It's that time of the year again. Yep, that time where it is cold, snowy and freezing outside and even if I were to be able to get down the slope that leads to my greenhouses without slipping up, I'd still be greeted with plants that are in dormancy and are doing absolutely nothing of interest. A theme that will be reoccurring for the next 4 months or so.
Still, it's been a very good year. I made a couple of hundred quid in plant sales, and my YouTube visitor counter is now at the 3.2 million mark! As you'd expect, I will be making more videos and having more updates next year when the plants come out of dormancy. I've re-potted a few of my plants, namely lots of Venus Flytrap Big Mouth's, but that will be it. I simply don't have the room to divide any more. Not until I manage to sell a bunch at least. Here's hoping that happens next year.
You can find me on twitter: @plantsthateat
Until then, to carnivorous plant enthusiasts and people who are reading this blog,
have a Happy New Year!
Showing posts with label drosera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drosera. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Photo's galore!
It's been a while since I've added a bunch of photos to this blog, so here's my collection of photos from both greenhouses as of May 2014:
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| The first plant I have grown from seed |
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| Add caption |
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| Seed's for VFT 'Shark Tooth' form |
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| Flower from a Cobra Lily |
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| The 'B52' crew :D |
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| Nice to see one of my Sundews catch a good sized fly |
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| Spot the spider! |
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| A picture of a Sundew that ISN'T a macro? I must be mad! |
Thursday, 8 May 2014
We're going liiiiiiiive!
Today is a glorious day.
Ok, its not actually cause it is raining outside, but it is good because very soon, this weekend infact, my business will start up. This is good, because it's been something I've been preparing for for over a year.
After spending so long as a child looking everywhere for even one carnivorous plant, I now find myself in a position whereby I have a couple of hundred to sell. I am starting off locally first. People who live in the area. Friends. Friends of friends etc. Then all being well, I hope to go nationally so I can supply people from all over the country. 'tis all about spreading the happiness and intrigue!
If you want to check out my site, go to www.carnivorous-corner.co.uk. This will provide more information about the plant's I am selling, as well as nice photos (if I do say so myself!), videos of the plants, frequently asked questions, and an introduction to how they all work.
If you want to read my ramblings in 140 characters or less, go to @plantsthateat on twitter. In the meantime, here's a nice macro of a Sundew:
Ok, its not actually cause it is raining outside, but it is good because very soon, this weekend infact, my business will start up. This is good, because it's been something I've been preparing for for over a year.
After spending so long as a child looking everywhere for even one carnivorous plant, I now find myself in a position whereby I have a couple of hundred to sell. I am starting off locally first. People who live in the area. Friends. Friends of friends etc. Then all being well, I hope to go nationally so I can supply people from all over the country. 'tis all about spreading the happiness and intrigue!
If you want to check out my site, go to www.carnivorous-corner.co.uk. This will provide more information about the plant's I am selling, as well as nice photos (if I do say so myself!), videos of the plants, frequently asked questions, and an introduction to how they all work.
If you want to read my ramblings in 140 characters or less, go to @plantsthateat on twitter. In the meantime, here's a nice macro of a Sundew:
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Ready.....set........repot!
Although February is the most 'ideal' time to repot, or at least the most common time among carnivorous plant collectors to do it, I tend to lack patience. A week or two early won't make a difference anyway!
So far, I have repotted all of my Venus Flytraps, most of my Sundews, and started on my Pitcher Plants. For the flytraps, I was using a slightly different compost mix to usual. I bought it from a different site and its one that I have used for my flytrap seeds, and they seem to be doing really good. I think I will end up preferring this new compost as it is already quite damp, so unlike the previous compost, I don't need to be standing there watering it for 11 hours just to get it a bit damp.
I have had a few deaths, admittedly. Most, if not all of which, were sundews. Typically the tropical ones which don't tend to like temperatures dropping below about 8'c, which doesn't help when some days it is just above freezing. Still though, a handful of sundew deaths while over 40 still remain is a pretty decent ratio.
Speaking of ratio's, once again my venus flytraps surprise me. Times when I thought I could divide a plant 2 or 3 times and end up splitting the contents of a single pot into 8 pots is always great. Assuming they all survive this winter, I will be rockin' over 300 flytraps alone.
I've had less success with the divisions of the pitcher plants though. Admittedly, you are supposed to divide them every couple of years rather than every year, which would explain why I have taken half a dozen out of their pots, only to realise they are one whole plant and don't want to be divided yet.
I'm also doing a bit of experimenting this year with plant sizes. Pitcher Plants are said to be able to grow to just over 1 metre in height. My tallest ones last year were about 2ft in height, so to help encourage them to grow further, I have ordered and received a few extra large plant pots, which are 5cm wider and 5cm deeper than my current largest ones. This is obviously to encourage the roots to dig deeper and give them more space. Hopefully at least one of my plants can reach the 1 metre mark in the next couple of years!
It's also worth noting that I have made several divisions of the Cobra Lily's. There is certainly a fascination about them among people who see my plants. Truth is, they are still relatively 'new' to me in terms of understanding how they work and what conditions they like compared to other carnivorous plants. Still, I have 7 or 8 pots of them now and this is the first proper divide that I have put them through, and their root systems seem slightly different to that of my other plants, so we will see how well they do.
So far, I have repotted all of my Venus Flytraps, most of my Sundews, and started on my Pitcher Plants. For the flytraps, I was using a slightly different compost mix to usual. I bought it from a different site and its one that I have used for my flytrap seeds, and they seem to be doing really good. I think I will end up preferring this new compost as it is already quite damp, so unlike the previous compost, I don't need to be standing there watering it for 11 hours just to get it a bit damp.
I have had a few deaths, admittedly. Most, if not all of which, were sundews. Typically the tropical ones which don't tend to like temperatures dropping below about 8'c, which doesn't help when some days it is just above freezing. Still though, a handful of sundew deaths while over 40 still remain is a pretty decent ratio.
Speaking of ratio's, once again my venus flytraps surprise me. Times when I thought I could divide a plant 2 or 3 times and end up splitting the contents of a single pot into 8 pots is always great. Assuming they all survive this winter, I will be rockin' over 300 flytraps alone.
I've had less success with the divisions of the pitcher plants though. Admittedly, you are supposed to divide them every couple of years rather than every year, which would explain why I have taken half a dozen out of their pots, only to realise they are one whole plant and don't want to be divided yet.
I'm also doing a bit of experimenting this year with plant sizes. Pitcher Plants are said to be able to grow to just over 1 metre in height. My tallest ones last year were about 2ft in height, so to help encourage them to grow further, I have ordered and received a few extra large plant pots, which are 5cm wider and 5cm deeper than my current largest ones. This is obviously to encourage the roots to dig deeper and give them more space. Hopefully at least one of my plants can reach the 1 metre mark in the next couple of years!
It's also worth noting that I have made several divisions of the Cobra Lily's. There is certainly a fascination about them among people who see my plants. Truth is, they are still relatively 'new' to me in terms of understanding how they work and what conditions they like compared to other carnivorous plants. Still, I have 7 or 8 pots of them now and this is the first proper divide that I have put them through, and their root systems seem slightly different to that of my other plants, so we will see how well they do.
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Sundew Care Guide
Sundew Care Guide
Light
Sundews are the ideal windowsill plant. Putting them in a
place that receives a lot of sun is fine, but in the wild, sundews grow among
grass and larger plants, so they don’t mind being in the shade for part of the
day, as long as they get a couple of hours of sunlight. They can be grown
outdoors, provided the climate is warm enough, but it’s usually best to bring
them indoors during winter.
Water
Do
NOT use tap water, use rainwater
Tap water contains chemicals which will harm
the plant. You can use distilled water, reverse osmosis water, but the best
water to use is rain water. Stand the pot in 1 - 2 cm of rain water, but during
the winter months, its best to just keep them damp (such as using a mist spray)
rather than fill the tray up with water.
Feeding
The leaves of a sundew are littered with
tentacles which have what looks like a dew type substance on the end of them.
Insects are attracted to them by the sweet mucilage and when they land on one
of these tentacles, they get stuck!
The tentacles near to the prey all lean
towards the prey to prevent it from escaping and bring it towards the leaf of
the plant for it to get digested. In the case of some plants, such as the
Drosera Capensis, this can all happen within a few minutes. In the case of a
Capensis, the leaf itself will sometimes actually curl over the insect to make
sure it’s well and truly trapped.
Sundews most commonly eat small insects such
as gnats and small houseflies. If you see a small fly going around the house,
when it lands, you can use the sundew to catch it (feeding time!). Just be sure
not to overwhelm the leaf with too many insects. Depending on their size, only
a few insects are more than enough per leaf. Though like the flytrap, they are
good at catching insects on their own.
Winter
dormancy
Winter dormancy for a sundew typically takes
place from late October to February. During dormancy, the plants leaves will lose
their stickiness and die back and so it is important to prune them. If your sundew
is outside, bring it inside, preferably somewhere where it still gets daylight
but feels cooler (such as a conservatory).
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Top tip: Use Sundews to catch flies
It can often be awkward trying to catch flies with your fingers or even trying to zap them with one of those tennis racket shaped zappers, but sundews work a treat.
The great thing about them is, not just that they are sticky so they stop even the largest of flies briefly enough for you to grab hold of them, but also because flies dont seem to be afraid of sundews. Try to catch a fly with your finger and they will usually fly off before you get chance to grab them. But with using a sundew, the flies either dont fly away and get stuck to the plant, or in some cases, they even fly into it.
The great thing about them is, not just that they are sticky so they stop even the largest of flies briefly enough for you to grab hold of them, but also because flies dont seem to be afraid of sundews. Try to catch a fly with your finger and they will usually fly off before you get chance to grab them. But with using a sundew, the flies either dont fly away and get stuck to the plant, or in some cases, they even fly into it.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
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