Carnivorous Plants/Darlingtonia

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Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 7/9/2009


Question
Hi there!
I have question about cobra lilies;;
1. I want to know is the 4 week-period in fridge good for seeds to start to germinate or not?? Or should I place the pot with seeds out of the fridge on sunny window?
2. How long does it take for seeds to germinate in fridge?
3. Can you tell me something about watering darlingtonia?
Thanks
Peter

Answer
Hi Peter,

Give them six weeks.  Also, when you stratify seeds of temperate plants such as Darlingtonia, they need to be moist and cool.  Dry cold storage usually won't get them to germinate.

Once the stratification is over Darlingtonia seeds tend to germinate in about 2 weeks.  They tend to germinate more quickly than Sarracenia.

Our experience has been that Darlingtonia like moist soil, but don't like to sit in water unless the water is moving.  We usually grow ours in low, wide containers in a very loose media that we water with a drip system, or water them daily on hot days.  They don't sit in water, however.  For more information on growing Darlingtonia, visit:  http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets/


Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

Carnivorous Plants

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Sarracenia Northwest

Expertise

If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!

Experience

With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again. Get the straight facts from the guys who grow and propagate thousands of these plants every year.

Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.

No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.


PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?).

Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?)

If you are looking for general care and specific how-to information, please visit the following pages on our main website:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

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