc.
An example would be:
A great place to order Carnivores, and where I ordered my pings is Cascade Carnivores.
http://www.cascadecarnivores.com/
Thanks for replying. Many sites have different etiquette for their forums, and I don't want to step on any toes. :) I am still learning to navigate.
A great place for information on growing Carnivorous plants is the International Carnivorous Plant Society. ICPS.
Their germination pages are really good. http://www.carnivorousplants.org/seedbank/seedgermguide.htm
As you scroll down there bunches of guides for various genus or species. Everytime I plant new CP seeds, I print out a copy of the germination instructions to make sure I am up to speed. I usually check a few sources, because Florida has some odd exceptions.
I also really like cobraplants.com Excellent plants, nice condition and good care sheets. They also put out podcats that are really helpful. One is about transplanting sundews without getting dirt on the dew. Another video talks about different types of Nepenthes and how to grow them. I am visual learner, so the videos work well for me. Jacob and Jeff have taught me everything I know.
Of course I also read "The Savage Garden". That's where I got my start. Made a trip there in 2007. Wow! I had to bring several plants on the plane in my carry on. :)
The caresheets from Cobraplants are easy to read.
http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=7&chapter=1&zenid=0d262a27e4d60df203fb4c02ae8d64e7
And the seed germination pages are also very easy.
http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=24&chapter=1&zenid=0d262a27e4d60df203fb4c02ae8d64e7
Thanks for all the great resources! I will have to look up the types of seeds when I get home. I bought them a few months back, and I don't think they have been stratified. I will check out those resources and get back to you on the types of seeds.
Some venues will stratify the seeds for you, but usually the seeds are labeled as stratified. They germinate really fast if they have been stratified, so you have to make sure and get them planted. But more than likely, you will need to stratify yourself. Most of the sundews do no require any stratification unless they are cold sundews like round leaf, angelica, some of the northern forms of filiformis. You would be able to grow Round Leaves really well and outside too. Mine die as soon as it warms up.
Since most of the seeds are ready in fall, it wouldn't work well if the seeds germinated just before the first freeze, so they have an enzyme coating that protects them from germination. The cold and wet eliminates the coating. Clever plants. :)
Interesting. I sure learn a lot of great things on these forums :) I will try to remember to check those variety names tonight...
Ok. The varieties I have to plant are:
Sundew (Drosera filiformis)
Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia mix)
For the Sarracenia and the D. filiformis, follow the instructions below. Stratification is vital for germination. Without it you can expect about 10% or less germination rate. I would use the paper towel in the refridgerator in the crisper, unless you are sure you will have 2 months of continued cold weather. The refridgerator is just easier, especially for control. But I could be biased, since I always use the paper towel technique due to my zone.
http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=24&chapter=1&zenid=0d262a27e4d60df203fb4c02ae8d64e7
I really do love my Sarracenia and have S. minor seedlings which will be working on their third summer this year. And filiformis is strange but cool. Sundews are my favorite. Do you by any chance know what kind of Filiformis you have? There's a form from NJ and the rest are from the south, I think. There's a great, sticky, floppy form called D. tracyii. In the winter the sundews will go dormant, die down to the roots and form a small hibernaculum, so don't be surprised. :) You don't want to throw away a perfectly healthy plant. :) One cool thing about D. filiformis is that on adult plants, it has thick black roots. You can cut inch long pieces off and float them in distilled water and they will produce plantlets. Or you can place the roots on the standard soil and produce plantlets.
Sounds like I have some interesting plants in store :) Checking out the link now...
Interesting and beautiful! Although it will take those Sarracenias 5 years to bloom. I like the plants even without bloom.
Hopefully I'm patient enough. I have been trying to grow hibiscus, and they keep dying on me :'( They were almost a year old too...
The Carnivorous plants are pretty hearty. They are temperate plants whereas the Hibiscus are tropical. That should really help you. Did you see the picture of the VFT in the snow and ice?
I sure did - they are tough little things :)