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jrath89

Drosera Capensis growing from seed

jrath89
15 years ago

As a biology experiment i am growing some drosera capensis as i have learned these are the easiest or fairly easy to grow. I ordered my seeds online and when i recieved them they were so tiny a could barely pick them up with tweezers, i have planted them in 1:1 peat moss/ sand mix in 3inch pots sitting in pans with water. I am skeptical about them and worried that i am doing something wrong. If anyone has any information or experience to help me that would be great, i wasnt sure if i am supposed to germinate the seeds or how many seeds i should put in each individual 3 inch pot?

Comments (6)

  • mcantrell
    15 years ago

    No stratification on required. Do not bury the seeds, I hear the the light on them helps get them waking up.

    Do you know about the water requirements (distilled only, more or less) for Carnivorous plants?

    My seeds (Drosera Filiformis instead of Drosera Capensis, but they're not that dissimilar) are in a Chinese food container with a 1:1 peat/perlite pebbles mix and a second one with pure Long Fiber Sphagnum in it. No strikes yet myself, but I hear they can take several weeks to get going. I didn't try to spread them out very well, the seeds were too small to do that with.

  • dethcheez
    15 years ago

    Hi,

    You seem to be on the right track...
    Capes are like weeds / You "shouldn't" have any problems with them / They are pretty easy...
    Like "mcantrell" said, Don't cover the seeds with soil, just sprinkle them on top on the soil...
    I use Deli Cups...
    I poke a few holes (3 or 4) in the sides & a bunch in the bottom of the cup / Peat - Sand is the right mix...
    Don't pour water directly on the seeds / Use the tray method...
    Humidity is very important, but you don't want to keep them to wet or they will mold up on you...
    Also, like "mcantrell" said, they will take awhile to sprout, so give them time & don't give up...
    Since you have already potted them, I would recommend rubber banding some Saran Wrap or clear plastic over the pots...
    As long as the soil is moist you shouldn't have to water them / Just make sure you don't let the soil dry out...
    Place the pots where they will get some light, but not to the point where it will over heat them / As seeds/sprouts, they like it a bit on the cooler side...

    Good Luck...

  • jrath89
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    unfortunately i already did burry the seeds, not very deep, only about 1/2 inch deep, would it help at all to possibly spread the dirt off the top just a bit? or would it be best to leave them as they are? thanks again!

  • petiolaris
    15 years ago

    That would help...more surface and less depth.

  • hunterkiller03
    15 years ago

    Oh boy, even buring Cape sundew seed to a depth of 1/16th of an inch is too deep for them. When the seedling sprout, they don't have a long stem like some plants that will stretch out to the surface.

    When they germinate, they are very very small, with minute size little traps with a few tentacles. They will suffocate if buried.

  • petiolaris
    15 years ago

    Maybe saturate them.

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